Education

OPINION: Those of us who have learned to drive a motor vehicle will no doubt recall the driving instructor alerting us to ‘blind spots’, the parts of the road to the side and slightly behind your vehicle that you can’t see in your side or rear view mirrors.

Rio Tinto has backed a STEM initative in the Pilbara, while Fortescue Metals Group has thrown its support behind Ricky Grace's Girls Academy.

The number of apprentices and trainees in Western Australia fell by 10.7 per cent last year, adding to a three-year slide, with conditions set to deteriorate further after a fall in commencements, according to data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research.

A healthy WA population and economy are twin goals at UWA’s new Life Sciences Innovation Hub.

OPINION: When teachers, students and parents reflect on their most admired school leader, what do you think springs to mind?

University of Western Australia vice-chancellor Dawn Freshwater has resigned after 2.5 years in the top job and accepted the position of vice-chancellor at the University of Auckland.

The collective success of WA’s professional sporting teams is currently the envy of the nation, but it is the collective influence of the state’s peak clubs on the health and wellbeing of communities that is perhaps their greatest achievement.

Five indigenous students are the inaugural recipients of the Dr Tracy Westerman Aboriginal Psychology Scholarship at Curtin University, with its patron, Western Australian governor Kim Beazley, officially launching the program at Government House.

The University of Notre Dame Australia and Fremantle Ports have signed a partnership agreement designed to create new study, research, training and graduate opportunities for both organisations and the broader Fremantle community.

Higher promotional funding and a lift in the state’s share of new international students are encouraging signs.

Widespread government reviews are causing a headache for Western Australia’s major universities.

PS Structures, Ertech and WBHO Infrastructure are among contractors that have won $53 million of work from the state government in recent weeks, while PwC has been selected for two major consulting reviews.

The state government will grant $4.5 million towards StudyPerth’s plan to turnaround the decline of international student numbers, which will include an alumni database, digital marketing campaign and an international student centre in the city.

Stirling-based technology education provider Fire Tech Australia recently launched STEM unitED, a school program aimed at promoting careers in STEM by introducing WA students to robotics and drones, and the software used to operate and maintain this tech.

Western Australian students will have a third study option, apart from ATAR or VET, in their final years of schooling with the introduction of a new pathway next year.

Following in the footsteps of Stan Perron, some key names in philanthropy have increased their funding distribution, but many charity recipients are struggling to measure the impact of these donations.

The GO2 People has entered into a share purchase agreement to acquire a Gold Coast-based training provider for up to around $8.4 million, and is seeking to raise up $4 million via a share placement to help fund the purchase.

The federal government's Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) has given the tick of approval to a private consortium’s proposed acquisition of global education provider Navitas.

SRG Global has secured an $11.85 million contract for the University of Melbourne’s Lincoln Square project.

The federal government has allocated $25 million towards a battery industry research initiative to be headquartered at Curtin University, while the Bentley-based university today announced it had awarded the main construction contract for a $110 million development.

The United Kingdom’s former ambassador to the Vatican and policy adviser to Tony Blair will replace Celia Hammond as the University of Notre Dame’s vice-chancellor.

Possibly flammable cladding at four Perth hospitals must be replaced but there is no risk to public safety, the state government says.

A consortium comprised of private equity firm BGH, AustralianSuper and former Navitas chief executive Rod Jones have agreed to buy the global education provider for $2.3 billion.

Global education provider Navitas has signed an agreement with Queens College at The City University of New York (CUNY), as part of the public university’s internationalisation strategy.

Australia's visa rules have been relaxed to make it easier for farmers to hire skilled seasonal workers. The new rules also apply to tennis coaches, artists, dentists and anaesthetists among a handful of other professions.

Woodside Petroleum and Curtin University took centre stage today at a major IT conference in Melbourne hosted by global technology giant Cisco.

Hospital operator Ramsay Health Care said it is on track to meet its full-year guidance after lifting first-half profit 9.6 per cent to $270.4 million.

Human services company APM has acquired Sydney-based online learning organisation MCI, its second acquisition in the past four months.

Fees at most of WA’s private schools are on the way up, with the BNiQ database showing the state’s most expensive schools are costing parents around $5,000 more per year than in 2013.

A UK-based academic who worked as a senior policy adviser to Tony Blair has been named the inaugural director of the University of Western Australia’s Public Policy Institute.

Three months after announcing a new education strategy, StudyPerth has launched its action plan, outlining a range of ideas to attract and retain international students.

Curtin University will soon embark on the first phase of its $500 million Greater Curtin plan, which includes more than 900 new student accommodation rooms, a hotel and serviced apartments alongside new educational space.