Glen Innes TAFE teacher Sue Schell demonstrates one of the new 3D printers to Member for Northern Tablelands and Assistant Minister for Skills Adam Marshall.
3D Printing and Design student Josephine Enoch is using 3D modelling to design and prototype a “talking stick”.
Wednesday, 21 March 2018
STUDENTS at Glen Innes TAFE are pulling ideas from their imagination to the physical world, thanks to a short course made possible through the town’s new Connected Learning Centre (CLC).
Member for Northern Tablelands Adam Marshall, who is also the Minister responsible for TAFE NSW, dropped in on the short course class this week and discussed the exciting new applications of the technology with students.
“3D printing offers tremendous utility to artists, engineers, and inventors, and thanks to the Glen Innes CLC, students in our region can make the most of this incredible technology,” Mr Marshall said.
“26 students of all ages and backgrounds have signed up to the course, with 17 Glen Innes locals taking up the challenge.
“Courses are provided locally at Glen Innes, in collaboration with teachers and students at Tenterfield, Coonabarabran and Kingscliff, who join in remotely via a realtime AV link.
“Since launching earlier this month, the 3D printing short course has quickly become one of the most popular classes offered by the Glen Innes CLC.”
The Introduction to 3D Printing and Design Statement of Attainment is just one short course in a wave of new courses that are now delivered in Glen Innes since the Connected Learning Centre opened its doors late last year.
Glen Innes student Josephine Enoch said the course allowed her to combine two longstanding passions.
“It drew me in as a way to combine my love of technology with my love of arts,” Ms Enoch said.
“I think we may have a lot of young people in the community that may be disenfranchised, lacking employment or activities.
“We’d like to include one of these printers in our gallery to allow young people to use it, after they’ve built up skills here at TAFE.”
Mr Marshall said TAFE NSW is continuing to invest in the latest courses and technology to address the skills needs of today and deliver the workforce of the future.
“This course is testament to how the TAFE facilities here in Glen Innes are benefitting not only the local community, but the wider region, helping more people get the skills they need to get tomorrow’s jobs,” he said.
“The Glen Innes Connected Learning Centre is one in a series of modern education facilities, which will expand the reach of TAFE in country NSW and increase the courses available to students and industry.
“Local TAFE students can also access learning spaces, technologies, and even the wifi network to study a huge range of new TAFE Digital courses including Event Management, Building and Construction and a Diploma in Early Childhood Education and Care.
“This is an absolute game-changer for local education delivery and demonstrates how we’re delivering for Glen Innes.
CLCs are a key initiative of the NSW Government’s ONE TAFE NSW reforms which will enable TAFE NSW to deliver modern, flexible and industry relevant training across regional NSW.
The Glen Innes CLC is open five days a week and students have access to the practical training, teachers and support services they need to complete their courses.