❓ Hon Sue Ellery questions the Minister for Education regarding the closure of Caversham Training and Education Centre (CTEC), focusing on the reasons, review process, and support for affected students. The Minister provides details on the closure, a review, and transition arrangements.
AnsweredQoN 1324Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
CAVERSHAM TRAINING AND EDUCATION CENTRE
1324. Hon SUE ELLERY to the Minister for
Education:
I refer to the imminent closure of
Caversham Training and Education Centre.
(1) What are the circumstances of
the closure?
(2) Did the
Department of Education Services or any other agency conduct a review into any
aspects of the school prior to its closure?
(3) What
arrangements are in place to assist parents in finding suitable alternative
placements in other curriculum and re-engagement in education schools for
children who have been attending the Caversham facility? �
1324. Hon SUE ELLERY to the Minister for
Education:
I refer to the imminent closure of
Caversham Training and Education Centre.
(1) What are the circumstances of
the closure?
(2) Did the
Department of Education Services or any other agency conduct a review into any
aspects of the school prior to its closure?
(3) What
arrangements are in place to assist parents in finding suitable alternative
placements in other curriculum and re-engagement in education schools for
children who have been attending the Caversham facility? �
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question.
(1) The Caversham Training and Education Centre
advised me in a letter dated 10 November 2015 that due to the difficulty in
achieving a sustainable business model, the board of management of Directions Workforce
Solutions Inc may request voluntary closure of the CTEC curriculum and
re-engagement in education school. I am advised that the Department of
Education Services received a letter today from the chair of the CTEC board
advising that the school will close on 10 December this year.
(2) On 8
September 2015, a renewal of registration visit was undertaken by an
independent review panel. The post-review report has not been finalised by the
Department of Education Services.
(3) The board has
been advised that there is a requirement under the School Education Act 1999
for the records of all enrolled students to be provided to the Department of
Education Services. Once these records are received, they will be passed to the
Department of Education for follow-up. Directions Workforce Solutions has
already commenced discussions with ALTA-1 College and Corridors College CARE
schools about transitioning the CTEC students to these schools.
The number of CARE schools has
increased significantly in recent years, which can be attributed to the
government's commitment in 2013 to provide an additional $4 million in
funding to WA CARE schools over four years. Total funding for CARE schools
increased from $1.395 million in 2007–08 to $7.792 million in 2014–15.
The situation with CTEC is that a
number of students enrolled are not actually turning up. These students are
fundamentally disengaged students and attendance is very irregular, but in this
instance the number actually dropped by about one-quarter. I understand that
CTEC sought some additional funding from the federal government, which was
rejected, but the board made the decision because it had put Directions and
itself under serious threat.
Having said that, it is incumbent
upon DES, me and CTEC to look after the welfare of the current students, and
that is what we are doing through working with either ALTA-1 or Corridors. By
sheer coincidence I am actually going to Corridors tomorrow morning for a visit,
and I will be talking with Terry Parsons, the principal, about the potential
movement of some of those students to Corridors.
some notice of the question.
(1) The Caversham Training and Education Centre
advised me in a letter dated 10 November 2015 that due to the difficulty in
achieving a sustainable business model, the board of management of Directions Workforce
Solutions Inc may request voluntary closure of the CTEC curriculum and
re-engagement in education school. I am advised that the Department of
Education Services received a letter today from the chair of the CTEC board
advising that the school will close on 10 December this year.
(2) On 8
September 2015, a renewal of registration visit was undertaken by an
independent review panel. The post-review report has not been finalised by the
Department of Education Services.
(3) The board has
been advised that there is a requirement under the School Education Act 1999
for the records of all enrolled students to be provided to the Department of
Education Services. Once these records are received, they will be passed to the
Department of Education for follow-up. Directions Workforce Solutions has
already commenced discussions with ALTA-1 College and Corridors College CARE
schools about transitioning the CTEC students to these schools.
The number of CARE schools has
increased significantly in recent years, which can be attributed to the
government's commitment in 2013 to provide an additional $4 million in
funding to WA CARE schools over four years. Total funding for CARE schools
increased from $1.395 million in 2007–08 to $7.792 million in 2014–15.
The situation with CTEC is that a
number of students enrolled are not actually turning up. These students are
fundamentally disengaged students and attendance is very irregular, but in this
instance the number actually dropped by about one-quarter. I understand that
CTEC sought some additional funding from the federal government, which was
rejected, but the board made the decision because it had put Directions and
itself under serious threat.
Having said that, it is incumbent
upon DES, me and CTEC to look after the welfare of the current students, and
that is what we are doing through working with either ALTA-1 or Corridors. By
sheer coincidence I am actually going to Corridors tomorrow morning for a visit,
and I will be talking with Terry Parsons, the principal, about the potential
movement of some of those students to Corridors.
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