Event Report

Disability Initiative Launch & Workshop

Melbourne
November 22, 2000

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project descriptions · workshop report

Background: This event was held to launch an exciting new national initiative which benefits students with a disability and to provide information and exchange ideas in a workshop held in conjunction with the launch.

31 people representing funded projects, education, industry, government and other key disability sector organisations attended the event.  James Pittar, blind marathon swimmer, was keynote speaker This initiative was launched by ASTF (now ECEF) chief executive, Harris van Beek, on behalf of the Commonwealth Minister for Education, Training & Youth Affairs, Dr David Kemp. James Pittar, blind marathon swimmer was the keynote speaker helping launch the new initiative that aims to increase workplace learning opportunities for students with a disability and help these young people to have a better future.  James was chosen to speak at the event as he has successfully combined a career in sports and professional life while living with a disability. New initiative aims to increase workplace opportunities for students with a disability.

Guest Presentations

There were two guest presentations:

• Craig Harrison, Personnel Employment (also representing the ANTA Disability Forum), on A Strategic Approach to Competitive Employment Placement Training (CEPT) agency involvement in Structured Workplace Learning, view or download....

and

• Katy O’Callaghan, Australian National Training Authority (ANTA), on Bridging Pathways …the way forward for people with a disability in VET. view or download....

3 Lighthouse projects funded

The 3 projects are:

• "Work-Out Project "- Central Coast Business Education Network (CCBEN) who are based in Gosford on the NSW Central Coast; more....
• "GATE Project" - Launceston Workplace Learning (LWL) who are based in Launceston, Tasmania; more...
• Western Adelaide Vocational & Enterprise Services (WAVES) and Email Training Services, who are based in the western region of Adelaide. more...

Workshop

In the workshop segment of this event the coordinators from each of these 3 projects gave a brief presentation about their projects and the progress achieved to date. The project summaries of the are available as part of the workshop report and also online in the VECO Gallery.

Workshop sessions identified issues and possible actions and then considered the matter of sustainability of the lighthouse projects.  

A comprehensive workshop report has been compiled.

Disability-Forum network

A session on VECO highlighted its role as an ongoing vehicle for networking within this focussed group through the Disability-Forum: Can Do VET national network.

Janine Bowes also briefed participants about the new VECO Gallery – a tool that enables practitioners to publish case studies and project reports direct to the VECO website.

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project descriptions · workshop report

First published January 22, 2000. Last modified February 16, 2000.