Page 40 - Week 01 - Tuesday, 12 February 2019
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Services and Minister assisting the Chief Minister on Advanced Technology and Space Industries) (11.45): In closing the debate on behalf of the Minister for Vocational Education and Skills I thank members for their support of the Canberra Institute of Technology Amendment Bill 2018, which will strengthen the structure and governance of the Canberra Institute of Technology board.
CIT is the largest and longest serving provider of vocational education and training in the ACT. In fact, I did my oxyacetylene welding course there in 1983. It was quite a challenge to do a four-hour evening course after working for a full day and raising three children under the age of five, particularly in winter. It was quite a challenge to ride my DT 175 motorcycle across the edge of the lake towards Reid in the cold. We would do the first two hours of practical training for a No 15 branch weld followed by two hours of theory with the heaters turned up in the back of the classroom. It was a challenge to stay awake, but we did it.
Over the last 91 years CIT, as the ACT’s premier public provider, has earned the trust and respect of the ACT community and enjoys a well-deserved reputation for quality. This can be attributed to CIT’s commitment to innovate, diversify and adapt to embrace opportunities and address challenges within the vocational education and training sector. The ACT government is committed to supporting CIT to deliver on their strategic objectives. This includes providing CIT with a minimum of 70 per cent of the ACT government funding for vocational education and training.
In 2014 the government supported changes to the Canberra Institute of Technology Act 1987. These changes ensured that CIT’s governance arrangements reflected best practice and enabled proactive engagement with industry. To ensure that CIT was best placed to implement a future-focused vision and a robust and comprehensive framework for training delivery, the ACT government committed to revising and improving CIT’s governance arrangements again in 2017.
It is my understanding that the changes proposed by the Canberra Institute of Technology Amendment Bill 2018 will better position CIT to achieve the objectives of CIT’s strategic compass 2020 and remain agile in response to the needs of industry and our community.
CIT needs strong, skilled leadership to provide strategic direction and to evolve to meet new national standards and emerging industry and labour force demands. The proposed change to the structure of the board will ensure that the board has extensive contemporary expertise and knowledge of relevant industry business.
A highly skilled and strategically focused board is vital for CIT to navigate future challenges and strengthen its status as a leading provider of quality vocational education and training both in the ACT and nationally. These amendments will position CIT at the forefront of responding to local and national training needs in innovative ways to meet skills demand in emerging markets and drive diversification of the ACT economy. This is critical to enhancing the skill profile of the ACT community, attracting investment and building the ACT’s economic independence.
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