TasTAFE to work more closely with industry and communities in the north-west

Following a successful 1-year pilot programme in southern Tasmania, TasTAFE has employed a new Regional Engagement Officer in the north-west, based at Burnie Campus.

Mirroring the southern role, Richard Ingram will work closely with north-west industry stakeholders to identify how TasTAFE can increase access to training and meet specific industry needs – from Queenstown to King Island to Devonport, and everywhere in between.

Originally from Glasgow in Scotland, Richard has been living and working elsewhere for 30 years. His career has taken him from hospitality and tourism to finance, and more recently, natural resource management. His NRM roles have included a national position focussing on ESG (environmental, social and governance), and working with the Cradle Coast Authority and the 9 local government councils across the north-west .

It’s fair to say that Richard knows north-west Tasmania intimately.

“I'm based in Burnie, but the intent of the role is to get out in the region as much as possible,” Richard said. ”We have some highly dispersed populations in the north-west – on King Island, for example. They all need and quite often miss out on key services and support. So I’ll be spending time in these places too, working in conjunction with employment support agency West North West Working and the Regional University Study Hubs.

“The key thing for TasTAFE in the north-west is maintaining a presence – just turning up once a year doesn't cut it. People here want to get to know you and get familiar with you, so they're happy and comfortable.

“It's quite a dynamic environment to work in. There’s a lot of interest around training in local industries, like mining on the west coast, or dairy around Circular Head,” Richard said.

He’ll also be tapping into the north-west’s vibrant manufacturing, energy, engineering, horticulture, agriculture, forestry and fishery sectors.

“Industry is very diverse here. It's not on the scale that you might see with some of the big players, but in terms of the numbers of people being employed in advanced industries, it's very significant. It might be small scale, but it’s very niche and highly profitable.”

Similarly, Richard thinks that adding value to north-west communities is not just about major projects and getting numbers through the door at TasTAFE.

“Even if we have just 2 or 3 people completing a course or having a successful engagement with TasTAFE, and bringing a new skill to somewhere like the west coast – locally, the impact can be profound. You could do it with 10 or 20 people in Burnie or Devonport and that would be fantastic, but it wouldn’t have the same impact as maybe just 1 or 2 in a smaller town. In the north-west, I think it's really important for us to focus on these kinds of outcomes – beyond just delivering an output or a product.”

Richard can also see the secondary benefits that the TasTAFE learning environment presents – like peer learning, network building and opportunities for further learning. “You don't know what you don't know!” he said. “TasTAFE opens up opportunities for learners to come in and say, ‘Well I'm working on this now…but maybe I could sign up for a course in that and see where it takes me.’”

TasTAFE’s Senior Manager Industry Engagement, Matt Dance said TasTAFE was excited to have a staff member engaging with industry in the north-west.

“Looking to the future, we have an increased focus on working with industry and the community to deliver tailored training programs that meet their specific needs. The Regional Engagement Officer role allows us to hear direct from community and employers in regional areas about what they need from us.

“Ultimately it’s about increasing access and encouraging participation in TasTAFE training.”

Richard’s first few weeks in the role have been busy. “I've probably had 30 or 40 face-to-face meetings with stakeholders already, and I haven't heard a single negative comment about the role,” he said. “People are really pleased that they’ll have someone locally to go to, to hear their questions – that's the key. It's been really, really positive.”

Richard can be contacted via the TasTAFE Industry Engagement team: industryengagement@tastafe.tas.edu.au.