‘Big mistake’- Daniel Windsor is a VCAL success story who thinks it is a mistake to cut funding to the program. 70929

By Lia Bichel
A SUCCESSFUL businessman who started working at 16 said it would be a mistake to cut funding to the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL).
Daniel Windsor, 21, credits the VCAL program to helping him achieve his current position as the National IT administrator for The Capital Transport Group in Clayton and owner of HIOD IT Pty Ltd, which focuses on IT support, website design, software and computer sales.
The former Narre Warren South P-12 College student said he thought the State Government was making a mistake in cutting $12million to the co-ordination of the program.
“The co-ordinators found us students placements and offered us a lot of support,” he said.
Mr Windsor said he learned about the VCAL program through the current assistant principal at Narre Warren South P-12 College Rob Duncan.
At the time, Mr Windsor was not having any issues at his school, but was eager to begin working.
“I received a few certificates including certificate III and IV in Network and Administration and the automotive industry. It opened a lot of doors and boosted my confidence.”
Mr Windsor said through the VCAL co-ordinator, he was able to start work on day a week at the age of 16. That quickly increased to two days a week, and soon after, he was working part-time and able to structure his school around his work.
Now, Mr Windsor has the sole responsibility or looking after networks and supporting major projects on a national scale. He credits VCAL for much of his success and has recommended it to numerous people.
“My cousin is doing the same thing I did- working one day a week and going to school and he is loving it,” he said.
Mr Duncan is also the VCAL liaison for the Southern Metropolitan Region, and has joined many teachers and students across the City of Casey who have voiced their concerns about the funding cuts.
Mr Duncan said the State Government made a “short-sighted decision that had a significant impact” on the schools abilities.
“The biggest worry for schools is that the funding cuts will compromise the quality of the program,” Mr Duncan said.
“The role of the co-ordinator is a significant one. In our school, we have over 200 students who need to have a placement, a VET program, and some social issues worked out- all things that will come under direct attack if we don’t have a co-ordinator.”
Narre Warren South MP Judith Graley recently read in parliament experts from local students, who wrote letters to her against the funding cuts.
One student, Kate, wrote “Without VCAL I wouldn’t be where I am at school and would have already failed and left school.”
Ashley wrote “VCAL prepares and helps us for our future, and the people who do this the best of all are those that really know us- our co-oridnators.”
Skills Minister Peter Hall’s spokesman James Martin said it was only the additional co-ordination funding used to establish the program that has been discontinued and the changes would not impact students undertaking VCAL and should not impact on teachers’ jobs. Mr Martin said additional support would be provided to schools through the work of workplace learning co-ordinators across the state and established Local Learning and Employment Networks ( LLENS), that broker partnerships with employers, industry, community organisations, business and other education and training providers.