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| from the book TAFE TRIUMPHS - The NMIT Experience | ||
From Trades to Technology
Award-winning wines, innovative fish farming, an impressive 300-hectare thoroughbred stud, an elegant a la carte restaurant and bistro, the assembly of caravans, sophisticated computer technology, exotic jewellery, unique musical compositions, golf course maintenance, creative carpentry and picturesque landscaping... these are just some of the exciting aspects of education at NMIT (Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE) located in Victoria, Australia. . Delivering high quality education and training with a strong focus on the world of work is the keynote of its success. With up to 28,000 students from a diverse multicultural background, NMIT has established itself as an educational enterprise that continues to develop and flourish from modest trade beginnings early in the 1930s to a strong and vibrant institution in the 21st century. It offers almost everything to anyone who believes in the philosophy of knowledge and skills studied in an intimate and relaxed environment.
Its emphasis is on practical, personal and empowering education. NMIT is intent on providing real avenues to employment and further education for early school leavers to those aged in their seventies who might want to return to study. If you want to learn how to become a Melbourne Cup winning horse trainer, how to operate in the international business world or create the most innovative furniture, NMIT can teach you what you need to know. NMIT offers up to 250 courses full-time and part-time in everything from accounting to advertising, childcare to commercial cookery, fitting and turning to floristry, as well as over 200 short courses in beauty therapy, real estate investment or running your own small business. These study programs are delivered by seven faculties - Earth Sciences, Further Education, Tourism & Hospitality, Building & Construction, Arts & Social Sciences, Engineering and Business - across 7 campuses in the northern region of Melbourne and country Victoria, Australia, as well as five training centres. NMIT was formed in 1988 through the amalgamation of Preston College of TAFE and Collingwood College of TAFE, to which was attached the Parkville horticulture campus. The new entity, called Northern Metropolitan College of TAFE, developed campuses at Heidelberg, Greensborough and Epping to add to those existing at Preston, Collingwood and Parkville. In 1996, the name was changed to Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE and in 1999, the acronym NMIT was adopted. There are also training centres at Eden Park and Yan Yean, and during 2002, a new training centre was opened at Yarra Glen in the Yarra Valley and new campus in Ararat. In 2004, NMIT opened another new campus at Fairfield after the Parkville campus was closed.
While TAFE (Technical & Further Education) evolved from the technical and trades schools early last century, it has established itself as far more than a glorified technical system. It now encompasses a broad course range that transcends the days of carpentry, plumbing and sheet metal, with educational dimensions that include pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships, certificates, diplomas, advanced diplomas and Degrees. There are also articulated pathways to university studies with credit transfers for students seeking to pursue this avenue. The educational reality is that many of NMIT's courses are not offered at university and demand the hands-on learning techniques only available at the institute. There are many students who choose to study at NMIT rather than a university because of the work focus. The TAFE experience is NOT a second choice for these students, but a clear alternative to academia. More significantly perhaps, students are choosing a TAFE course of study after they have completed their university degrees with over 70,000 university graduands enrolled in TAFE each year. Others have enrolled at university after leaving school only to find it does not suit them and opt to continue their education at NMIT instead of completing their university studies.
The origins of NMIT are based in the sociology of the past; a time when adequate technical education was lacking and became a focus in the Victorian Parliament early in the 20th century. After much debate and discussion among politicians and educationalists, in 1910 the Education Act No 2301 was passed, making possible the establishment of new technical schools to address the dearth of skilled trades people. Just two years later in July 1912, Collingwood Technical School opened in the modified bluestone buildings at 35 Johnston St, originally built in 1853 as the Collingwood Town Hall and Court House. Within three weeks, there were 57 boys enrolled - studying preliminary carpentry and pattern-making, plumbing, engineering, sheet iron work and bricklaying. They attended two hours a night on three evenings a week. Many of the students experienced long days - the young boys, some only 14, were up as early as 6am for their local paper round and were studying into the evening. Despite these demands, by September there were 72 students plus 12 Manual Arts students from Melbourne High School. This latter group was only the first of many students from other schools to study at night throughout the school's history.
In 1913, the school opened its doors to juniors and took residence in new permanent buildings erected on the site. It was classified as a trades school by the State Education Department, offering carpentry, fitting and turning, plumbing, bricklaying and plastering, with courses in electrical wiring and electrical and mechanical engineering introduced two years later. Over the next 75 years, the school expanded with new extensions and courses as education assumed a much greater significance in society. In 1916, during World War 1, the school was used to rehabilitate returned soldiers and a Returned Soldiers Training Scheme began. In 1931, during the Depression, classes started for unemployed youths and by 1935, the junior school had 788 enrolments, the biggest of any metropolitan technical school. The total enrolment was 1769.
In 1937, Federal and State grants were made available for a Youth Employment Scheme and there was a drop in junior school enrolments due to the opening of Preston Technical School. Over the next couple of decades, new buildings were added and numbers steadied. In 1970, the school was renamed Collingwood Technical College following the introduction of 'middle-level' engineering courses in 1968. Certificates of Technology were introduced and in 1976, the college assumed responsibility for high school evening classes at University High School as part of TAFE operations. In 1979, recognising a shortage of skilled gardeners, the college introduced horticultural studies in Parkville, with 96 apprentices enrolled. A year later, in 1980, the new Otter St building opened and was occupied mid-year to be fully operational a year later. There were then over 8000 full-time and part-time students enrolled in TAFE courses at Collingwood.
With the College flourishing, particularly with students from the inner suburbs of Melbourne, Frank Tate, Director of Education in 1910, advocated the setting up of a second technical school in the northern regions of Melbourne. After discussions, the idea was shelved and soon forgotten, but twenty-five years later, it resurfaced. Seizing the initiative, Preston Council provided land in St Georges Rd. Northcote City Council also offered money and by the end of 1936, the building of the new school was nearing completion. The first meeting of the school council was held in the Preston Town Hall and in 1937, the new school opened, with 385 male students and twenty-one staff. Demand for technical education in the north grew, and within three years, the school had outgrown its buildings and spilled over into temporary quarters.
By the end of World War II, students were also being taught in classrooms at four state schools in Preston and Northcote. While wartime had halted new construction, after 1945 building restarted and in 1947, a workshop block was opened for teaching carpentry and joinery, fitting and machining, plumbing and gas-fitting. By 1949, there was a request to educate girls in the technical area. It was seven years later that the Girls' Technical School opened in Cramer St. with up to 500 students. As well there was a push for the establishment of a diploma school offering tertiary courses in engineering and science. By 1951, Preston was the biggest technical school in Victoria, with 893 boys enrolled. During the 1960s the college grew and developed. In 1966, the college council applied to affiliate the Preston Diploma School with the Victoria Institute of Colleges, and study programs increased rapidly. By 1977, more than 100 courses were offered and a decade later, the college had a student population of almost 17,000 prior to amalgamation.
Perhaps one of the most significant aspects of development are the links with industry and the community which still permeate NMIT today. It is one of NMIT's greatest strengths that students are taught by teachers who are directly involved with and work in the industries in which they are teaching, and courses are designed to meet the needs of industry and business in the region. But studies at NMIT are not just classroom affairs. Students can study some disciplines through flexible delivery and online and many of its programs are designed to respond to diverse student needs. There are also practical work placements for students during their course of study as well as exhibitions and concerts for arts students, many of whom participate in professional mainstream festivals. Moreover, some of our students have scooped prizes and awards in state, national and international competitions in a variety of program areas, reflecting not just the excellence of our teaching staff but also the talents, skills and commitment of our students. |
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by Paulyne Pogorelske |
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prepared by: Kendal Bird (IT Dept) and Eng Ung (Corporate Communications). Authorised by: Liz Koehne, Manager, Corporate Communications. Last modified: 12 December, 2006 www.nmit.vic.edu.au  NMIT Disclaimer Privacy Contact NMIT Search |
