Welcome to the ATC - Geelong

Whether you are a prospective or current student, employer, parent, or related community member, we welcome you to the ATC-G website.

The purpose of this site is to create a virtual community for everyone involved with the College, as well as providing easy access to relevant and up-to-date information about our programs, culture, partners, staff, community involvement, scholarship programs and, in fact, everything you wish to know about the ATC-G.

We encourage your feedback and welcome your enquiries, so please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions and/or comments.

Background – How the ATC-G came to be
Australian businesses report that their greatest challenge is to find people to take up skilled jobs. There is no doubt the nation is facing a shortage of tradespeople, particularly in the traditional trades. Added to this, industry has also been saying for some time that training is not always responsive to their needs.

In response to this the Australian Government has sponsored the establishment of 25 Australian Technical Colleges (ATCs) in areas with identified skills needs, a high youth population and a strong industry base. The aim is to promote pride and excellence in the teaching and acquisition of relevant trade skills at secondary school level.

The establishment of the Australian Technical College-Geelong (ATC-G) was sponsored by the Geelong Manufacturing Council, G-Force Employment & Recruitment and the Gordon Institute of TAFE, on behalf of the Geelong Business and Industry community. As an independent school it has the flexibility and autonomy to establish relationships and partner programs to best achieve its charter.

Vision for the ATC-G
The focus of the ATC-G is to promote to young people and the broader community the value of commencing a working career as a tradesperson. Jobs that can provide the foundation of a fulfilling and rewarding working life – careers that are grounded in the practical application of knowledge and trade skills, then further crafted through ongoing professional development. And to provide these programs through integration of secondary studies and a trade, supported by employers.

We are dedicated to two main vision statements, each of which has a number of goals and strategies:

1. The College will provide a strong industry-based curriculum and develop students who possess excellent interpersonal and lifelong learning skills, with the personal characteristics of adaptability and resilience.
2. Industry will be provided with students who are equipped with state-of-the-art knowledge and skilled in the use of modern technology, to enable them to enter meaningful careers with confidence.

The ATC-G exists to provide the pathway to excellence and employment for Year 11 and 12 students who have chosen to pursue a trade-based career. By starting an Australian School-based Apprenticeship (ASbA) at the ATC-G, students start their trade (and employment) while still at school. As such, the College is based on a culture that cares for young people who are taking their early steps in the world of paid employment.

Our objectives
A key role of the College is to emphasise the value of finishing school, while also highlighting the appeal of starting a trade. An equally important aspect of our role is to make it clear to employers that by helping a new generation of apprentices, they are ensuring the future of their own businesses.

Many of the ATC-G’s Board members and key supporters started their careers as apprentices. As senior managers or owners of large businesses, they are passionate about providing young people with the same sort of opportunities that they had. As community and industry leaders, they have a genuine interest in training highly competent tradespeople.

Mutual commitment
Through the ATC-G, young people who have decided to enter the workforce through a trade have the opportunity to start their trade as part of their secondary schooling. This requires commitment to the employer who has agreed to partner them on their transition from school to work. It also requires commitment to completing Year 11 and 12 studies, which are essential to keeping pace with the rapidly evolving and advancing trade technologies. The combined program offered by the College shortens the time normally required to achieve both goals.

It is our commitment that the young people selected by employers and the ATC-G will be challenged and supported:
		to grow as young adults,
		to move outside the framework of traditional schooling,
		to take an integrated, accelerated path to the world of employment.

We look forward to helping build successful careers and develop successful people.

John Weichert
Principal/CEO

Casey van Berkel Chairman