The memorandum of understanding (MOU) between UNE’s Oorala Aboriginal Centre and Moree Secondary College will build educational aspiration and opportunity through a number of initiatives specifically targeted at the Moree students and their community.
UNE Vice-Chancellor and CEO, Professor Brigid Heywood said the MOU adds another dimension to UNE’s growing collaboration with Moree Plain Shire Council, industry and education stakeholders.
“The focus of the MOU is to better meet the educational, employment, social and wellbeing needs of Moree Secondary College students,” Prof. Heywood said. “Currently there are few educational opportunities beyond secondary school for students and many of them leave the regions. We want to work collaboratively, with the student as the focus, to provide them with more opportunities and better educational outcomes.
“UNE was founded with the aim of serving and supporting regional communities through education and research. Mutually beneficial partnerships with local institutions, such as this MOU, remains a key aspect of this mission and reflects our commitment to improving education outcomes across the region.”
The MOU calls for the establishment of an Interagency Group, consisting of senior and relevant staff from Moree Secondary College and UNE, who will provide leadership and advice to both institutions on potential pathways into university, preparatory courses to better support student aspirations, and ongoing engagement with Moree’s Indigenous community.
Acting Director of UNE’s Oorala Aboriginal Centre, Mr Guido Posthausen, welcomed the agreement saying connecting students to the wider university has been at the core of Oorala’s work to support Indigenous students’ distinctive learning pathways.
“The MOU with Moree Secondary College represents an exciting opportunity to develop on-country experiences for Indigenous students and the wider community in the Moree. We are taking the university to the regions, combining on-country experiences and linking staff and students with one another.”
Relieving principal at Moree Secondary College, Bethany Kelly, echoed Mr Posthausen’s support of the MOU saying that they endeavour to support their students to be lifelong learners.
“At Moree Secondary College, we recognise that education does not conclude at the end of the HSC and we support our students to be lifelong learners. This MOU represents another opportunity for our students to continue pursue the educational pathways of their choice, and provides them with the opportunity to succeed all within the bounds of local community,” Ms Kelly said.
The MOU is only one element of UNE’s commitment to raising education, economic and environmental impacts across the New England North West region. Through the UNE SMART Region Incubator, new and emerging entrepreneurs are supported to grow their ideas into enterprises.
The Moree Special Activation Precinct initiative is a five-year partnership between state government, local government and the university that was announced in May this year. It aims to drive regional and economic growth through innovation with a special focus on regional workforces and skills, innovation and entrepreneurship, collaboration for regional economic development, and services within rural and remote communities.
