Can My Wallet Afford It?

Wed, Jul 18, 2007; by Bill Coppinger.

FREE Information for Students, Parents and Guardians AGAIN in 2008!

Update April 2008

IT is because of the VERY positive responses from our 2007 sessions, That the Board of the Central Ranges LLEN plans to run a new series of information sessions for parents and students about the costs of further education and training in 2008.

These sessions will be offered across the Central Ranges LLEN communities and we plan to partner with schools and Local Community Partnerships to make this very valuable information to as many people as we can.

If you are interested in having one of these sessions in your town in July or August of this year, please leave a message as a reply , using the link at the bottom of the page.

More details as dates and places are confirmed.

 

Bill Coppinger

April 2008

 

FREE Information for Students, Parents and Guardians 2007

Education is a journey where learning, questioning and expanding your understanding of the world enriches your life and gives you the skills to become a well-informed and productive member of the community.

A university/tertiary education can provide many opportunities, particularly those related to employment.

We also know that country/regional students are more than twice as likely as their Melbourne peers to defer higher education, and increasingly blame their decision on the growing cost of university life.

One in six school graduates from regional Victoria who won a university spot this year chose not to enrol, compared with just one in 15 from Melbourne, a statewide phone survey found.

While more than half of Melbourne-based students enrol at university straight out of school — 52.1 per cent — the country figure is 33.9 per cent and in our region, the number is below the rural average.

Almost 40 people [some travelling for over 80 Kilometres], came from Broadford, Euroa, Seymour, Alexandra, and Yea to attend a free-of-charge, a 90 minute workshop that provided answers to a range questions about the costs and requirements associated with University.

The Board of the Central Ranges LLEN, in partnership with Deakin University provided this opportunity. The night was also supported by the South West Goulburn Local Community Partnership.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor [Rural and Regional], Professor Rob Wallis, welcomed the students, parents and guardians to the evening.

Professor Wallis introduced the evening by reflecting on the importance of completing the different levels of education.

Professor Wallis highlighted statistics that showed the economic benefit of completing high school as well as the additional social and economic benefits in completing technical and higher degree courses.

Mr. Vince Callaghan, who is the First Year at Deakin facilitator and is also the spokesperson on student financial issues for the Student Financial Advisers Network of Australia, ran the evening session. Vince is one of Australia's most experienced people in this field and provided a wealth of knowledge and expertise for students and their families.

Vince has had years of experience as a student advocate and adviser to past and present Commonwealth government committees and agencies. He was the chief writer for many years of the Federal Government’s “Austudy Guide”

Whilst both presenter represent Deakin University, the presentation was broad and covered all aspects of of studying after school and any tertiary institution.

 

Can my wallet afford it? is a guide for students and parents that outlines how much it costs to study at university. More importantly, it gives you information on how to offset and minimise those costs.

A number of families had specific questons that we agreed to provide some additional assistance for and will be following up these enquiries in the near future.

We are very grateful for the assistance and support provided by Deakin University and thank them for their commitment to improving the opportunities available for Rural and Regional students.

 

 

Some questions asked on the night included:

• How much does it really cost to go to university?
• What are HECS?]HELP and FEE?]HELP?
• What benefits can I get from Centrelink?
• Where will I live?
• Where can I get help?
• What scholarships are available?

Almost 40 people attended the "Can my Wallet Afford it?" session at Seymour on Monday night August 6th

Links:

Can My Wallet Afford It? - Deakin

Handbook - Can My Wallet Afford it? [649KB]

Uni Costs Turn Rural Students Off - The Age July 4 2007