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Celebrating the achievements of skilled Indigenous graduates
Batchelor Institute Certificate II Construction graduates from Gunbalanya with guest speaker Ernie Dingo at the graduation ceremony 2013, Batchelor campus, Northern Territory.
by Imran Naveed
T
he Council of Batchelor Institute honoured skilled Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from 90 communities across the Northern Territory and interstate with 277 awards at the graduation ceremony held at Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Batchelor campus, Northern Territory on Thursday 20 June. Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students took part in the Batchelor Institute graduation ceremony. The ceremony began at 2 pm with an academic procession of lecturers and graduating students led by the popular One Mob dancers. Kungarakan Traditional Owner, Helen Bishop and Barbara Taylor gave the Welcome to Country address. Ernie Dingo
from Murchison region of Western Australia was the keynote speaker. Sandra Allwright, an outstanding student in the Certificate IV in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care (Practice) program and now a successful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander trainee at Wurli Wurlinjang Health Services in Katherine responded to the students with her focus on improving Indigenous people’s health to inspire others and influence development within the communities. Sandra said, “now that she is qualified she will begin her journey and contribute to closing the gap.” The Batchelor Institute graduates have the skills and knowledge to make an immediate impact in the workforce. The graduation ceremony represents another key milestone
of high achievement for Batchelor Institute in its continuous commitment and development to contribute to a much larger Indigenous workforce in industry. Batchelor Institute Director, Adrian Mitchell stated “Batchelor campus graduation is a very special event on our calendar as it is a day that we get to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our students many of whom have had to overcome numerous challenges during their learning journey. Their success is testimony to their dedication, persistence, skills and abilities. I am very confident that the qualifications they have received are industry relevant and will position them to achieve their employment aspirations and to make a substantial contribution to their community as a professional, a leader and a role model for future generations.”
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Procession of graduating Indigenous students at the graduation ceremonies 2013, Batchelor Institute, Batchelor campus, NT.
‘I would like to take the opportunity today to acknowledge the efforts of our lecturing and support staff who have substantially improved the outcomes for Indigenous students from the education and training they deliver and support,’ Mr Mitchell said. The awards include certificates I to IV, diploma, advance diploma, Bachelor degree and graduate diploma qualifications. Indigenous students graduated in the areas of Reading Writing and Spelling English, Spoken and Written English, Work Preparation (Community Services), Conservation and Land Management, Construction, Interpreting, Screen and Media, Children’s Services, Education Support, Training and Assessment, Community Services, Visual Arts, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Cultural Arts, Indigenous Knowledges and Systems, Applied Science, Primary Health Care, Business, Environmental Health and Cleaning Operations. Awards for excellence and
achievements were presented to outstanding Indigenous students for their achievements in their field of studies including: Higher Degree Course Award, VET Award, Koori Mail Scholarship for Broadcasting or Media Studies, Harry Wilson Memorial Award for Screen and Media course and Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Remote Economics Participation (REP) VET Scholarship. The awards were sponsored by Northern Territory Department of Education and Children’s Services, Northern Territory Department of Business, The Koori Mail, Top End Aboriginal Bush Broadcasting Association (TEABBA) and Ninti One Limited. The graduation was witnessed by students, local residents, organisations and people from many communities. This was a wonderful opportunity for the visitors to explore the Batchelor campus. The ceremony was broadcast live by Batchelor Institute Indigenous Media Unit Radio Rum Jungle.
Everybody enjoyed the afternoon tea which was served with a large mouth-watering cake and a variety of dishes on a beautiful sunny day. Members of the newly formed Institute Council attended their first graduation ceremony and enjoyed watching the Indigenous students receiving their awards. The Institute Council members play a key role in advising and guiding the Institute towards development and positioning the Institute as an education and training provider that specialises in delivery to remote communities and achieve unique and extraordinary student outcomes. Batchelor Institute remains committed to being a significant contributor to the empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people both in the Northern Territory and nationally. An increased amount of delivery is now being undertaken remotely in response to community demand and to align programs to community employment, economic development and capacity building aspirations.