Community
4 April, 2024
Rohan Keert to lead a new Tech school in Warrnambool
PLANS for a new Tech School at South West TAFE in Warrnambool have taken a big step forward with the appointment of Rohan Keert as its director.
Mr Keert has been principal of Cobden Technical School for more than a decade and was previously assistant principal at Warrnambool College.
The Tech School is expected to be open and operating by Term Three, 2026 and will operate differently to traditional tech schools.
It will have a contemporary approach centred on a high-tech STEM centre of excellence with a strong focus on renewable energy and featuring programs on 3D printing, robotics, coding and other emerging trends.
It will be housed within the South West TAFE Warrnambool campus site and engage secondary students from government and non-government schools across Corangamite, Moyne and Warrnambool in programs linked to the curriculum at their home school.
It is one of six additional Tech Schools being funded by the Victorian Government in a $116 million, four-year investment.
Mr Keert will take up the role in May to lead and establish the new centre.
South West TAFE chief executive officer Mark Fidge said the Tech School might be an old name but it was taking a whole new approach in integrating advanced technology.
“These Tech Schools are not the old model of technical colleges or schools. They will partner with local industry and schools to offer free high-tech, innovative science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) programs to give students real-world challenges and prepare them for the jobs of the future in the region,” he said.
Mr Fidge said Mr Keert was an ideal fit for the new school.
“Rohan has a passion for our region and its youth, and for technology,” he said.
“His appointment is a big step forward in this exciting project. He is well connected to schools and industry and has a great understanding of what is locally important for the school.”
This has been a long-term vision for South West TAFE which hosted a Maker’s Fest in 2017 to demonstrate an appetite for such a facility.
Students will be bussed to the Tech School to engage in hands-on programs and there will be opportunities for after-hours and holiday programs.
Mr Keert said he was excited to lead and establish the new centre.
“It’s like the job description was written for me,” he said.
Prior to moving to Cobden, Mr Keert led a team that successfully created a new VET course based on sustainable and emerging technologies and in his current role he helped to establish and lead the Corangamite Trade Training Cluster.
He’s enthused about leading a new style of school.
“It won’t be like the old model of vocational-based tech schools, it will be a centre of STEM excellence and will be something that should excite everyone across our region,” he said.
All secondary students in the three local government areas will have access to the specialist facilities free of charge.
While the new facility won’t be open until 2026, Mr Keert aims to develop courses and programs that can be delivered before then from South West TAFE facilities or by taking equipment and expertise into schools.
He has already visited three successful Tech Schools and says the new Warrnambool centre will bring a “wow factor” to the community.
Mr Keert’s role will include creating a steering committee to plan the strategic direction and use that information to inform the design of the facility and appoint architects, recruit staff to design the programs.
“This is about bridging the gap between emerging industries and future innovators and raising the aspirations of local students, including those traditionally under-represented in STEM,” he said.
“Our region is well placed to be a leader in renewable energy. The school will tap into those existing industries. It will expose kids to the future they will inhabit and give them skills to solve the problems that will arise.”