CQUni increasing Indigenous participation
Published on 01 July, 2013
CQUniversity's Office of Indigenous Engagement is undertaking two Widening Tertiary Participation projects to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in tertiary education...
Marina Mikecz and Kathryn Webb discussed the Widening Tertiary Participation projects
The projects are:
Engage in Education - Community Aspirations Program (CAP-ED) which acts as a precursor to the existing Tertiary Entrance Program (TEP), focusing on building the aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people through small manageable learning projects.
Correctional Centre Undergraduate Pathways (CUPS) which aims to provide pathways for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students residing in correctional centres to complete higher education qualifications. The project acknowledges that there are specific conditions in correctional centres and remote and rural communities that make engagement in an online learning environment difficult.
Marina Mikecz, Office of Indigenous Engagement is the Project Officer working on these projects.
Alan Nicholson, Department of Education Training and Employment (DETE) and Brett Heath, CQUniversity
"The CAP-ED project will improve retention in the TEP and have a long-term impact on fostering Indigenous cultural capital within the University and the wider community," Ms Mikecz says.
"The CUPS program will address access issues faced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students residing in correctional centres and will improve their participation, retention and completion rates in tertiary study."
The Office of Indigenous Engagement is facilitating key stakeholder and community meetings for these projects and kicked the first meeting off in Rockhampton. A range of services and community members who work with disengaged youth attended.
Commenting on the first meeting, Professor Bronwyn Fredericks, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Engagement) and BMA Chair in Indigenous Engagement said that "it was great to see such support for our first meeting and such commitment to improving participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in education".
The next meeting is in Woorabinda in coming weeks, with meetings in other communities to follow.
