Founded in 1982 by parish priest Fr. John O’Reilly and local parishioners, CRC Sydenham’s mission has remained consistent for four decades: “Every student, every pathway.” As Brendan Watson, Catholic Regional College Sydenham Principal describes, “If you want to go on to medicine, that’s great. If you want to be a plumber, that’s just as valuable and valued. We live that. We believe it.” A DUAL ENGINE: VCE + VET CRC Sydenham delivers the VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education), the VCE Vocational Major, and a wide portfolio of VET programs delivered on site through the college’s registered training organization. Students can pair their senior certificate with industry credentials—baking, hospitality, signwriting, hair and beauty, fitness, picture framing, horticulture/ produce, and more—positioning them to step into employment or apprenticeships immediately after Year 12, or to use those credentials as stepping stones alongside university study. What makes CRC Sydenham singular is its bold solution to the classic VET bottleneck: authentic work placement. “The research told us the most enriching part of VET is on-the-job learning,” Watson explains.“But visiting that many workplaces wasn’t feasible. So we became the workplace.” SCHOOL AS AN ENTERPRISE ECOSYSTEM Since 2010, CRC Sydenham has grown a commercial arm of ~16 education enterprises on campus that function as real businesses and live training environments. Community members visit the school for picture framing, signwriting, a bakery and café, a full-service restaurant (open nights), a fitness centre, a hairdresser and barber, and a beauty salon. Students also produce olive oil from the school’s grove and honey from onsite hives—products sold through the bakery and restaurant. These aren’t token operations, Watson points out. The college, he relays, has deliberately sought bestin-class partners and equipment to mirror industry standards including: • Signage & print: A long-standing partnership with Roland ensured students learn on top-tier plotters, printers, and now a state-of-the-art UV printer capable of printing on glass, timber, metal, and plastic. • Hospitality: With support from industry partners (including the owners of Electrolux and Simply Stainless), the commercial kitchen is outfitted with the same technology seen on MasterChef: blast freezers, combi steamers, sous vide, ice cream machines, and more. 59 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 07, ISSUE 10 CATHOLIC REGIONAL COLLEGE SYDENHAM
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTI5MjAx