Institute to change role

Training more students to be ready for the workforce is the aim of South West Institute of Technology managing director Duncan Anderson.

To achieve this, lecturers will visit businesses and industry from the region to discuss what the institute can improve on when it comes to making students workplace ready.

Mr Anderson hopes by opening the lines of communication between the institute and businesses, it will be better placed to support economic development in the region.

“It is about opening up the lines of communication with business and engaging closely with the chambers of commerce in the region to understand what businesses need, ” he said.

“If SWIT can assist a small number of small businesses to become more profitable and stay afloat then we have achieved success.

“About 80 to 90 per cent of businesses in South West are small businesses, so we have a way to go, but if we are out there and engaging with them then we will increase the likelihood of them being profitable, which in turn improves the region’s economy.”

Bunbury Chamber of Commerce and Industries chief executive officer Ray Philp said the chamber supported the focus.

“It is important for them to understand what businesses require, ” he said.

“Asking businesses what they need will help this.

“Mr Anderson has been very much involved at the grass roots level in understanding what SWIT needs to do to deliver.”

Mr Anderson said students would also benefit from the changes put in place by the institute.

“The students should receive a more contextualised training, ” he said.

“Instead of being treated as one of the masses they should receive a more individualised training outcome.”

“We want them to say I am deficient in these skill sets and we then can provide them with those skills. This could also cost less because they don’t do units which are unnecessary to them, instead they do work which is relevant.

“When I think about a quality training product I think about two aspects, engagement with industry which is the outwards mentality and the other is the compliance stuff, we need to be compliant to be delivery quality training.”