VET & TAFE
require us to deliver innovative and competitive training solutions.
In summary, at Riverina Institute our challenges include vast distances, thinning markets, expectations of service and the challenge of delivering sustainable solutions to training demand. Nevertheless, we are a big player in our regional economy and our plan for success is vital to the economic growth of the region.
Reform has been a bit part of the equation. A little more than three years ago, and only four months after I was appointed as institute director, the COAG agreement on VET reform was signed. The implications were pretty clear to me – we had to reform. I didn’ t want to just tinker in the margins; I wanted wholesale, effective change across our entire business. I also wanted the reform to be successful, with key metrics aligned to regional communities.
I established a reform process that became known as Reflections and Repositioning( R & R). Riverina Institute had not had any major changes to its organisational structure since it was established 20 years earlier. The structure was a federated model based largely on geography; each campus was its own focus and implementing organisation-wide initiatives was difficult.
It became clear quite early on in the R & R process that we needed a structure that more closely resembled the way we would be doing business into the future. We created three‘ business lines’ to manage our core business. One focused on employment-based training in the trades, one on business and service industries and the third on community services, health and vocational access.
Coupled with this structural change, we made the decision that almost all management positions were location negotiable, which means we now have a management team disbursed throughout the institute. As we rolled the reforms through every level of our organisation, this decision opened up promotional opportunities to talented staff members who would never have been able to access them under our old structure. It also opened up employment opportunities throughout the entire region, not just at the major centres. This strategy has paid enormous dividends as we have drawn from a broader pool of potential employees to get the best. It has also enabled us to maximise the potential value of our existing workforce.
Of course, a structure is only part of the answer, and we have set about implementing a number of specific responses to leverage our new structure and cement our position as a viable training provider. We have: implemented more responsive delivery models; promoted a range of signature programs; expanded and entrenched our industry partnerships; sought to engage the school and higher education sectors in more meaningful and enriching relationships; and actively pursued growth beyond our geographic footprint.
I believe firmly that as a regional institute, our future success lies beyond our bricks and mortar. We have already implemented a number of different strategies for delivering our programs to better meet the needs of our industries, communities and students. This includes a renewed focus on online learning, plus a concerted effort to expand our workplace training and assessment. We are also implementing specialised strategies for different situations. For example, for years we struggled to get viable class groups for Responsible Service of Alcohol programs in smaller campuses. For the past year, we have been running this program using video-conferencing and other technologies. Not only has it meant that programs can be run with even just one student at a location, but also the feedback from participants indicates that it is a positive learning experience.
As we implement these different delivery models, we need to bring the communities and industries along with us. We need to make sure they understand and support our strategies and do not perceive them as a reduction in services but as what they are – an innovative, value-for-money and sustainable approach using technology to meet the changing demands for vocational education and training.
We also need to concentrate on our strengths. The signature programs we have identified highlight areas where we have highly specialised staff or where we believe we have key programs for our region. This includes areas as diverse as water operations, aged care, forestry, organic farming and permaculture, children’ s services and spatial information. The signature programs are central to our strategy for growth.
Partnerships are a vital factor in our future success. We want to be more than a service provider. We want to work together with our partners to give them tailored training solutions whilst at the same time capitalising on what they can offer us. For example, in our partnership with Airservices, we provide a residential diploma program for their electronics technicians. Airservices provides us with expertise and equipment to ensure the program specifically addresses their training needs. It is a fruitful, ongoing relationship and is a model that we can use to safeguard our viability into the future.
A clear outcome of our R & R process was the recognition that we needed to step-up our efforts to engage our educational partners. We need to have clear and meaningful pathways into and out of our institute. However, our aspiration is to create relationships that are more meaningful and go beyond simple credit transfer arrangements. We want robust, vibrant relationships that enhance the way we provide our services and ultimately benefit our customers.
We recognise that to be successful within our region, we need to grow beyond it. We’ ve achieved preferred provider status in the Northern Territory in a number of qualifications, we are delivering programs in Tasmania and Western Australia as well as in the United Arab Emirates. By expanding our horizons, we can improve our viability and our value to our own region.
Finally, we’ re growing beyond our comfortable boundaries and we are not resting on our success. Through our business reform and strong community connections, our staff has developed an unwavering faith in our ability to make a difference for one another, our organisation, our students, our industry partners and our communities. ■
Kerry Penton is institute director of TAFE NSW Riverina Institute.
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