SA invests in technical colleges for high schoolers to boost ECEC numbers

South Australia will soon have a new technical college that will focus on early childhood education and care (ECEC) as a sector, equipping its students with workplace skills in a bid to develop a pipeline to address ongoing workforce shortages.

Findon High School Technical College is one of five new colleges to be constructed, three in the metropolitan area, and two in regional SA, and will be the first to open in 2024, with ECEC as “the first industry (sic.) focus area.” The remaining colleges will open by 2026. 

The technical colleges will support students in years 10 to 12 to complete their SACE while undertaking vocational education and training (VET) in specialist state-of-the-art facilities. 

The technical colleges will:

• include brand new buildings with state-of-the-art facilities and equipment that reflects modern workplaces
• cater for students in years 10, 11 and 12
• offer programs that are tailored to the needs of sectors or industries where there are job opportunities for school leavers
• support employers with a pipeline of skilled workers that have completed school and gained the necessary skills for their sector or industry
• offer quality VET through a registered training organisation
• be run in conjunction with a nearby high school to support students to complete their SACE while getting VET qualifications
• accept enrolments from public and private schools.

The technical colleges will be located in:

• Port Augusta – Port Augusta Secondary School or TAFE SA Port Augusta campus
• Mount Gambier – TAFE SA Mount Gambier campus
• North-east metro – The Heights School
• Inner-west metro – Findon High School
• Inner-south metro – TAFE SA Tonsley campus.

Detailed planning is currently underway to confirm the sector and industry focus areas and operating model of each technical college. This will help make sure they meet the needs of chosen sectors and industries, with employers being consulted to ensure the colleges deliver the skilled workers needed by South Australian employers.

South Australia has a relatively high youth unemployment rate and a large proportion of young people not in education, employment or training. At the same time, the state is experiencing a skills shortage with employers looking for workers.

The technical colleges are expected to give students more choices for completion of their schooling and help them gain the knowledge and skills needed for in-demand industries in South Australia.

For more information about the technical colleges program, please see here.