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2002 (c) Peninsula Community Access Newspaper Inc

 

Technology centre established

 

A "Technology Futures" centre has been established in a refurbished class room block at the Brisbane Waters Secondary College Woy Woy Campus.

While the Centre is primarily for the use of college students from both campuses, it is open to other schools, government and private, as well as other training organisations and community groups.

First classes to be held in the centre commenced on May 13 with Woy Woy Years 11 and 12 students doing their Business Services Certificate II course.

Classes have a maximum of 20 students, each with their own workstation.

Students in this course learn office computing skills.

Each has their own latest personal computer and monitor set on ergonomic furniture in office work station layout.

Two rooms are set up as classrooms in this way with all computers networked and each room has an electronic overhead projector screen.

A third room is used as a workshop where students doing a Certificate II course in computer engineering can have hands on experience pulling apart and building computers using the latest hardware.

Ms Rhonda Boardman is the business services co-ordinator for both campuses at the college and is responsible for teaching the college students.

According to Rhonda, the centre has been set up as a model office with individual workstations, a board room, tele-conference and video-conference facilities, networking, a reception desk in the foyer and an administration area.

Funding for the Centre including refurbishment and equipment was supplied by the Australian National Training Authority, managed by the regional office of the Department of Education and Training, together with business sponsorships.

These include sponsorships from Optima, Canon, Krone, Central Coast Telephone Systems, D-Link and Cisco.

The centre is run by a committee made up of representatives from the Department of Education and Training, TAFE and community members involved in the IT Industry.

While the Department of Education is responsible for overseeing management, it is not responsible for updating IT equipment which needs to be done every three years.

The Centre needs to be self sustaining and a number of strategies are in place to promote it to appropriate areas, according to the department's district vocational education consultant Ms Sue MacLean.

The centre's first non-school group usage took place on May 14 when it was used by the Central Coast's IT industry group, Connect Central Coast.

The group used the facilities to hold a work shop on video conferencing as well as to highlight the new premises to its members, many of whom are likely to become regular users of the centre in the future.

Cec Bucello, May 14