Werribee Learning Centre
The Werribee Learning Centre was established in partnership with The Gordon Institute. The primary aim of the centre is to support and encourage participation of students from diverse backgrounds in the rapidly growing western metropolitan region of Melbourne. We do this by helping students progress seamlessly from The Gordon Institute diplomas to Deakin degrees while studying locally.
Through the Werribee Learning Centre, students can work towards a certificate, diploma or a clear pathway to an undergraduate program on offer at one of Deakin’s Geelong campuses or online.
The Werribee Learning Centre is an accessible space for education delivery, corporate and community functions and student engagement in western metropolitan Melbourne. The centre includes:
- large interactive screens and audiovisual facilities
- wi-fi-enabled rooms and workstations where staff and students can work while charging their mobile devices
- conference and meeting facilities to enable the community to link with teaching and research opportunities across the world.
Find out more about entry pathways to study at Deakin
Wyndham City Council
In recognition of the significant number of collaborations between the City of Wyndham and Deakin, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed in December 2017 to formalise this strategic partnership, which brings benefits to both organisations.
Current research undertaken by Deakin in the City of Wyndham includes:
Faculty of Health
| School/centre | Researcher | Research project |
|---|---|---|
| Centre for Population Health Research | Prof Anna Peeters | Economic Impact Assessment, Sport and Recreation Healthy Eating in the West (with Western Leisure Services) |
| School of Psychology | Dr Lata Satyen | Prevention of Family Violence in CALD Communities in Wyndham |
Faculty of Business and Law
| School | Researcher | Research project |
|---|---|---|
| School of Business |
Prof Barry Cooper
Nicholas Mcclaren | Perceptions and Trends of the Wyndham Business Community |
Faculty of Arts and Education
| School | Researcher | Research project |
|---|---|---|
| School of Education |
Prof Andrea Nolan
Dr Lynette Longaretti Dr Piper Rodd | Early Childhood Education – Service Planning and Workforce Capacity Building National Exceptional Teaching for Disadvantaged Schools Program Strengthening Connections between School, Young People, Parents and Community |
| School of Communication and Creative Arts |
Prof David Cross
Dr Cameron Bishop Shaun McLeod |
Treatment Public Art at Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant Dancing between Two Worlds Hopes to Engage the Participation of Local Indian-Australian Artists |
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment
| School | Researcher | Research project |
|---|---|---|
| School of Life and Environmental Sciences | Dr Mike Weston | Shorebird Conservation Program in Wyndham |
Other ways Deakin and the City of Wyndham have collaborated are:
- Deakin supports the Wyndham Learning Festival through sponsorship and outreach events in local schools to encourage more girls to consider careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths).
- Deakin was a sponsor of Wyndham’s inaugural Wynnovation Festival in 2018, and Dr Joseph Lawrence of PVC Strategic Partnerships was a keynote speaker.
- Deakin provides subject matter experts to City of Wyndham committees including Senior Alliance and Public Art Acquisition. Deakin offers a bursary towards postgraduate art study as part of the Wyndham Art Prize.
- Deakin and the City of Wyndham are currently working towards a coordinated WIL (Work Integrated Learning) opportunity and graduate employment program.
Western Treatment Plant (Melbourne Water)
Deakin has several points of engagement and research collaborations with Melbourne Water including the Western Treatment Plant near Werribee.
- 'Treatment’, a public art partnership between Melbourne Water, Deakin’s School of Communication and Creative Arts and the City of Wyndham, curated a contemporary art installation and interpretation of the Western Treatment Plant. Planning is underway for the third iteration in 2019, following the successful pilot in 2015 and Treatment II–Flightlines in 2017.
- New VR technology designed and developed by Deakin allows users to interact with one another in the same virtual space from anywhere in the world, bringing a new level of interactivity, flexibility and safety to workplace training. The platform has been purpose-built for Melbourne Water to allow its technicians to safely conduct training on the management of highly toxic chemicals, without the inherent safety risks.
- Deakin also developed a virtual reality application for training Melbourne Water staff and volunteers in snake bite first aid.
Werribee Football Club
Deakin is proud to have formed a partnership with the Werribee Football Club. We work closely with the club to build capacity, capability and productivity through access to Deakin’s Work Integrated Learning students across faculties.
The club also works with Deakin on sport science-driven initiatives, which create unique learning environments for students in Deakin’s School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, and add value to the Werribee Football Club’s coaching capabilities.
Underpinning the partnership is the drive to create stronger tertiary aspiration for the diverse communities in Melbourne’s west, particularly in Wyndham, where the club’s connections with local schools are significant.
Western Leisure Services
Our partnership with Western Leisure Services aims to provide innovative training and research opportunities in the sport, leisure, recreation and engineering sectors that promote and enhance tertiary education opportunities for the Wyndham community.
Hobsons Bay Council
In recognition of the significant number of collaborations between Hobsons Bay City Council and Deakin, an MOU was signed in 2017 to formalise this strategic partnership, which brings benefits to both organisations.
Faculty of Health
| School | Researcher | Research project |
|---|---|---|
| School of Psychology | Dr Bosco Rowland | Communities That Care is an evidenced based model used to determine what protective and risk factors are present within the community, with a particular focus on young people. |
| School of Health and Social Development | Dr Rebecca Patrick | Happy Planet Index |
| School of Health and Social Development | Assoc. Prof. Patsie Frawley | Sexual Lives: Respectful Relationships (SLRR) delivers a peer-led relationships and sexuality program for people with disabilities in local communities. |
Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment
| School | Researcher | Research project |
|---|---|---|
| School of Life and Environmental Science | Assoc. Prof. Mike Weston | Shorebird Conservation Program |
NIKERI Institute
| Institute | Research project |
|---|---|
| NIKERI | Laverton’s Woods Street Arts Space and Mesh Mash print design studio have offered two new artist in residency positions to help emerging artists develop their work in a professional setting while enriching the artistic offering in the west. |
| NIKERI | Engineering Placement Project |
City of Brimbank
Deakin has several partnerships and collaborations with and within the City of Brimbank.
- Installing an innovative play-scape in Brimbank Park in 2017 resulted in more than double the number of park visitors engaging in physical activity at the park.
- Deakin’s Associate Professor Wayne Binney serves as Invited Expert on Brimbank City Council's Sustainability and Environment Advisory Committee.
City of Melton
Deakin partnered with the City of Melton for round two of the Smart Cities and Suburbs program.
Recent research by Deakin in Melton includes: Wyndham & Melton: Strengthening Connections between School, Young People, Parents and Community (Dr Piper Rodd, Dr Robin Bellingham, Dr Matthew Thomas, Dr Andrew Skourdoumbis).
Business Industry Group (BiGroup)
Deakin’s graduate employment team, DeakinTalent, has partnered with this not-for-profit training and employment group that offers opportunities for businesses and industries with a commitment to achieving skills development, education and community outcomes.
NDCO for Melbourne's west
Deakin has partnered with the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training to host the Nationality Disability Coordination Officer (NDCO) Program in Melbourne’s west. The NDCO program aims to improve the transition of people with a disability aged 15–64 into tertiary education and employment.
Western Metropolitan Melbourne Memberships
LeadWest
Deakin is represented on the Board of LeadWest, the regional advocacy organisation for sustainable growth and development in Melbourne’s west.
Wyndham/Hobsons Bay Region Careers Association Inc. (WRICA)
Deakin is a member of WRICA, a not-for-profit organisation that provides professional learning opportunities for career development practitioners working in secondary colleges in the Wyndham and Hobsons Bay areas.
The key focus of the association is to provide information to practitioners on careers, courses, training, employment and industry to support their work with young people in schools.
WynBay LLEN
Deakin is a member of the WynBay Local Learning and Employment Network (LLEN), which aligns educational pathways with the local skills needs of the Wyndham and Hobsons Bay region.
In 2018, Deakin supported the BETS Foundation to tutor primary school students on weekends at the Werribee Learning Centre. This then became a partnership with the BETS Foundation, Anglicare Foundation and the Wyndham Schools Cluster called #SMART-BETS (specific, measurable, accelerated, remedial and targeted).
#SMART-BETS will operate from the Bethany Road Campus of Warringa Park Special School. The partnership facilitates improved parental and student engagement and learning outcomes in three priority schools: The Grange P–12, Manor Lakes P–12 and Bayside P–12 college. The partnership will cater for 150 students in year levels 5 to 9 from low socio-economic families.
Committee for Wyndham
Deakin is a proud and active member of the Committee for Wyndham, which brings together business and community organisations to promote Wyndham's social, environmental, economic and cultural wellbeing.