By JOHN VAN KLAVEREN
GEELONG will host Australia’s first school involving big business and industry in the education curriculum, Federal Government has announced.
The Government has allocated the Pathways in Technology Early College High School program $500,000 in seed funding.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Geelong was well-placed to host the first “P-Tech”.
Mr Abbott said the technology-focussed schools were successful overseas, particularly in the United States.
“You’ve got businesses such as IBM sponsoring these schools, putting in a bit of money, putting in a lot of expertise and generally mentoring and helping the students, so we think this model has potential applicability to Australia and why not start the first of them in Geelong?
A Department of Education fact sheet said the P-TECH model would align secondary classes in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) with associate degrees in applied science.
“Working in partnership with school leaders, employers would be actively involved in the design and delivery of learning and young people will have identified pathways to employment with the school’s industry partners,” the fact sheet said.
“In the Australian context, and for the purposes of the initial trial, existing school, vocational and tertiary qualifications would be used.
“The initial P-TECH educational facility would reflect key elements of the US model, including strong leadership, collaboration, curriculum design and industry mentoring and support.”
Federal Member for Corangamite Sarah Henderson was “delighted” by the announcement.
“This pilot will help develop the next generation of innovators and job-ready graduates,” Ms Henderson said.
“In partnership with the Victorian Government, establishing a P-TECH pilot here would be so positive for our region.”
She said the pilot schools would boost Geelong’s potential as a premier hub for science, research and innovation.
Skilling Australia Foundation head Nicholas Wyman said the concept positively addressed issues facing young people transitioning from school to work.
Mr Wyman said the program would equip students with skills for 21st Century workplaces, such as critical thinking and working in teams.
America now had 40 P-TECHs after IBM and New York City’s department of education launched the model in 2011, he said.
“The model has successfully been scaled up across a wide range of industries and the schools can be found in both city and regional areas.”
Mr Wyman said Skilling Australia was “instrumental in paving the way for Mr Abbott’s visit to the first P-TECH at Brooklyn in June.
The model would help solve the two nagging Australian problems of high youth unemployment and a scarcity of middle-skilled workers, he said.
“It’s only through collaboration between employers, educators, and government that Australian industry will be able to close the skills gap and be equipped to compete on a global scale.”
P-TECH students finish high school with an associate’s degree on top of their secondary school qualification.
