TRAC was a pioneering program of vocational learning for school students in Years 11 and 12 centred around structured and assessed work placements. It was designed and developed by the Dusseldorp Skills Forum to bridge the almost complete disconnect, at the time, between the skills students acquired through school and the skills they would need to enter the labour market.
By every measure – and there were careful evaluations both by the Forum and by external researchers – TRAC more than achieved its aims. It demonstrated, on a national scale, that upper secondary schools can and should prepare students for work in ways that are rigorous and accredited.
This report by Jane Figgis purpose is to search TRAC’s development, implementation, and eventual devolution for lessons that might be learned – underlying principles that might exist – which could usefully be applied to other of the Forum’s ventures and ambitions.
The arrival of COVID-19 in Australia posed a serious risk for families in West Arnhem Land. Within a short period of time, all West Arnhem communities became closed to all non-essential travel.
Maranguka is a key gateway, both for community members and for service providers. Maranguka was identified by the Local Emergency Management Committee as the key communication pathway to the Bourke Aboriginal community and have been invited to all key NSW Health meetings.
With the arrival of COVID-19, it quickly became apparent to Logan Together that there were urgent needs to be met in the community and that new partnerships and responses would be required.
Dusseldorp Forum acknowledges the First Peoples of Australia and the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which we work and live. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, and to Elders past, present and future.
