Gippsland schools linking curriculum with real-world learning
Gippsland secondary school students are equipping themselves for the future through the Broadening Horizons program.
This year the program targeted 853 students, 15 Gippsland schools, and 31 industry partners in working collaboratively to build skills in communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking to explore solutions to real-world industry problems.
Recently, 40 students from Foster Secondary College presented their findings and recommendations for a land conservation and management challenge posed to them by Parks Victoria in the opening weeks of the program.
The library was buzzing with ideas and discussion as the students presented their solutions to problems including the management and cataloguing of remote camera feeds, the decline in numbers of certain local species of animals and birds, the rise of predators like foxes in local landscapes, and the use of artificial intelligence applications to identify, sort and catalogue the masses of data produced by cameras installed in local bush settings.
An audience including representatives of Parks Victoria, ArcBlue Consulting Pty Ltd and the Latrobe Valley Authority were left in no doubt from the research, problem solving, and creative skills displayed by the teams that South Gippsland has every reason to be confident in its young people.
Also under the Broadening Horizons banner, 27 students from across Baw Baw and the Latrobe Valley graduated from the 2023 New Energy Technology (NET) program.
In a region with a strong energy production history and a workforce transitioning to a renewable energy future, learning from industry mentors about renewable energy, climate change, and the opportunities presented by a growing new energy sector has provided students with insight and connections into Gippsland’s renewable energy future.
For more information visit Broadening Horizons
LVA has supported the Broadening Horizons program in Gippsland since 2017 with direct funding and more recently through a contract funded by the Department of Education.