Thousands more indigenous vocational trainees getting a second chance

Indigenous education experts welcomed the increase, saying vocational education — including both TAFE and private providers — is giving Indigenous children who did not do well at school a second chance.

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Aboriginal student enrolments in vocational training are booming thanks to new outreach programs and course targeting.

Indigenous education experts said the rise was due to TAFE and other vocational schools trying to tailor courses to subjects which are of interest to local communities.

In NSW the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students jumped by more than 2100 to a total of 36,495 last year.

Community and personal service courses were the most popular with 14,197 enrolments occupied by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

University of NSW’s Indigenous education expert Dr Kevin Lowe said providers were increasingly trying to tailor content to what Indigenous and remote communities wanted to study.

Early Childhood Educator at Awabakal Preschool in Glendale Ray Steadman is an pictured with kids Stella 4, Robert 5, Jarli 5 and Zarlia 5. Picture: Toby Zerna

“In more recent times, vocation education (providers) have developed really strong outreach programs to provide appropriate courses for particular groups who for various reasons were disconnected from further education,” Dr Lowe said.

Additionally, government programs have also subsidised study for indigenous students. They include the Smart and Skilled and Deadly program in NSW while the Way Ahead for Aboriginal People Program offers mentoring to apprentices and trainees. Dr Lowe said the courses improved their employment options while allowing them to stay in their local community without travelling a long distance.

Mr Steadman said he wants to expose kids to Aboriginal Culture.

Raymond Steadman, 24, who studied a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care said he did his training because he wanted to expose young Aboriginal people to traditional customs from a young age.

“I did the diploma just because even if it was small I wanted to have an impact on a child‘s life,” he said.

Mr Steadman has now been nominated for Training NSW’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year award after established a program at the Awabakal preschool near Newcastle to make children aware of basic health problems like ear infections.

“People think young children are acting up when it’s actually because they can’t hear. They don‘t know they can’t hear. It’s up to us adults to help them,” he said.

He is now pursuing a diploma in health.

You can vote here in the NSW Training awards.

Originally published as Thousands more indigenous vocational trainees getting a second chance