$27.2 million program to develop and trial services that provide more interactive and effective learning opportunities
Overview
The NBN-Enabled Education and Skills Services (NBN-EESS) Program is a new Australian Government initiative aimed at supporting the development and trialing of online education and skills services that take advantage of the high speed broadband connections being made available through the National Broadband Network (NBN).
The four-year, $27.2 million program seeks to develop and trial services that have the potential to provide more interactive and effective learning opportunities for all Australians, no matter where they live. It will leverage the potential of ubiquitous access, made possible by the NBN, together with the efficiencies achieved using online and interactive education, to reach students and trainees in new and innovative ways. This includes delivering the program in regional or remote locations.
The Program will focus on proposals that conduct NBN enabled projects within, connecting to, or preferably between NBN early release sites.
The program has the following elements:
- Project Development – supporting the development of innovative ideas that have the potential to realise significant service benefits from the NBN.
- Deployment Trials – supporting the implementation of sustainable, scalable and robust trials that demonstrate new or improved models of service delivery made possible by the NBN.
Why is the Government doing it?
The Australian Government has committed to a number of fundamental education and training reform initiatives to support the long-term productivity and economic growth of Australia.
The NBN-Enabled Education and Skills Services Program is an important initiative under the National Digital Economy Strategy (NDES), which sets out a vision for Australia to realise the benefits of the NBN and position Australia as a leading digital economy by 2020. This program aims to trial improved online and interactive education and skills using the NBN.
In recognition of the potential contribution of digital education to the nation’s productivity, the Commonwealth also initiated the “Digital Education Revolution” (DER). The DER aims to contribute sustainable and meaningful change to teaching and learning in Australian schools that will prepare students for further education, training and to live and work in a digital world. Under the DER, the Australian Government is investing over $2.1 billion to support the effective integration of information and communication technology in Australian schools.
The NBN-Enabled Education and Skills Services program aims to improve online access to education, training and skills services and will equip Australia to respond to emerging skills and teaching shortages. It will improve the delivery of skills development programs and expand the reach of existing education and training services into rural and remote locations.
Who will benefit?
Australians in education, in training, those seeking professional and skills development, and those pursuing lifelong learning opportunities can all potentially benefit from the program. The program will also assist teachers and parents to support students’ learning outcomes.
Round 1 Recpients
The twelve (12) projects are connecting to, or between NBN early release sites.
The projects funded under the program are:
| Organisation | Project Title |
|---|---|
| Monash University | NBN Virtual School of Emerging Sciences |
| Sydney Opera House | From Bennelong Point to the Nation |
| Australian Youth Orchestra | AYO Digital Connection Trial |
| Association of Australian Independent Schools of NSW | NBN and Independent Schools in Australia – Transforming the Education Digital Supply Chain |
| University of New South Wales | Education 2020: enabling learning in science, engineering and mathematics |
| Gordon Institute of TAFE | Remote delivery of school based traineeships to regional and rural students in Victoria |
| University of New South Wales | The BEST Network – A Network for Biomedical Education, Skills and Training |
| University of Wollongong | The University of Wollongong Graduate School of Medicine Telehealth Skills Training and Implementation Project |
| Metropolitan South Institute of TAFE | Diabetes Health and Wellness Program |
| TAFE NSW Hunter Institute | eLinks: enabling TAFE training |
| Bendigo Senior Secondary College | Victorian Virtual Learning Network |
| University of New England | Asia ConneXions utilising HD videoconferencing |
The program is part of a broader package of Digital Productivity initiatives announced as part of the National Digital Economy Strategy.
- Media release
- NBN-Enabled Education and Skills Services Program Factsheet
( PDF 159KB | DOCX 22KB) - Factsheet for each project
( PDF 185KB| DOCX 37KB)
Program Guidelines
The Program Guidelines provide further information about the program.
- Program Guidelines
( DOCX 112KB | RTF 1.61MB)
