TAFE Queensland Gold Coast
TAFE Queensland Gold Coast (formally known at Gold Coast Institute of TAFE or GCIT) is a vocational education and training (VET) organisation on the Gold Coast region of Queensland, Australia, with five campuses across Southport and Coomera, Ashmore and Coolangatta. It is the largest in the region offering over 300 courses to more than 16,000 students annually. TAFE Queensland Gold Coast is part of the TAFE Queensland network which is the largest and most experienced training provider in the State, delivering technical education for more than 130 years. TAFE Queensland provides services to more than 180,000 students each year - more than all of Queensland’s universities combined.
TAFE Queensland Gold Coast manages more than 300 articulations with some of Australia’s top universities including Bond University, Griffith University, University of Southern Queensland, Central Queensland University, Southern Cross University, James Cook University and Queensland University of Technology.
Courses are founded on strong links with industry enabling the organisation to develop innovative training solutions that meet the needs of employers both locally and globally. Students have the flexibility to study online, on campus, on-the-job or a combination of all three which enables them to attain their qualifications in a time frame and style that suits their lifestyle and work requirements. Areas include: Creative Industries & Commerce, Community Services & Health, Children's Services & Education, Tourism, Hospitality & Lifestyle, Trades
History
1968 – 1996
TAFE Queensland Gold Coast was first formed in 1968 as an annex of Southport State High School. With a modest student cohort of 269 at inception, delivery was regional and trade focused. New Government policy in 1976 brought opportunities in the provision of community hobby training. The Institute became the first College of Technical and Further Education in Queensland, with enrolments at 6,200.
The Institute leveraged this status to expand its regional footprint, adding new campuses in Ridgeway Avenue (1976), Ashmore (1982) and Coolangatta (1987). This period also saw the commencement of Diploma offerings and a continued broadening of the Institute’s training services. Seeking more autonomous and commercial operations, in 1989 the Institute created its first Institute Community Council. Representatives from industry and local business were now closely informing plans and initiatives. This period identified a key opportunity for training international students. Leveraging the international profile of the Gold Coast created growth to 140 enrolments in 1995.
1997 – 2004
Strategies to broaden opportunities both domestically and internationally brought a new Institute commitment to higher level qualifications. This was cemented with the opening of its technology campus in Southport (1997), the region’s business centre. As commercial success continued, rewards and recognition followed, such as the acknowledgement as Large Employer of the Year in 1999 and Training Provider of the Year in 2001.
Social responsibility also remained high on the agenda, and in 1997 the Institute developed a youth program catering for young adults who didn’t fi t into traditional learning models. This program went on to win a Public Sector Award for Excellence in 2002 and informed the Government’s statewide agenda for the Youth at Risk candidates. As the Institute’s reputation grew, so too did student numbers with enrolments reaching 15,000. During this period, the Institute recorded significant operating surpluses annually whilst embedding internal efficiencies, and solidifying its culture of commercial focus and success.
Although the Institute’s market was now solidified at 15,000-17,000 enrolments annually, the impact of the Internet was making its mark on the education sector. Online product was emerging as both a competitor and opportunity. The Institute introduced online content developers to capitalise on this new business potential. Also occurring were various Industry reviews resulting in the State Government and Boston Consulting Group developing a new vision for the sector, culminating in the Queensland Skills Plan in 2005. This included a crucial strategy of providing increased delegations to Institutes via Statutory Authority status, ensuring increased flexibility and responsiveness in the marketplace and to industry. The Institute immediately began preparations for this exciting opportunity to increase its autonomy, heighten its commercialisation and broaden its scope across markets and borders. International markets were now highly attractive to all education providers and commercial competition reached new levels. In the face of this, the Institute continued to succeed and international enrolments were over 1,000 per annum. However no longer content to contest only inbound international markets, the Institute added offshore delivery to its strategic priorities in international business. This period closed with the addition of a fifth campus to the Institute’s locations, a specialised Marine facility at Coomera.
2010
TAFE Queensland Gold Coast received Federal Government funding to update student facilities including additional car parking, a new student outdoor courtyard at the Ashmore campus and new ICT including a student intranet and digital signage. Planning for future infrastructure also took place and the new Coomera Creative Industries Campus was being developed.
2011
A New Campus – Coomera Creative Industries Campus The new multimillion-dollar Coomera Creative Industries Campus opened in August 2011 providing equipment for multi-media, IT, live production and building design. The campus has equipment for motion capture, a theatre, editing rooms and interactive class room.
2013
The refurbishment of the Southport campus on Scarborough Street commenced to transform the building into a cutting-edge educational facility. $7 million has been invested to establish a thriving educational hub. The restored campus will boast a fresh study centre for students, pioneering learning spaces, contemporary and modern furniture, improved IT and software, extended hours of operation, an espresso and snack bar, a brand new Cookery school of Excellence, new high tech nursing labs and an overall upgrade to all facilities.
2014
TAFE Queensland Gold Coast Automotive Apprentice, Peter Newbold was crowned the State's Apprentice of the Year at the 2014 Queensland Training Awards.
TAFE Queensland Gold Coast Apprentice, Kurt Trask, won the Gold medal in the Automotive category at the Australian WorldSkills competition. Kurt will compete in the 43rd WorldSkills International Competition in São Paulo, Brazil, in 2015 to represent Australia against 72 other countries.
References
Visit TAFE Queensland Gold Coast website - www.TAFEGoldCoast.edu.au
Read more about TAFE Queensland on Wikipedia
Visit the TAFE Queensland website - www.TAFE.qld.edu.au