Support for Rural Learning

The Country Education Partnership is committed to supporting rural and remote education communities in developing and providing quality education experiences for their young people to realise their career pathways and aspirations.

Rural Partnerships and Clusters

Since its inception, CEP has supported rural communities to enhance learning opportunities and outcomes for young people with the development of clusters. Centred on a place-based, whole-of-community approach, these partnerships and clusters have impacted positively on the learning provided within these communities.

This approach enhances a rural community’s ability to provide learning opportunities, creative workforce utilisation, education leadership, and improved management and governance.

This clustering approach has delivered many positive outcomes. Some useful examples include:

  • The use of shared specialists such as the Mobile Arts and Mobile Library initiatives;
  • The shared delivery of post compulsory education programs;
  • The provision of ‘hard to staff’ curriculum areas such as languages, sciences, and music through the engagement of shared specialists working across the cluster of education settings
  • The development of a whole-of community approach to early (0-8 years) learning;
  • The provision of a cluster-wide approach to professional development and growth;
  • And the exploration of shared leadership and governance approaches between partner schools.

Energy Breakthrough

An authentic and ‘hands on’ STEM initiative.
The Country Education Partnership initiated this exciting concept in 1991, to deliver a hands-on learning program to cater for the challenges that many rural and remote communities face in providing STEM centred learning.

School groups work throughout the year to design, build and test pushcarts, pedal-powered vehicles, hybrid vehicles, and crafty machines within detailed specifications. This requires a team effort and an across-the-curriculum approach with a clear focusing on providing STEM learning. These groups then take their vehicles and machines to Maryborough, in Central Victoria, for a momentous Breakthrough Celebration, in which they each demonstrate and trial their creations.

Energy Breakthrough inspires young Australians to embrace learning, be creative and innovative, to celebrate human endeavour and achievement, to respect and care for the environment and our communities, and to drive change through the power of collaboration.

Clusters

CEP supports a school clustering model where multiple rural schools collaborate to explore ways to maximise the benefits and opportunities of their unique environment while exploring the solutions to the challenges they share. The schools maintain their individual identities and autonomy while being able to work collaboratively with other schools.

Clusters can vary in their goals, numbers of schools, operation style, types of work undertaken and levels of collaboration.

Rural Youth Ambassadors

Country Education Partnership (CEP) developed the Rural Youth Ambassadors program to provide young people within rural communities the opportunity to develop their ambassadorial amplitude while strengthening their leadership skills and capacity. By partnering with education sectors, rural communities and governments the program aims to enhance and improve the lives, learning opportunities and educational outcomes of rural young people.

MARC and MACC Programs

Over thirty years ago, the CEP, in partnership with many rural communities across Victoria, developed the mobile library and mobile arts program. Facilitating collaboration between these communities, the CEP aided in the provision of a ‘mobile van’ especially capable of mobilising resources and educators across a cluster setting.
The MARC and MACC program today operates on a partnership model where:

  • The Department of Education and Training provides the salary for the educators employed in each mobile van
  • A cluster of rural education communities work together to provide the required resources inclusive of the mobile van and the curriculum resources contained within them.