<%@LANGUAGE="JAVASCRIPT" CODEPAGE="1252"%> NSI Annual Report 2002 - Achievements

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Achievement Highlights

Success of Students and Staff

  • NSI students won three gold medals and one silver medal in the categories of IT, Vehicle Painting, Restaurant Service and Landscape Construction at the 2002 Worldskills Australian National Finals.
  • Thirteen NSI students were recipients of TAFE NSW State Medal Awards relating to their studies in such areas as IT, Electrical Engineering, Nursing, Plumbing and Quantity Surveying.
  • NSI students won gold and bronze medals at the 2002 National VET Sydney Region – VET in Schools (Food and Beverage) competition and two NSI Food and Beverage students won gold and silver medals at the 2002 NSW Student Waiter of the Year competition.
  • Four NSI Tourism and Food and Beverage students won medals in the 2002 VET Worldskills State Final competition.
  • Two NSI Fine Arts students were nominated for prestigious Sulman Prize and Wynne Prize awards at the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
  • NSI Fine Arts and Design students won four arts and design awards at the Senses: 2002 TAFE NSW Arts and Design Awards.
  • An Environment and Horticulture promotional video produced by NSI staff and students won a gold medal at the 2002 Australian Video Producers Association Awards.
  • The NSI Horticulture teaching section won a gold medal and the ‘Best of Category’ Award for Show Garden, an outdoor feature at the 2002 ABC Gardening Australia Alive.
  • NSI teachers Stella Kenny and Pierre Masse received Public Education and Training Excellence Awards for their outstanding service in the delivery of vocational education and training.

Moving Ahead with New Products

  • NSI implemented a Youth Options Youth Outcomes (YOYO) program allowing students with low literacy and self-esteem to acquire a school certificate equivalent qualification and pathways into higher-level training.
  • NSI, together with the NSW Police Department Crash Investigation Unit, developed a course designed to strengthen the technical knowledge and accident analysis skills of police crash investigators.
  • NSI introduced a customised program for nurses and allied health care workers at Westmead Private Hospital, providing specific cultural knowledge and basic language skills to improve communication with targeted patient groups.
  • NSI introduced the combined Certificate I in Information Technology and International Computer Drivers Licence (ICDL), to satisfy growing demand for this internationally recognised award relating to basic computing skills.
  • NSI through its Maritime Studies section introduced a Celestial Navigation course for commercial skippers.
  • NSI successfully introduced online delivery of the Certificate IV in Assessment and Workplace Training, which was undertaken by a broad range of customers.
Flourishing Industry Relationships 
  • During 2002 Northern Sydney Institute became the only VET provider in Australia to offer Microsoft, Cisco Systems and Oracle vendor-specific training. NSI has successfully negotiated and developed partnerships with each of these global ICT companies who represent the three corners of the business: operating systems, networking, and database & business solutions.
  • The Institute partnership with Cisco Systems, the global leader in networking for the internet, was strengthened with the addition of three new Local Academies within the Institute and the elevation of NSI’s Cisco Regional Academy to a higher-level licence
  • The Institute seized opportunities in the public sector training market, developed strong relationships with local Councils and delivered products including Certificate IV in Assessment & Workplace Training, Frontline Management and Finance for Non-Accountants.
  • The relationship between NSI and the leading international culinary institute Le Cordon Bleu continued to flourish, with over 300 students from around the globe undertaking courses at NSI.
  • NSI maintained its corporate relationships with the hospitality industry enterprises of Bakers Delight, William Shea, Parramatta Leagues Club and Spotless Catering Services.
    u NSI provided training for a landscape industry environmental management project involving peak landscape and horticulture groups, local government, the NSW Department of Land and Water Conservation, and the NSW Environmental Protection Authority.
  • The Institute’s participation in the T3 program, the automotive training partnership between Toyota and TAFE NSW, was extremely successful, with all NSI graduates being offered positions with Toyota.
  • The Institute furthered its relationship with NSW Department of Sports and Recreation by providing a consultancy service for its centres across NSW.
  • NSI entered into a joint training arrangement with The Wrigley Co Pty Ltd in the training of their engineering and manufacturing staff in Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).
  • NSI delivered expert services to Scientific Management Associates Pty Ltd (a subcontractor to Australian Defence Industries Ltd on behalf of the Australian Navy), in the use of plastics and carbon-fibre technology.
  • NSI strengthened its off-shore relationships with Siam Business Administration College, Thailand and Shanghai Commercial Polytechnic (SCP), Peoples Republic of China.

Organisational Developments

  • NSI achieved certification to the ISO 9001:2000 international standard, confirming its commitment to quality and the Australian Quality Training Framework.
  • NSI outlined its vision for the future through the four key focus areas of the NSI Strategic Directions 2002-2004: our customers, our business, our people and our internal processes.
  • The Institute implemented the NSI Business Framework, providing a holistic approach to achieving its strategic goals.
  • NSI launched an Enterprise Specific Training Program (ESTP), which includes the implementation of a client relationship management software package.
  • The Institute developed an environmental management policy which drives the Institute’s commitment to improved environmental performance.
  • NSI started a major professional development initiative for current and potential managers that will build management skills and significantly contribute to succession planning capabilities across the Institute.
  • The NSI internet and intranet sites were redesigned to increase and enhance online services for both external and internal customers.