ALL GOTAFE campuses closed last Tuesday, September 27 for a development day, where staff members from Shepparton, Wangaratta, Benalla, Seymour, Wallan and beyond heard from distinguished guest speakers, Australian politician Natasha Stott-Despoja AO and Australian of the Year, Dylan Alcott AO.
“GOTAFE provides two Staff Development Days per year to reconnect with our passion and purpose, reconnect with each other and foster the development of all staff. Each day has a theme that connects to our strategy and the event held yesterday focused on respect and equality at TAFE and understanding barriers that people face in accessing education,” a GOTAFE spokesperson said.
Between 380-400 staff were in attendance. Dylan, 2022 Australian of the Year and one of the most well recognised Paralympians, raised awareness of what it’s like living with a disability and reflected on his personal and professional journey. He demonstrated what we can do to better support and understand community members who experience disabilities.
“Decisions not conditions,” was just one of the valuable messages handed down by the Aussie of the Year, who explained how it is not the events that shape us, but our perception.
Natasha spoke about her experiences advocating for gender equality and her aims to combat domestic and family violence in Australia. She raised awareness of issues faced within the community and how we can all work together to overcome them.
“The Staff Development Day also demonstrated our commitment to our policies, procedures, charters and strategies and the keynote speakers are specifically selected to build upon these. It also provided an opportunity to come together to celebrate recent milestones and recognise the achievements of our staff and two students,” the spokesperson said.
