Colleges fear losing out to VCAL plan

By Rebecca Fraser
TWO Casey secondary schools fear the State Government has “doubled up” amid plans to build an $8 million trade school in Berwick.
The principals of Eum-emmerring and Berwick Secondary colleges claim the new facility would be better built in Pakenham as the proposed location would provide unnecessary competition between Casey’s education providers.
Casey councillor and Eumemmerring Secondary College teacher Wayne Smith raised the issue at a recent council meeting.
Cr Smith said both Berwick Secondary College and Eumemmerring College were already two big Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) providers in Casey and questioned whether Berwick was the best location.
“Of course it is good news for Casey but there has been some concern about the impact this will have on existing programs,” he said.
“Maybe it would have been better to channel our energies into an area that has nothing and needs something for the future,” he said.
Principal at Eumemmerring Secondary College Brian Burgess said they were the fourth biggest VCAL provider in the state and questioned whether another training facility was needed in Casey.
“We are concerned that they are putting the facility in Berwick, as it will not cater for the population growth out in Pakenham. We already have a huge intake of VCAL kids here,” he said.
“I feel we are doubling up when we should be looking to cater for future needs.”
Mr Burgess said the college had not been consulted on plans to locate the college in Berwick and they would now wait to see what impact the centre would have on student numbers.
Eumemmerring’s VCE campus in Hallam has 130 VCAL students and 400 Vocational Education and Training (VET) students at their three other campuses.
Berwick Secondary College principal David Green said he was disappointed his college had not been consulted by the Education Department and hoped it would be included in future discussions.
“This might well be the best thing since sliced bread, but the main thing is that we were never told about it.
“It may be brilliant or we may lose 100 students and Brian (Burgess) might lose another 100,” he said.
“We just built a new VCAL automotive centre, so what point would there be if they built another one in Berwick? That is why we need to be included in discussions and there needs to be more consultation.”
Mr Green said he also agreed that Pakenham had a “clear need” for more educational facilities.
Chief executive of the South East Local Learning and Employment Network (SELLEN) Paul Di Masi, said he was delighted that the new facility was being built in Berwick.
“I am absolutely rapt that the Berwick network is being expanded and more kids will be able to finish school,” he said.
But he described Pakenham’s lack of educational facilities as shameful and said it would have been great if Cardinia Shire had been given a similar technical centre.
“The Pakenham community think they need something like this (Berwick facility) and they have formed an education task force because they are so concerned about this need,” he said.
“There is no education or training facility in or around Pakenham yet they are slap-bang in the middle of a huge growth corridor,” he said.