Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / CDU Associate Vice-Chancellor Central Australia Jay Walker says nearly all the 350 students about to graduate are locally based, ready to fill roles in a heap of local professions

Transcript

CDU Associate Vice-Chancellor Central Australia Jay Walker says nearly all the 350 students about to graduate are locally based, ready to fill roles in a heap of local professions · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Now hundreds of Alice Springs locals are set to graduate
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: this week as a well at a graduation ceremony a
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: number of ceremonies, I believe at Charles Dooween University in
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: Central Australia. Now, according to CDU, nearly all of the
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: three hundred and fifty graduates are based in and around
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: Alice Springs and they're ready to take up work in
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: the area and fill much needed roles, which is absolutely
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: wonderful to hear. Now joining us on the line to
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: chat about it is Charles Dowen University's Central Australia Associate
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Vice Chancellor Jay Walker.
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: Hi j hi kdie. How are you?
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Yeah? Really good, lovely to have you on the show.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: J three hundred and fifty graduates, is that correct?
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's correct. So we have over seventy five High
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: red students completing their degrees and crossing the stage, two
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: hundred and seventy one from BED and over four PhD students,
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: and fifty seven of those are our indigenous students. We're
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: really proud of the work that we've done with the
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: community and with our students to really pick things up
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: this year.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: So yeah, that's amazing. Yeah, it's amazing. How do those
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: numbers compare to previous years, because they seem very high.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: Look mon, we had around two hundred students completing qualifications
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: in the region, with thirty of those as Indigenous. We've
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: done a lot of work really trying to repair, well
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: develop and deep in our relationship with the community and
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: the surrounds, but also trying to have a deep understanding
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: of what workforce requirements look like and really supporting our students.
• 1:41
  Speaker 2: So we've had a real focus on leadership and our
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: quality and I think that's really paying off and our
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: students are seeing that you have.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: Just mentioned obviously that you know there's graduates the majority
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: of them are local. Is that a normal outcome or
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: is that has there been work sort of underway by
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: CDU in Central Australia to try to make sure that
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: more locals are studying.
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: Absolutely, we put a lot of time and effort into
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: working with the community to get more people into the
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: lifelong learning journey of that cdo really try to develop
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: and foster. We've got a range of new programs which
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: have really been responsive to the need of the community,
• 2:21
  Speaker 2: but also we've got a lot of first and family
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: learners so we do a lot of work with, for example,
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: the Children's University and local high schools to really try
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: to develop a pathway into workforce qualifications. I guess you could.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: Say, how awesome and what kind of professions do you
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: anticipate that some of these graduates are going to go into.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: You know, I suppose we talk a lot about their
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: being nursing shortages. I mean, we talk so much at
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: the moment about their being job shortages in just about
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: every industry, jay any idea, you know what sort of
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: industries they're going to enter into.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: Everything? So I guess you could say, I guess the
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: truism and hospitality space. A lot of work has gone
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: into that where we've just launched our Bachelor of Paramedicine
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: in the region. We have business qualifications which are taught here.
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: We've bought hairdressing back online, a much needed qualification for
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: our region. The list goes on and on, but really
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: we are trying to understand what are the workforce shortages
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: and how do we be responsive with our program delivery
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: to have appropriate products in case so that well, essentially
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: our Springs as the inland capital, I guess they call it.
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: You know, we maintain operation. I guess as a community.
• 3:50
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I think it's a fabulous thing. And you know
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: it's something that we've spoken about quite a bit with
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: Charles Dalwen University, you know in recent times. Is that
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: real growing our own and trying to keep our locals,
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: you know in the Northern territory, whether it's in Central
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: Australia or up here in the top end, or whether
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: it's in the communities, and you know, sort of taking
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: that into account. Joy, how big a boost is this
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: graduation of three hundred and fifty students going to have
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: for a place like Alice Springs.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: Look, it will help. However, I know personally when I'm
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: out and dealing in our springs there aus shortages everywhere.
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: We really struggle with the population challenge. So the liveability
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: peace in our springs, it's you know, the more you unpack,
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: the more complex it gets. But this will have a significant,
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: significant difference in our community. But we've just got to
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: keep going. We feel well on the right trajectory here.
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: We've got to keep going. It's all about linking jobs
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: to training, making sure that our students really understand what
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: those job outcomes can be and what future you know,
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: our students can have. We really want to see people
• 5:04
  Speaker 2: here as much as we can. You know, I'm a
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: territory in myself. I moved away when I was younger.
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: For a lot of people, that's not possible. So for
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: whatever reason that is, whether they just don't want to go,
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: or whether some people have cultural obligations. You know, if
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: the list goes on and on, we've got to do
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: what we can. We're fifteen hundred klumbras from anywhere. We
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: should be having a really strong product offering ensuring that
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: we're the territories university in the region.
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: Absolutely well. The biggest congratulations, of course to those three
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: hundred and fifty students. Fantastic stuff. I know, it's such
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: an enormous effort. Whether you're talking about you know, a
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: unied degree, whether you're talking about your VET training, no
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: matter what you're talking about, it is such an enormous effort.
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: So huge congratulations to those three hundred and fifty graduates,
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: and wonderful to speak to you this morning. Jay. We
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: really appreciate your time.
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: Not a problem. Thanks Katie.
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: Keep