www.firstnationstelegraph.com
Remote education partnership named best in Queensland
by Matthew Klar 3 November 2015
A
decade long partnership between a remote school and Rio Tinto’s Weipa bauxite mine in Far North Queensland has been recognised for delivering strong education outcomes and creating career pathways for local indigenous and non-indigenous people on Cape York. The partnership between Western
Weipa mine employee and former WCC student Michelle Radlof. Image supplied
Cape College and Rio Tinto Weipa was named the winner for Excellence in Industry Partnerships at the Queensland Government Showcase Awards for Excellence in Schools, held in Brisbane on Friday. Since the partnership began the Western Cape College has seen increases* in: - senior certificates awarded,
from 16 to 46 - senior certificates awarded to Indigenous students, from 7 to 20 - students eligible for an OP, from 5 to 14 - students receiving a Queensland senior school qualification (QCE), from 0 to 41 - retention of Year 10-12 students, more than doubling from 42 per cent to 97 per cent
Page 1
www.firstnationstelegraph.com
*(comparison of 2005 to 2014) One of the many people to benefit from the partnership is Weipa local Michelle Radlof. She is now working at Rio Tinto’s Weipa mine as a Civil and Environmental engineer, after graduating from the Western Cape College in 2007 and studying at university through a scholarship offered by Rio Tinto. Ms Radlof said “The partnership provided me with opportunities that I wouldn’t have received elsewhere, including work experience and graduate placement. “Students studying at the Western Cape College are truly not disadvantaged by living in a remote location, they are actually better off because of the partnership.” Western Cape College former principal Leon Proud said “The partnership between the Western Cape College and Rio Tinto focuses on creating meaningful outcomes for students and broader business benefits for both organisations. “The partnership was formed in 2005 following a shortage of skilled local workers and a perception that a quality education wasn’t available in Weipa. “Ten years on, we have built a partnership which provides much more than that. Our partnership is certainly a world class example of a successful industry partnership with outcomes spanning from individual students, to an entire region.” Rio Tinto general manager, Weipa Operations, Gareth Manderson said “Our partnership with the Western Cape College is one we value highly.
Page 2
“We have a real opportunity to support the development of the region through education, as around 30 per cent of the Western Cape population is under 14 years compared to a state average of 20 per cent. “Recognising that our organisations are stronger as one, we leverage our resources to create a sustainable pipeline of local talent that benefits all Western Cape communities. “We look forward to continuing to build on the already strong foundation, and strengthening tertiary pathways through linkages with James Cook University and Central Queensland University to promote outcomes beyond mining.” Rio Tinto Weipa and the Western Cape College signed a formal partnership to build strong school to work transition pathways locally and forge a sustainable pipeline of local workers. November marks the 10 year anniversary of the partnership. Over the past decade the school and bauxite mine have worked together to address challenges in educational outcomes, local employment and skills availability. The partnership model has received widespread recognition including accepting the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Sector Management in 2007. Western Cape College consists of three campuses, all geographically situated in remote Cape York Australia. Mapoon campus provides schooling for students in ‘Pre-Prep’ to Year 6. The Weipa
Campus offers schooling from Prep to Year 12. Western Cape College also has a Residential Campus in Weipa for students from across the Cape and Torres Straits in Years 7 to 12. The total current College enrolment is 1,070 students with 54% identifying as Indigenous. Rio Tinto owns and operates the Weipa bauxite mine on Western Cape York Peninsula in Queensland, Australia. Rio Tinto has mined and shipped bauxite from Weipa since 1963 and has a workforce of about 1,100 people. Rio Tinto Weipa is a major contributor to the regional economy and continuously invests in local infrastructure to support the Weipa township. Indigenous employment is a key focus area for the business, with more than 22 per cent of the workforce representing local Aboriginal and Indigenous Australians. At the inaugural meeting in November 2005, Rio Tinto and the Western Cape College identified various reasons for why a partnership between the two organisations was vital. At the time, a culture existed across the Western Cape College student body that schooling had little to no value, as they could not see any employment options or positive career pathways available to them. Ten years later, the partnership celebrates outstanding educational outcomes and strong pathways from school to work with various development opportunities, apprenticeships and tertiary scholarship opportunities provided by Rio Tinto.