Page 2279 - Week 07 - Thursday, 4 August 2016
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actions as outlined but I do want to highlight a couple of points. As members would know, I was concerned when the report and recommendations were first published that there was much expectation on all sectors and all schools within those sectors to respond. As we know, not all sectors are in the same position financially, resource and personnel-wise to be able to contribute to the level they would wish.
The Canberra Liberals have recognised that and if we win government in October we have committed funds to assist the non-government schools sector to meet some of the challenges posed in the report and its findings. I note that there has been a significant amount of cross-sectoral collaboration and that can only be good for ACT education as a whole and for all its students.
I note particularly the work being done by the Teacher Quality Institute, working with the AIS, the University of Canberra, the Catholic University and the Catholic Education Office, to review and improve the theoretical and practical relevance of initial teacher education units in relation to teaching students with challenging needs and complex behaviours.
I think that is an important step forward and in years to come will pay significant dividends in improved teacher and student relationship outcomes. I am keen to see real progress being made in the review of the SCAN assessment and I note that there is no mention of that yet, despite its being one of the more urgent recommendations. I remain hopeful that it will happen sooner rather than later.
That aside, there is much to commend in this second quarterly report and I commend the members of the implementation group. I think the ACT, through the work being done in this area, will in years to come be seen as a leader in educating students with these complex needs and challenging behaviours and in training teachers to manage them positively and effectively.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
Vocational education and training in schools
Ministerial statement
MR RATTENBURY (Molonglo—Minister for Corrections, Minister for Education, Minister for Justice and Consumer Affairs and Minister for Road Safety) (10.16): I am pleased to present to the Assembly the progress report on the review of vocational education and training in ACT public schools and longitudinal study of school leavers. Members of this Assembly may recall in September last year the launch of an ambitious agenda the Education Directorate was embarking on to reinvent its approach to vocational education and training in ACT public secondary schools. This followed work throughout 2014 on the part of the Council of Australian Government’s education council to redevelop the national framework for vocational education and training for secondary students, preparing secondary students for work.
Drawing on the impetus of this national work, in 2015 the Education Directorate commissioned the Centre for International Research on Education Systems from Victoria University to conduct a review of VET in ACT public schools. It was the
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