CTEC offers a learning environment that re-engages at-risk youth aged 14-19 years in vocational training and is an alternative to mainstream education.
Caversham Training and Education Centre was formerly known as the Caversham Training and Enterprise centre. It was originally run as an alternative education program and began its journey in 2003.
The Centre provides a client sensitive learning environment and an alternative to mainstream education and training programs by incorporating literacy and numeracy, life skills and employability skills in a non-threatening and unobtrusive manner. This helps students develop emotional intelligence and increases the employability and vocational skills needed for employment.
The role of Caversham Training & Education Centre is to develop and maintains local partnerships between state and local government, local industry and businesses, and local Aboriginal communities.
The Training Centre building itself offers real life training opportunities too. The Old Caversham Primary School site is currently being restored by students who are completing their Certificate I in General Construction.
The Department of Corrective Services have been involved from the start of the program and the centre was originally set up for students that had been (or still are) involved with the justice system. It was a centre where these students who did not fit into mainstream schooling were given a chance to ease back into education. Vocational courses such as Certificate I in General Construction, Certificate I in Agri Pathways and Certificate I in Business have been running at CTEC for the past 7 years.
The centre is situated on West Swan Road in Caversham at the old Caversham Primary school. This land is owned by the Aboriginal Lands Trust and managed by the Department of Indigenous Affairs. It had previously been vacant for many years until the centre was opened in 2003. The old school was in a sorry state where windows were broken and squatters were living in the classrooms, the roof needed repairing and there were very little resources to undertake all of this work.
Directions, a not for profit group training organisation became the lead organisation in the rebuild and reopening. They managed the staff and financed the centre in conjunction with the Department of Corrective Services. The program won the 2007 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Award for their success in helping young people gain skills that has enable, them to lead a more productive life.
Finding funding on a regular basis to sustain the program has always been an issue. In 2009 Directions applied to the Department of Education Services to register as a CARE school. A CARE school is a Curriculum and Re-Engagement School which are set up to cater for the many students that are not fitting into mainstream schools today.
CTEC was successful in getting provisional registration and are looking forward to receiving their full registration in 2010.
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- Education