MS TIERNEY (Western Victoria—Minister for Training and Skills, Minister for Higher Education) (12:06:39): Today is a historic day for adult community education in this state. At lunchtime today I will officially launch the ministerial statement on The Future of Adult Community Education in Victoria 2020–25. The ministerial statement will give the sector the acknowledgement and recognition it deserves as a key part of Victoria’s post-secondary system. It will properly define the sector’s role in supporting those in Victoria who most need foundation education and training to support their participation in work and further study and to participate in the local community as valued citizens. The statement will also set out ambitious goals for the Adult, Community and Further Education Board to deliver on in order to realise the vision put forward. The ministerial statement has come about as a result of widespread consultation with the sector, culminating in the ACE Summit that I hosted in the middle of the year. This will be the first time since 2004 that a Victorian government has released a ministerial statement on adult community education. It was a Labor government that recognised the value of the sector last time, and it is again a Labor government that is giving adult community education the recognition it so rightly deserves. I regularly visit adult education providers and see firsthand the transformational impact that they have on people’s lives. While we still have work to do, I am proud that this government has put record funding into the adult community education sector. I look forward to working hand in hand with the sector to deliver the ministerial statement and continuing Victoria’s work to be the Education State.
Category: Parliament
