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Social inclusion

Swinburne believes education is integral to a sustainable future.

It provides individuals and society with the greatest opportunity to reach their potential.

We also believe that everyone should have access to education.

Swinburne looks at social inclusion from two perspectives. Our dual sector nature places us in a unique position to provide opportunities for those traditionally under-represented in the higher education system.

We also recognise that social inclusion must extend to the provision of broader education opportunities that equip students to address the socio-cultural, environmental and financial sustainability challenges of the future.

To meet these needs, Swinburne continues to develop innovative programs that create a more socially inclusive society. Some of these are listed below.

Credentials

  • Swinburne is the first dual sector university to be awarded ‘Large Training Provider of the Year’ at the Australian Training Awards

  • Awarded  Employer of choice for Women by the Federal Government’s Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) for the last five years

  • Awarded a 5 star rating (the highest) for gender balance and a 4 star rating for cultural diversity by the 2012 Good Universities Guide

  • Swinburne’s Institute for Social Research (ISR) runs more than 40 externally funded social inclusion projects a year – valued at around $250 million

  • Awarded ‘Victorian Training Initiative of the Year’ for our Young Mum’s VCAL Program. The program also won a Diversity@Work Award and was recognised by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Safe Communities Award for the Prevention of Child Abuse.

 

Pathways

Difficulties in gaining entry in to higher education or re-entering the workforce has been a significant cause of social exclusion. As a result, Swinburne has developed a number of successful, alternative pathways programs.

  • Pathways Program

    • The Pathways Program helps facilitate a smooth transition from TAFE to university. Previous studies at TAFE can help you get into the right university course at the right level.

  • Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL)

    • VCAL is designed with the needs of young people in Years 11 and 12 in mind. It is a Victorian senior secondary certificate that sits along side the VCE and is based on applied learning.

  • 'First Stop' initiative

    • The 'First Stop' initiative provides entry gateways for young people who have disengaged from school.

     

Education

Social inclusion is embedded into many of our teaching and learning models. We aim to increase learning opportunities by providing flexible, tailored learning programs.

  • TAFE School of Sustainable Futures

    • The School aims to increase participation in education and training by adapting programs to meet individual and industry needs. By tailoring education in more accessible and relevant ways, the School prepares people for the demands of a changing workforce.

  • Professional Learning Model

    • The Professional Learning Model provides students with a structured range of development opportunities, including career assistance embedded within the curriculum, complementary Electives Plus studies designed to diversify career profile, international study and work-integrated learning opportunities, and options to speed up, slow down or spread out studies to suit life commitments.

Research

At Swinburne we use our research capacity to find solutions to social inclusion problems and to develop social inclusion policy.

Our key social policy research areas are in urban sustainability, youth, immigration, citizenship and democracy and housing markets.

Some of our current research projects include:

  • The experience of homeless women with children
  • How housing processes impact economic and social disadvantage
  • Electoral reform – who fills out the Census and why
  • How local media in remote Indigenous communities assists with Indigenous cultural development
  • Community policing and African-Australian communities
  • Marginalised young people participating in the Youthworx community radio initiative
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