•  NSI completed development of an enterprise-specific diploma course for global storage solutions company Storage Technology Australia Pty Ltd (StorageTek). This was the first course to be locally developed by an institute consistent with the recently introduced TAFE NSW curriculum development approach. During the ten-month development period a number of StorageTek employees completed the Certificate IV in Workplace Training and Assessment, through on-site delivery.

•  NSI and Terasys Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, based on the success of existing programs, developed two new programs to link essential business, technology and 'soft skills'. They include an Accounting diploma, which combines the Advanced Diploma of Accounting with skills in MYOB, Quick Books and Oracle products, and a Business diploma, which combines the TAFE NSW Advanced Business Management Diploma, skills for multimedia development using Dreamweaver software, and Microsoft vendor certification in MOUS (Microsoft Office User Support).

•  NSI staff identified demand for training in Crowd Management and Personal Survival Techniques for passenger ship staff. An 18-hour program was developed for Canyon Ranch Resort, which trained 21 employees. These employees were then flown to Europe to work on a luxury oceanliner from the Cunard fleet.

•  Students Nadine Pyke and Matthew Prior devised a ten-week Legal Graffiti program to be delivered through Hornsby Council's Youth Service Team. Three walls have been allocated for student use within the Hornsby Shire. The course will enable local young people to practise and develop skills to support community and business projects.

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•  An online flexible delivery option was developed for the computing module from the Diploma of Hospitality Management. A flexible pathway was also developed for the Diploma of Events Management, allowing students to complete various modules in the workplace. Three managers from Eurest Pty Ltd, an international catering and hospitality company, completed the Diploma as part of a trial in 2003.

•  An online first aid course, developed as part of a Learnscope Project, will be trialled at Warringah Council in 2004. Council employees will be able to participate in the course in their workplace.

•  An intercultural communications module was developed for online delivery by ESOL teachers to enhance training and support for NESB students. Teaching staff across the Institute participated in professional development sessions to facilitate online delivery of the module.

•  NSI and OTEN have formed a partnership to offer flexible learning options for selected modules of NSI courses including Writing Workplace Documents, Computer Accounting Systems, Business Computing, and Apply Occupational Health and Safety. NSI students enrol with OTEN and both OTEN and NSI teachers service the modules.

•  NSI has upgraded its network infrastructure with significant investment in data communications and server equipment to enhance the performance of online components of NSI courses. It has also established an Internet-accessible helpdesk to directly support online education activities.

•  Two new positions within the Institute assist staff to develop and deliver online options to students. NSI is developing generic online resources to assist teachers to develop specific online materials to meet training needs.

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•  The number of TVET students at NSI grew by 13% to approximately 2,100 students in 2003. The most popular subjects undertaken were Hospitality, Tourism, Automotive, Child Studies, Business Services, Design, Photography, and Accounting. Extension courses in IT have also experienced strong growth. Students are drawn from both government and non-government schools with non-government students representing 23% of all students.

•  More than 850 TVET students undertook work placements, with a range of local enterprises and organisations, as part of their course. Students undertaking courses requiring a work placement typically studied for a nationally accredited Certificate ll over Years 11 and 12 as part of an Industry Curriculum Framework course. In these courses students are dual accredited, receiving both HSC recognition through the Board of Studies and a TAFE NSW credential.

•  NSI pioneered 'Enrichment Days' for students studying VET courses as part of their HSC program. One hundred and seventy students from the Sydney metropolitan and surrounding areas enrolled in Retail & IT short courses in 2003. An expanded program of courses will be offered in 2004.

•  The Institute continued its exclusive arrangement with Macquarie University (MU), whereby NSI Diploma of Hospitality Management graduates attend a two-week bridging program and then articulate into the MU Bachelor of Business Administration. N egotiations took place during 2003 to further articulation arrangements and develop associate degrees.

•  NSI has negotiated a partnership arrangement with University of Southern Queensland (USQ), to deliver their Bachelor in Tourism and Hospitality Management in 2004. Graduates of the TAFE NSW Diploma of Hospitality Management will be eligible to articulate into this course. Negotiations with USQ also took place about NSI delivering a range of other degree courses for international students.

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Cisco Systems elevated the NSI Cisco Regional Networking Academy to become the only Regional Academy Sponsored Curriculum (RASC) in NSW. This gives NSI the opportunity to provide a vast range of specialised educational and administration support for local academies in other organisations.  The new status endorses the Institute to train Cisco Systems instructors.

NSI and Terasys Australia continued to expand their partnership and joint training programs which deliver fast track innovative training in IT and business skills. Building on the success of existing programs that combine TAFE NSW diplomas with Microsoft and Oracle vendor certification, two new programs were developed during 2003. These programs, to be offered in 2004, link essential business, technology and 'soft skills'. N SI staff also participated in professional development to allow future delivery of IBM WebSphere retail software training through the NSI / Terasys Australia partnership.

NSI continued into the third year of a partnership with QANTM, a leading Australian multimedia and new media producer, to deliver an intensive dual qualification program. Eleven students graduated with the TAFE NSW Certificate IV in Multimedia and a QANTM Diploma of Multimedia during 2003. The program is designed for people who want to enter, or who are already working in, the field of animation, to build skills in CD ROM development, scripting, coding, interactive websites and animation.

NSI's relationship with Nortel Networks continued successfully in 2003 with the Institute-based Nortel Internet Solution Training Centre providing joint delivery of TAFE NSW and Nortel training in telecommunications engineering.

•  A major NSI Contact Management Review project was initiated. Recommendations implemented during 2003 included the integration of client management software into client management procedures, a review of NSI call centre and voicemail systems, and a consultative review of all college telephone contact management processes.

•  The Institute implemented a project to develop Enterprise Specific Training Programs, targeting the provision of training consultancy and customised programming for small/medium enterprises and major clients in the northern Sydney area. Client management software was purchased and customized as part of this project.

•  A major initiative to develop new short courses to meet identified demand has led to an increase in short course offerings to more than 200 individual programs.

•  During 2003 NSI built upon its strong relationship with Warringah Council, delivering commercial courses including: Finance for Non-Accountants, Assessment and Workplace Training, Take Control of Your Computer and Frontline Management. NSI also undertook Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) assessments for construction and maintenance staff against Frontline Management competency units at Certificate III & IV levels. The Council linked achievement of competencies to the workers' awards.

•  A new commercial Cellar Training program for staff from BOC Gases Australia was developed. BOC provides gases used in the production of microchips, plastics and steel as well as for the frozen food industry.

•  NSI has delivered successful commercial training programs to staff from two major building companies. Staff from Amber Group of Australia Limited, Australia's largest and longest established hard flooring specialist, were trained in the laying of a new timber flooring product. Sales staff from AV Jennings Homes Limited, a residential property development company operating across Australia, received instruction in the technical aspects of the building trade to enhance their customer service skills.

•  Three hundred manufacturing and production staff at The Wrigley Co Pty Limited were trained on site through a customised Environmental Awareness program.

•  NSI has delivered a number of Responsible Service of Alcohol courses for new client Sydney Turf Club. The Turf Club was so impressed with NSI Hospitality and Management training capabilities that an industry partnership was formed.

•  A residential program was developed and offered to Year 11 students attending independent schools throughout NSW. Thirty students stayed in the NSI Blaxland Hotel and attended a five-day program training in Front Office, Food and Beverage and Le Cordon Bleu Cooking. The showcase of the program was the dinner, at which parents and school teachers were invited to experience and acknowledge the students' newly acquired skills.

•  NSI experienced considerable growth in demand for commercial food safety courses from clients such as Mobil, Quix Foods, Sir Moses Montefiore Jewish Nursing Homes, and Conform Health. A joint venture between NSI and Ryde City Council will encourage food operators in the area to be trained in workplace hygiene.

•  NSI's Sydney Coffee Academy was launched at Café Biz (the café and coffee industry's annual national conference and trade show) on 25th October 2003. The Academy offers a wide range of short and intensive training programs, including the nationally accredited 'Prepare and Serve Espresso Coffee' program, developed in conjunction with Tourism Training NSW. It features 'Coffee Cam', an innovation which simultaneously delivers two video images of the espresso extraction process onto a screen in the classroom. More than one hundred students completed courses at the academy during 2003.

•  NSI has developed a partnership arrangement with AYAM Australia, a leading supplier of food commodities. Under the partnership arrangement, NSI receives and uses AYAM's products in hospitality training and practice.

•  NSI has successfully developed and trialled four short e-Security commercial programs. Students who complete all four courses will achieve an Advanced Diploma of e-Security.

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LANGUAGE, LITERACY AND NUMERACY PROGRAM (LLNP)

•  NSI provided training for over 350 students referred by Centrelink as part of the 2003 LLNP program. The program provides training for eligible job seekers whose skills are below the level considered necessary to secure sustainable employment or to pursue further education and training. In 2003 the NSI program continued into the second year of the contract with the Department of Education, Science and Training.

WORKPLACE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERACY (WELL) PROGRAM

•  NSI successfully delivered a WELL project to employees of Warringah Council. WELL projects are designed to support skill development of staff in a range of vocational areas to certificate III level. About thirty council employees, mostly from the Construction and Maintenance Unit, achieved all the specified core competencies from the Local Government Training Package.

•  NSI delivered WELL projects for NESB workers at Anglicare-Chesalon Aged Services centres, Mercy Family Centre, Sir Moses Montefiore Jewish Nursing Home, NCI Packaging Pty Ltd, and Procter and Gamble.

•  A WELL project for the Northern Sydney Area Health Service trained more than eighty staff based at Royal North Shore, Ryde, Macquarie and Hornsby hospitals, supporting delivery of the core competencies from the Health Support Services Certificate from the Health Training Package.

TRAINEESHIPS

•  High demand areas for New Entrant Trainees during 2003 were in Business Administration, Children's Services and Electro-Technology (Servicing). However, t he main focus for 2003 was the Existing Worker Traineeship Program, which grew by 150% over 2002 figures. Education Support Traineeships and Frontline Management Traineeships were the major areas of growth, with Spotless Services Australia Limited, the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, Warringah Shire Council and the NSW Department of Education and Training utilising this Commonwealth Government funded program to offer staff nationally recognised qualifications.

INTERNATIONAL SERVICES AND ALLIANCES

•  NSI's partnership with Shanghai Commercial Polytechnic, through TAFE Global Pty Ltd, entered its fourth year. 2003 saw enrolments in the joint programs increase to 374 students. The number of courses offered increased to five, with the addition of Diplomas of Tourism and Logistics.

INTERNATIONAL DELEGATIONS

•  NSI hosted a delegation from the Municipal Education Bureau, Shandong Province, China. The delegation was headed by Yue Luning, Deputy Director of the Jinan Municipal Education Bureau (which is responsible for the education of more than one million students). The delegation was exploring opportunities for partnerships with NSI.

•  NSI hosted functions and delegations for the International Academy of Education Branch Directors from Korea, and for education department representatives from East Timor and Malaysia.

•  Fourteen students from Japan visited NSI Welfare teaching sections as a part of their study tour of Australia.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

•  NSI's TAFE English Language Centre (TELC) is moving into its ninth year of operation and student numbers have continued to grow with over 700 full fee paying international students enrolling in English courses in 2003. There has been a strong increase in students undertaking the English for High School Preparation Program. Graduates enrolled in a variety of TAFE NSW mainstream courses including Accounting, Business Management, Film and Television and Child Studies. More than 250 TELC students enrolled in government high schools in the local area.

•  The Institute conducted two five-week professional development programs customised for 20 English teachers from Ningbo Ministry of Education, People's Republic of China. The aim of the program was to further develop participants' English language skills, with a particular emphasis on oral communication skills. The program also provided opportunities for participants to observe English language teaching methods used in Australia with a particular emphasis on communicative methodology. This program is a part of NSI's ongoing successful training arrangement with the Ningbo Municipal Education Bureau.

•  The Institute has developed vocational 'tasters' for study tours and a strategy has been implemented to increase study tour activities through international and local travel agencies.

•  The Institute successfully conducted many promotional activities showcasing a wide range of English courses. As well as hosting exhibitions, seminars and guided tours of TELC, training days were held for key staff from on-shore student recruitment agents. Institute staff visited Thailand and China to recruit students and promote NSI as an English study destination.

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•  Having won the gold award for Best Show Garden at the 2002 ABC Gardening Australia Live, NSI Landscape Design and Landscape Construction staff and students designed and installed the main entrance feature of this year's show. The nationally televised show was held at Sydney Olympic Park and received more than 43,000 visitors.

•  Teacher Herve Boutin and a team of graduating students from the Institute's Le Cordon Bleu pastry program appeared on Channel 9's Mornings with Kerri-Anne . Herve and his team impressed audiences by constructing a gingerbread house and modelling marzipan fruit.

•  Staff from 20 childcare centres accessed new information on traineeships for childcare workers at NSI. The information was presented by a group of State and Commonwealth Government representatives, NSI teachers and students at a breakfast function.

•  Diploma of Tourism students organised a conference entitled 'Going Places in Tourism and Events' - a meeting for students by students at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Darling Harbour. The objective was to provide students with information and guidance from the tourism industry and experience as a conference delegate. The Hon. Joe Hockey MP, Federal Minister for Tourism and Small Business, was the keynote speaker.

•  Commercial Cookery section staff and students promoted NSI at the Hunters Hill Food and Wine Fair. Barilla Australia, Laleli Olive Oil and Dairy Farmers donated consumables for the NSI course information stand. The event afforded an opportunity to network with winery representatives and promote NSI wine studies courses.

•  NSI hosted students and staff from North Sydney Boys High, Killarney Heights and Hamazkaine Arshak & Sophie Galstaun ( HASG) High schools at a digital animation and music demonstration which also previewed courses available in 2004.

•  NSI participated in the Sydney Morning Herald's Career Expo at Darling Harbour with the Institute's major industry partner Terasys Australia. The event was attended by 12,000 students, some of whom were treated to a talk by motivational speaker Peter Sheahan, sponsored by Terasys Australia and NSI.

•  The Institute promoted TAFE NSW computer training opportunities and facilities at the Techno Expo held at the Dee Why RSL Club. The theme of the expo was 'Computers are Fun! Be adventurous'. The event was organised by the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association (ASCCA) to celebrate Seniors Week.

•  NSI held a series of open days including the Hospitality & Tourism, and Environmental & Horticulture Course and Career Expo. Many employers from all sectors of the Tourism, Hospitality, Horticulture and Environment industries attended the expo to offer advice on career paths and employment opportunities.

•  To promote the success of NSI's Cisco Regional Networking Academy, and to extend industry contacts, staff member Ashraf Salem participated in the Cisco annual international conference in Thailand representing TAFE NSW and NSI.

•  The Institute continued to enhance the NSI and TAFE NSW brands by co-branding with high-profile partners including Cisco Systems, Le Cordon Bleu, Macquarie University, Nortel Networks, Pro-Dive, QANTM and Terasys Australia.

•  NSI produced a wide range of high quality publications in 2003 to promote the Institute's products and services.

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•  Leading food writer and restaurant critic Jane Adams delivered a training session for NSI Tourism and Hospitality staff and students on restaurant evaluation. The training provided an opportunity to test and compare food and service procedures against current industry practices.

•  More than 150 former students and staff attended the launch of the NSI Horticulture Alumni Association. Many horticulture industry areas were represented and several high-profile industry identities attended. Speakers outlined the many benefits alumni will offer to students through the provision of a college-based professional network. Its establishment will provide opportunities for networking, mentoring, specialised training, specialist tours, niche marketing, curriculum feedback and industry updates.

•  A Summer Wine, Cheese and Coffee Fair hosted by NSI attracted a large number of students and industry representatives. The fair provided an opportunity for guests to learn about wine from students completing the specialist wine studies courses.

•  A Women in Business Networking Lunch, co-hosted by NSI and Professionals Real Estate (West Ryde), was held in the Gum Trees student training restaurant. The lunch, which raised money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, provided a well received networking opportunity for local businesswomen from various industry sectors including health, sport, local government, retail and law.

•  The 'Friends of Bradfield College' sponsored and organised two highly successful forums on topics of interest to parents and carers. In May, Dr Andrew Martin, author of 'How to Motivate your Child', addressed strategies for motivating young people to achieve better outcomes at school. In September, Dr Jim Bright, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of NSW, gave timely and sensible advice to parents on how to support teenagers through the HSC and beyond.

•  In April NSI's Bradfield College celebrated its tenth anniversary. The Institute organised a range of programs and exhibitions to celebrate the talent and achievements of current and past students, including a 'walk-through' visual history of the college.

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