Government Media Statement

Lara Giddings, MP

Acting Premier

Thursday, 8 January 2009

Acting Premer Lara Giddings said today Tasmania was leading the nation in taking up e-learning as a means of delivering education and training.

Ms Giddings said the latest statistics showed 71 per cent of vocational education and training enrolments involve e-learning in Tasmania compared to a national average of 35 per cent.

“I’m delighted Tasmanians have embraced e-learning at more than twice the rate of other Australians,” Ms Giddings said.

“Tasmania’s great results show that we as a State are providing the opportunity for training providers to offer flexible learning options for employers and students.”

Ms Giddings said that 11 Tasmanian projects had been run in 2008 through the national E-learning Innovations Program and over $250,000 was distributed to registered training organisations and their enterprise and community partners.

“A number of Tasmanian organisations were successful in their applications, including Banjos franchises throughout the State, Learning Partners and PFD Food Services in Launceston, TAFE Tasmania, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Lifeline in Hobart, and Caterpillar Underground Mining in Burnie.

“For example, the DHHS is embedding e-learning development and practice across 12 key operational units, and involves the participation of 35 departmental staff to produce 18 e-learning modules.”

“A wide range of topic areas are going online, such as occupational health and safety, manual handling, mental health and substance abuse, overview of the department, disability decision making, child protection practice and skills for nurses.”

“It’s proving to be successful as a way of contributing to the development of an organisational wide e-learning implementation strategy.”

Ms Giddings said that in 2009, a similar program will be run and applications will be called for this month.

“Skills Tasmania also has four e-learning coordinators who are available to talk with organisations about how e-learning can be incorporated into their business,” Ms Giddings said.

For more information about how to get involved in e-learning, log on to http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/TAS