Parliamentary privilege

St Patrick’s Technical College was this week honoured with a special focus in South Australia’s Legislative Assembly.

Member for King Paula Luethen used her time to shine a light on the positive outcomes for students who undertake school-based apprenticeship/traineeships at the Edinburgh North College.

Principal Danny Deptula welcomed the focus on vocational education, saying it was a privilege to be mentioned in Parliament. He thanked Ms Luethen for taking the time to find out more about the College and promote vocational education.

“With so many trade and technical jobs forecast in Adelaide’s defence industries, and high demand in more traditional industries like food and hospitality, plumbing and engineering, opting for a trade career is the smart choice for many young people,’’ Mr Deptula said.

“We are fortunate in the North to be able to offer so many pathways to successful careers through our network of Catholic schools. St Patrick’s Technical College speciality is school-based apprentices and trainees. In fact we do it so well we have two students shortlisted as finalists in the SA Training Awards’ School-based Apprentice/Trainee of the Year awards and another Old Scholar as a finalist in the Apprentice of the Year Awards.’’

Mr Deptula said credit for the College’s success can be attributed to the dedicated staff at the school. He congratulated teachers, trainers and administrative staff who have been part of the College since it opened in 2007 for creating an innovative, responsive and industry-relevant educational environment for students.