Minister for Training and Skills, the Hon Gayle Tierney, today, made a virtual visit to TAFE Gippsland to commend an innovative training course being delivered as part of family violence reforms.
Minister Tierney and invited guests joined the first cohort of students from the Gippsland and East Gippsland Aboriginal Co-Operative (GEGAC) who are taking part in the course, Identifying and Responding to Family Violence Risk.
The Minister spoke about the crucial nature of this training, the importance of partnerships and local knowledge in designing and delivering the training course. Minister Tierney also commended TAFE Gippsland and GEGAC as two established and trusted local partners coming together delivering a great result for Gippsland.
The event heard from TAFE Gippsland’s Krissy Walsh who, along with Lynda Capes from GEGAC, was prominent in driving the training program design and ensuring the Koorie voice was heard in the design. Students May Pearce and Rhi Hayes also spoke with passion about their personal experiences and the benefits of participation and partnership in an important community initiative.
Chief Executive, Grant Radford, congratulated TAFE Gippsland teachers, GEGAC students and the Victorian Government on providing such an important foundational training course to meet community needs.
“TAFE Gippsland is very pleased to be delivering this important short course, in partnership with GEGAC, which is part of the Victorian Government’s commitment to family violence reforms,” Mr Radford said.
“This program has been specifically developed for service workers across our regional communities, equipping participants with the necessary knowledge and skills in family violence that aligns with best practice frameworks.
“We would like to acknowledge the significant investment by the Victorian Government towards family violence prevention and response, and the Government’s commitment to our TAFE sector.”
Mr Radford also acknowledged the work of GEGAC in partnering with TAFE to deliver important community-based training.
“Our working partnership with GEGAC has been going from strength to strength over the past three year period, and we look forward to continuing to build upon the strong foundations that we’ve established together and work collaboratively in meeting the needs of the communities in which we serve,” Mr Radford said.
TAFE Gippsland is one of eight providers already delivering the training with 4,000 participants expected to complete the training in 2020, and 18,000 participants expected to finish over the next three years.
The training is being delivered tuition-fee free to participants, through webinars and online assessments. The course comprises 50 hours of training, delivered in three phases.
You can read the Victorian Government media release here.
For all media-related enquiries, call;
Neil Lawson - Communications Coordinator, TAFE Gippsland
Phone - 0419 425 804
Email - nlawson@tafegippsland.edu.au or news@tafegippsland.edu.au