What does ACE stand for?
If you answered Adult Community Education take a bow, indeed it does.
It dates back to the evening college movement in NSW way back in 1864, established to provide flexible and diverse programs to suit the changing education needs of the community. Since then, the NSW ACE sector has expanded to approximately 250 organisations (including ours!) offering a range of education, training and community support services.
Just under a quarter of these providers are also Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) delivering nationally recognised qualifications within the vocational education and training (VET) framework. These ACE RTOs are also known as ACE providers or ACE colleges.
Some ACE providers also operate independent schools which provide a pathway from secondary education to employment or further training.
Here in NSW, the Government supports the work of the ACE sector by subsidising the delivery of VET through the Smart and Skilled and NSW ACE Programs. Some non-accredited training is also subsidised under the NSW ACE Program to transition and support disadvantaged learners to gain skills sets and qualifications for work.
NSW ACE providers work hard to support the Government’s priorities. They are well known and strongly represented in regional, rural and remote areas. In Greater Sydney they operate in all five districts under the Greater Sydney Commission’s A Metropolis of Three Cities4 master plan.
So there you have it, a little history lesson. At ACE Community Colleges Lismore, Southport and Burleigh we are thrilled to be an ACE RTO and doubly happy to be supporting all of our communities in these challenging times.
Here are just some of the ACE crew and students doing what they do best – encourage, support and innovate.
Content credit: NSW Department of Education NSW Adult and Community Education Policy Statement July 2020.
