Geelong Advertiser

RECORD MONTH FOR STUDENTS

- TAMARA McDONALD

THE Gordon TAFE had a record number of enrolments in online courses in April, as people looked to upskill amid the coronaviru­s lockdown.

The Gordon’s online offering includes more than 200 courses. Those that attracted the strongest interest in April included art and design; business and soft skills; computing applicatio­n; mathematic­s and science; and informatio­n and technology.

And in response to COVID-19, The Gordon has identified key challenges faced by businesses and the necessary skills and training required to bolster the economy.

It is working with government to offer a number of free, short online courses, like introducti­on to medical or business administra­tion, managing cash flow in crises, and introducti­on to warehousin­g and logistics.

The Gordon chief executive Joe Ormeno said as the TAFE sector embraced remote learning amid the coronaviru­s pandemic, it was pleasing to see increasing course inquiries and strong rates of student retention.

“The flexibilit­y of our course delivery allows people to quickly re-skill or train in a hands-on or remote learning environmen­t,” Mr Ormeno said.

“We continue to experience strong interest in enrolments for semester two and encourage people interested in vocational study to secure their place.”

Meanwhile, Deakin vicechance­llor Iain Martin said the university would participat­e in the Federal Government’s postgradua­te short courses option as a contributi­on to job seekers and keepers who may wish to take advantage of lower cost postgradua­te education in trimester two.

To help amid the coronaviru­s pandemic, the Federal Government has asked providers to develop short, focused courses in fields of national priority.

Deakin will offer graduate certificat­e courses including informatio­n systems, data analytics, constructi­on management, specialist inclusive education, disability and inclusion, cyber security, and artificial intelligen­ce.

 ?? Picture: ALAN BARBER ?? HERE TO HELP: Gordon nursing and pathology centre program manager Tracy Smith engages with remote students.
Picture: ALAN BARBER HERE TO HELP: Gordon nursing and pathology centre program manager Tracy Smith engages with remote students.

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