Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / CDU TAFE Pro Vice-Chancellor Michael Hamilton says a new TAFE model will help the uni better respond to the Territory’s skilled workforce needs

Transcript

CDU TAFE Pro Vice-Chancellor Michael Hamilton says a new TAFE model will help the uni better respond to the Territory’s skilled workforce needs · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: As I mentioned earlier, we know that Charles Dalwin University
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: has launched the CDU Tafe. It's a dedicated tafe area
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: focusing on future growth and job opportunities in the Northern
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Territory and the more focused and streamlined structure well, it's
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: taken over from CDU's previous vocational education and training model,
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  Speaker 1: which is the VET model. Now joining me on the
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  Speaker 1: line to tell us more about the new tafe area
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  Speaker 1: is CDU Tafe pro Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive Michael Hamilton.
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  Speaker 2: Good morning to you, Michael.
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  Speaker 3: Good morning Katie. On this wet, wild, windy, wet season.
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  Speaker 1: Days, it's pretty crazy out there, there is no doubt
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  Speaker 1: about it. Michael, tell us a little bit more about
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  Speaker 1: how this new tafe is going to operate.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, Look, it's a very exciting time, not just for CDU,
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  Speaker 3: but I think for Northern Territory really because we've established
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  Speaker 3: ourselves in a way that we can service industry and
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  Speaker 3: communities and students in a much more agile way and
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  Speaker 3: very relevant and flexible to the individual needs of communities
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  Speaker 3: and different areas around the Northern Territory. Because we are
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  Speaker 3: the University of the Territory and look in recent years
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  Speaker 3: we had contracted somewhat back to the urban environment, and
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  Speaker 3: the methodology and the model that we were working within
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  Speaker 3: in a very complex university system did sort of hamper
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  Speaker 3: our agility in the marketplace. So we feel that the
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  Speaker 3: new structure and the new CDU tape itself will service
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  Speaker 3: industry so much better.
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  Speaker 2: And so what makes it different to the previous.
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  Speaker 3: Model, Well, I guess the biggest thing is that, as
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  Speaker 3: I already mentioned, universities are quite complex in the way
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  Speaker 3: that they're structured and the way that they go about
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  Speaker 3: their business, and that's largely due to the self certifying
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  Speaker 3: university higher education sector. And whilst you know that's to
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  Speaker 3: ensure the integrity with the products that we offer in
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  Speaker 3: our higher education portion of the business and with vocational
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  Speaker 3: education nested within it, was also subject to the same
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  Speaker 3: protocols and approval processes, which is often quite lengthy and complex.
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  Speaker 3: And it's not that the new system will compromise integrity
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  Speaker 3: in any way of our better offerings. It's just that
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  Speaker 3: we don't need all of those checks because the vocational
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  Speaker 3: sector is regulated in a much different way, and so
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  Speaker 3: by having it as a dedicated portfolio with its own
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  Speaker 3: specialized vocational systems. We're able to respond much quicker and
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  Speaker 3: be more flexible to the requirements of industry.
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  Speaker 2: And is the new model.
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  Speaker 1: I know that it's been mentioned that the new model
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  Speaker 1: is going to assist those living in remote and regional
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  Speaker 1: areas a little bit better.
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  Speaker 2: How's it going to do that?
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  Speaker 3: Look, we've got to focus on reinvestment outside of Darwin
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  Speaker 3: in particular. And even so, we've got as part of
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  Speaker 3: the plan and part of the Tape model is to
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  Speaker 3: install in places like Tenant Creek, nullam Boy and Alice
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  Speaker 3: Springs certain functions and roles that have the ability to
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  Speaker 3: you know, they're entrenched in the community that they understand
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  Speaker 3: what's going on. They're part of the very fabric of
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  Speaker 3: those communities, and so those people will have the authority
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  Speaker 3: to provide a level of service in those areas and
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  Speaker 3: respond as I said already because it's to the needs
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  Speaker 3: of the community.
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  Speaker 1: And Michael, is there going to be new courses or
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  Speaker 1: different kinds of courses for students that are wanting to study?
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so, I mean we're already bringing several new courses
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  Speaker 3: onto scope at the moment in cybersecurity, and there's some
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  Speaker 3: it ones, but we're often I mean, we've looked to
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  Speaker 3: the marketplace to develop our training profile. So we take
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  Speaker 3: feedback and we work with nt government on their priority
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  Speaker 3: skills list to ensure that what we offer industry and
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  Speaker 3: the community is relevant and it's up to date and
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  Speaker 3: it's meeting the needs of the workforce and for industry
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  Speaker 3: across the region. So it's ever evolving. But what the
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  Speaker 3: new structure and CDU tape will provide is that we
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  Speaker 3: can do that so much quicker. We can respond very
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  Speaker 3: fat yeah. Right, So if there's an immediate need, we
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  Speaker 3: can put together a short skill set or a short
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  Speaker 3: course if you like, very promptly under the new CDU
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  Speaker 3: tape structure. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: And so with some you know, I know that there
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  Speaker 1: had been a federal government free Taste package or some
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  Speaker 1: announcements in that space. Are there going to be some
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  Speaker 1: of the courses that you'll be delivering that do fall
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  Speaker 1: under that federal government free tape package.
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  Speaker 3: Well, the uptakes from territoriums for free tape has been outstanding.
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  Speaker 3: We're into week six of the free tape initiatives and
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  Speaker 3: if already oversubscribed. So we've we've we've had thousands of
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  Speaker 3: expressions of interest to to take enrollments in specified priority
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  Speaker 3: courses and we will we will enroll those students under
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  Speaker 3: the free tape methodology. But yeah, I mean it's just
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  Speaker 3: been outstanding response.
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  Speaker 2: That's awesome.
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  Speaker 3: Thing is, yeah, on top of free tape, the actual
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  Speaker 3: uptake of apprenticeships has been spectacular, which is which is
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  Speaker 3: really heartening to see that industry are investing in our
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  Speaker 3: own to bring more people into the into the work
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  Speaker 3: environment and into those trades that we say desperately need.
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  Speaker 1: I reckon, that is fantastic to hear, because you know,
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  Speaker 1: I wasn't that. One of the things that you know
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  Speaker 1: that COVID kind of showed us is that is that
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  Speaker 1: we do need to grow our own and we do
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  Speaker 1: need to invest in our young people or our mature
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  Speaker 1: age students as well if they're wanting to study.
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  Speaker 2: But we do need to grow our own.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, one hundred percent. And look, there was worries, I guess,
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  Speaker 3: you know, because federal sponsorship and incentives for employers to
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  Speaker 3: engage apprentices actually reduced over the last twelve months, and
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  Speaker 3: we thought that might impact but in fact it's gone
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  Speaker 3: the other way. And I think just by the fact
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  Speaker 3: that we had the pandemic and it did alter the
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  Speaker 3: way people come and go from the Northern Territory. I
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  Speaker 3: think they've just thought, you know what, let's just invest local,
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  Speaker 3: and I think that is fantastic.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think that, you know, do you think that
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  Speaker 1: some of these changes that are being made, and by
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  Speaker 1: the offering of different courses and even the you know,
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  Speaker 1: the free Tafe courses and that kind of thing, do
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  Speaker 1: you think that it helps us to keep more of
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  Speaker 1: our of our school leavers here in the Northern Territory
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  Speaker 1: as well.
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  Speaker 3: Look, I guess it's too early to tell, but you know,
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  Speaker 3: just by the very nature an apprenticeship goes for four years,
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  Speaker 3: and I think that's only got to be a positive
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  Speaker 3: thing for the retention of skilled workers in the territory.
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  Speaker 3: And we you know, we're we're quite open to looking
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  Speaker 3: at other options as well to attract people to the
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  Speaker 3: terror But how good is it to invest in our
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  Speaker 3: own just to keep our own it's much more stable,
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  Speaker 3: and you know, they're quite familiar with the territory and
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  Speaker 3: the environment that they've lived in. I think investment in
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  Speaker 3: locals is great.
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  Speaker 2: I agree with you.
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  Speaker 1: Now, have the facilities changed at all with the launch
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  Speaker 1: of the new tape.
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  Speaker 3: Look, it's business as usual. So our campuses are in
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  Speaker 3: terms of infrastructure at the moment, are unchanged and it's
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  Speaker 3: business as usual for existing students. I guess the difference
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  Speaker 3: in the future will be our ability to be more
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  Speaker 3: mobile and to provide a good level of service to
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  Speaker 3: people that don't live in the urban environment, whether that's
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  Speaker 3: regional or remote, and so that's where we're going to
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  Speaker 3: concentrate our efforts in servicing those.
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  Speaker 1: Regions and enrollments, as you said, from the get go,
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  Speaker 1: they're looking good.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, so as that last week, because it's just changes
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  Speaker 3: so much at this time in the year, day by day,
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  Speaker 3: you know, just in the tasteboard file there, we've got
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  Speaker 3: almost three and a half thousand enrollments, which is about
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  Speaker 3: fifty percent up on the same time last year where
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  Speaker 3: we had two thy four hundred. So it's up by
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  Speaker 3: eleven hundred and we're only a week out of the year.
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  Speaker 1: Wonderful stuff, Absolutely wonderful stuff. Well, pro Vice Chancellor and
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  Speaker 1: Chief Executive at CDU TAFE, Michael Hamilton, I really appreciate
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  Speaker 1: your time this morning. Thanks so much for having.
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  Speaker 2: A chat with us.
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  Speaker 3: Yes, thanks for your time.
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  Speaker 2: Thank you