It was great to join 250 students, parents and teachers for Walk Safely to School Day 2012 on Friday 18 May at St John Vianney’s Primary School, Waramanga. Here I am with St John Vianney’s students and Principal Vicky van der Sanden.

Over 20 ACT schools including Hawker Primary, Fraser Primary and Sacred Heart Primary School were involved in Walk Safely to School Day. 

Cycling and walking are simple ways for children to incorporate extra physical activity into their everyday lives. When this replaces car journeys to school it can improve health outcomes through increased physical activity, ease traffic congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create safer environments. By encouraging children to walk and cycle we encourage habits that could last a lifetime.

Walk Safely to School Day is also a timely reminder of the need for all commuters to drive safely, particularly around school zones.

On Friday I unveiled the first of 16 new suburb signs created to honour Australia’s past Prime Ministers, after whom many of Canberra’s suburbs are named.

The new sign—at Bruce—is the first in the series, which will see signs installed in Barton, Curtin, Forde, Page, Deakin, Holt, Reid, Chifley, Fadden, Hughes, Scullin, Cook, Fisher, Lyons and Watson, in the lead-up to the Centenary of Canberra in 2013.  The signs will feature a short biography and photograph of each Prime Minister.

Stanley Bruce has several important connections with Canberra.  He was the 8th Prime Minister of Australia when the momentous decision was made to move the seat of government from Melbourne to Canberra. He was the first Chancellor of the Australian National University, and following his death in 1967, his ashes were scattered on Lake Burley Griffin.

Bruce was born in 1883 and his initial career was in business with the family company which had significant interests in London.  During WW1 he was an officer in the British Army at Gallipoli and in France.  After the war he was appointed Australia’s representative to the League of Nations until he was elected to Federal Parliament.  He became Prime Minister in 1923 and served until 1929 when Scullin won the the election with a landslide, Bruce lost his seat.  He returned to England and was Australian High Commissioner in 1932 to 1945; serving the Lyons, Menzies, Curtin and Chifley governments.  He stayed in England and received a peerage in 1947.  

In contrast to current political expectations Bruce spent much of his life away from Australia. His work for four successive Australian Governments in London demonstrates his dedication to public service beyond partisanship.

For more information about the Centenary visit canberra100.com.au <http://www.canberra100.com.au> .

 The recipients of the 2012 awards were from Stromlo High School, Lyneham High School,  Belconnen High School,  Calwell High School and Telopea Park School.

They will provide a mentoring role to younger Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, developing their leadership and teaching skills as well as providing positive role models for other young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. 

These scholarships are part of the ACT Government’s commitment to attract more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander teachers to our education system to help close the gap in educational outcomes.

The success of the Expo is a testament to the enthusiasm of the College’s students and the quality of the College’s Student Pathways Planning and Transitions program.  There were 28 stalls focusing on careers or further study, the idea is to get students thinking about careers before locking in their subject choices for Years 11 and 12. They can build on this later at the 2012 Canberra Careers Market in August.

 Thanks to the Lake Tuggeranong College Principal Helen Grant for inviting me and to the SRC reps Jordan and Bradley for guiding me around the Expo.

This year, seven grants of $350 were awarded to students commencing Year 12 who were nominated by their school Principals. These students had overcome hardship to complete school or to enroll in a vocational training course.

Some recipients were refugees from war torn countries. Others suffered the loss of a parent, or were forced to live independently with no family support. All of the nominees have financial difficulties and are finding it difficult to meet education expenses. However they have persevered, showing great courage, determination and tenacity. The grants are awarded to help with any education expenses, in their final year of schooling.

 As ACT Minister for Education and Training in the ACT, I expressed my pride in these young Australians. My message to them applies to all ACT students: Be confident of your ability, set yourself ambitious goals, and always pursue your passions. The grant recipients have already proven that they can overcome challenges that they face along the way. I also acknowledged their supporters – the families, the carers, and the dedicated and energetic teachers in our colleges.

The ACT Government commitment to education and training is reflected in the ACT achieving higher than the national rate of 15-64 year olds participating in VET and the ACT leading the way in Australia with VET graduates successfully gaining employment after completing their course.

In 2010 the ACT had the largest proportion of government funded VET graduates in employment and/or further study at 93.6 percent. This compares with a national rate of 86.1 percent for all government funded VET graduates.

The ACT also outperforms all other jurisdictions with higher level VET qualifications. For qualifications completed in 2009, we had the highest proportion completed at Diploma level or above. We also had the highest proportion of students completing at Certificate III level and above, 81 percent compared with the national average of 74.1 percent.

The excellent results reported are testament to the high quality and accessibility of the vocational education and training in the ACT and reflect the ACT Government commitment to investing in vocational education and training. The 2010-11 Budget is providing additional funding with more than $9 million to support the Productivity Places Program (PPP) to build the skills of workers and strengthen the ACT workforce and $3.5 million in additional funding for the Canberra Institute of Technology.

The ACT Government continues to work closely with the education and training providers, employers and parents to offer a wider range of pathways to make it easier for ACT students to go from school to further study or work.

In addition to establishing our new early childhood schools, every existing ACT public school has benefitted from significant funding to improve their staff and student facilities. Examples include:

• Torrens Primary School – $2.5 million upgrade with two-thirds of the classrooms refurbished and a new security fence installed;
• Melba-Copland Secondary School – $6.8 million in upgrades includes improved arts facilities, student services and computer labs;
• Belconnen High School – $6.3 million for  a new gymnasium and a refurbished staff room and science area;
• Stromlo High School – $7.2 million for a new gymnasium, front office and administration upgrade and other improvement works;
• Narrabundah College  – $7.1 million for a new languages centre, extension to the resource centre, upgrade of the drama areas and other improvement works;
• Lyneham High School – $5.9 million for a new performing arts centre, a new lift and other minor works; and
• Calwell High School – $4 million for a new performing arts centre and other minor refurbishments.

A complete list of the projects undertaken at each school is available from the Education and Training Directorate website: www.det.act.gov.au/school_education/schools_renewal

With around 5,000 preschool students and 5,000 kindergarten students this year, ACT schools will continue to provide children with the best start in Australia’s best education system.

I would like to remind all parents of school children of the useful information available on the Education and Training Directorate’s website for the start of the school year.

The brochure Starting School 2011-12 (at www.det.act.gov.au) was first released last year, and contains information for the first day of school, including advice on road safety, healthy foods, food allergies and sun protection. It also has important information on the ACT public school system, term dates, enrolment, evaluating your child’s progress, and helpful contact phone numbers and websites.

Public schools provide a range of support services for families and students, including assistance specifically for students with a disability and for those students who have English as their second language. The brochure also describes the assistance available and provides contact details for further advice.

In addition, the ACT Government funds a range of initiatives to help support families with school costs, including:

• the Equity Fund, available to support students who might not otherwise be able to participate in opportunities such as excursions,
• the Student Support Fund, which may be used to help with back to school costs such as school clothing, and
• the Secondary Bursary Scheme, which provides financial assistance to support low income earners with students in years 7-10.

Interested parents and carers should approach their school for further information regarding the support available.

Last Friday I announced that the ACT Government will initiate a collaborative venture between the Canberra Institute of Technology and the University of Canberra.

This collaborative venture will be known as UCIT or the University of Canberra Institute of Technology. It will be jointly owned by the two institutions and supported by the ACT Government.

UCIT will be an exciting new educational entity offering innovative programs in professional vocational education. This will expand the ACT tertiary education market and better cater to the ACT population to promote upskilling and workforce development.

A UCIT specialising in diplomas, advanced diplomas and associate degrees will be appealing to students who want either a stepping stone onto a University degree or those seeking a professionally focused qualification which can be completed in one or two years. Many people are daunted by the prospect of three or four years of full time study to achieve a qualification. This will be an alternative.

The UCIT brand can be clearly marketed into this niche opportunity which is currently under exploited within the Australian educational market.

Both CIT and UC support this new venture and I look forward to UCIT’s commencing operations in 2013.

Canberra is already the Learning Capital, the Clever Capital and the Education Capital. The new venture that I am announcing today will position us for the 21st Century.

I congratulate all those who have worked so hard to ensure Canberra’s education future will be one of innovation, challenge and enterprise.

I thank Emeritus Professor Denise Bradley, Professor Stephen Parker and Mr Adrian Marron for all the work that they have put into achieving this outcome. I also acknowledge the work of my predecessor, Andrew Barr, and thank him for his encouragement during the final decisions.

The awards celebrate student growth as a learner, a person, and as a school and community member.

These students have each taken the opportunities provided by their schools and produced excellence in a range of areas. Qualities demonstrated include academic excellence and perseverance, sporting prowess, sportsmanship, artistic and musical ability, integrity, leadership and a desire to contribute to the world, starting in their own communities.

I recognise that the strength of ACT public schools and the success of the exemplary young people is a reflection of the ACT Government’s commitment to public education. The excellent educators who work in our public schools have also been instrumental to their students’ achievements.

I also acknowledge the roles that parents, carers, families and friends play in supporting the students and giving them invaluable encouragement and guidance.

Paperchain Bookstore Manuka is the main sponsor of the Awards and has also provided a $50 book voucher for each award winner. The ACT Government thanks Paperchain Bookstore Manuka for its support of public education in Canberra.