Central Institute of Technology is a Technical and Further Education

Technical and Further Education

In Australia, training and further education or TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework...

 (TAFE) institution based in Perth, Western Australia

Perth, Western Australia

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....

. It is the equal oldest post-secondary educational institution in Western Australia, the largest TAFE institution in Perth, and one of the largest in Australia. Historically it was also known by the names of Perth Technical College, Central Metropolitan College of TAFE (CMC) and Central TAFE.

Campuses and facilities

The institute currently trains around 25,000 students each year and operates at five campuses in the Perth metropolitan area:

• Perth campus
• Leederville campus
• East Perth campus (eCentral)
• Mt Lawley campus
• Nedlands campus (Oral Health Care Centre of Western Australia)

Central Institute of Technology also caters for 1500 students from overseas each year and has offshore contracts for the delivery of Australian vocational qualifications in mainland China, Hong Kong, Mauritius, India and Kuwait.

Facilities at the main Northbridge campus include an art gallery and a simulated underground mine. East Perth campus, also known as eCentral, is one of the most technologically advanced campuses in Western Australia. The campus is partially powered by the largest single grid-connected solar system in the Perth CBD and one of the largest in the state. A new building at the East Perth campus provides state-of-the-art facilities for training in the mining and renewable energy industries.

An alliance between Central Institute of Technology, the University of Western Australia

University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...

 and Curtin University has resulted in the formation of the Oral Health Care Centre of Western Australia (OHCWA) in Nedlands.

In 2011, Central opened a $62 million training facility at 30 Aberdeen Street completing Central’s redevelopment of its city campus, linking all of the buildings in one education precinct. 30 Aberdeen Street houses training portfolios for the key skill areas of engineering, architecture design and building and programs, for the lifestyle industries including high tech massage and beauty therapy treatment rooms.

Location and transport

All of Central's campuses are located in the Perth inner metropolitan area, making them accessible by public transport. The Perth campus is within the Perth Cultural Centre

Perth Cultural Centre

The Perth Cultural Centre is an area of central Perth, Western Australia and the collective name for the buildings of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, Western Australian Museum, Perth Gaol, Alexander Library, State Records Office, and Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts .William Street,...

, near the city's railway station

Perth railway station

Perth Station including Perth Underground is the largest railway station in Perth, Western Australia, and functions as an interchange between the Transperth Trains Armadale / Thornlie, Fremantle, Joondalup, Mandurah and Midland railway lines, as well as the Transwa Australind.-History:The Victorian...

 and serviced by Transperth

Transperth

Transperth is the brand name of the public transport system in Perth, Western Australia. It is operated by the Public Transport Authority.-History:...

's Blue Cat bus.

Courses

Central offers over 400 courses in areas including:

• Business, Management, Real Estate, Legal and Finance
• Creative and Digital (Art, Design and Media; Information Technology and Information Services)
• Engineering and Building
• English and Community Access
• Health and Community Services
• Resources and Science and Sustainability
• Sport and Education
• Tourism and Languages

Central Institute of Technology award courses are in line with the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF). The AQTF establishes standard titles and levels for courses across Australia. The qualifications that are currently offered at Central include:

• Advanced Diploma
• Diploma
• Certificate IV
• Certificate III
• Certificate II
• Certificate I

Through its university pathway arrangements with Curtin University, The University of Western Australia (UWA), The University of Notre Dame (UND), Murdoch University

Murdoch University

Murdoch University is a public university based in Perth, Australia. It began operations as the state's second university in 1973, and accepted its first students in 1975...

 and Edith Cowan University

Edith Cowan University

Edith Cowan University is located in Perth, Western Australia. It was named after the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, Edith Cowan, and is the only Australian university named after a woman....

 (ECU), students can also gain access into university.

Central also offers a range of short courses and customised training solutions for business.

Structure and employees

Central has a governing council and employs 1,300 staff in lecturing and administrative positions under the following learning portfolios:

• Art and Design
• Applied Design
• Building, Design & Construction
• Management and Business
• Community & Children's Services
• Community Learning and Partnerships
• English as a Second Language (ESL)
• Digital Content
• Engineering
• Finance & Property Services
• Health & Lifestyle
• Media
• Science, Resources & Environment
• Sport, Education & Disability
• Tourism & Languages

History

The Central Institute of Technology began as the Perth Technical School, holding its first classes from 16 May 1900 at the Old Perth Boys School

Old Perth Boys School

The Old Perth Boys School is located at 139 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia. The single-storey limestone building was designed by William Sandford in 1852 and is a significant example of a colonial building constructed in Perth from the mid-nineteenth century.-Built form:The Old Perth...

 and from various makeshift facilities along St Georges Terrace

St Georges Terrace, Perth

St Georges Terrace is the main street in the city of Perth, Western Australia. It runs parallel to the Swan River and forms the major arterial road through the central business district....

. The first enrolment was of 69 students in classes including chemistry, metallurgy, mineralogy, geology, woodwork, metalwork, art and design. In 1910 a purpose-built building

Old Perth Technical School

The 1910 Perth Technical School is located at 137 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, adjacent to the Old Perth Boys School building....

 was constructed to house the school.

Between 1905 and 1914, courses including pure mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology were taught at Perth Technical School on behalf of the University of Adelaide

University of Adelaide

The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...

. This arrangement ceased in 1914 when the University of Western Australia

University of Western Australia

The University of Western Australia was established by an Act of the Western Australian Parliament in February 1911, and began teaching students for the first time in 1913. It is the oldest university in the state of Western Australia and the only university in the state to be a member of the...

 became operational.

The school continued to grow in the following decades, establishing additional campuses and offering a growing list of qualifications. In 1966, the institution became more focused on vocational training when areas such as chemistry and metallurgy split away into the West Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT) (now Curtin University).

In 1990, the institute became the Central Metropolitan College of TAFE following the amalgamation of affiliated colleges at Perth, Leederville, Wembley and Mt Lawley, as well as the Claremont School of Art and the WA School of Nursing. In late 2009 Central TAFE changed its name and branding to Central Institute of Technology.

The 1910 Perth Technical School

Old Perth Technical School

The 1910 Perth Technical School is located at 137 St Georges Terrace, Perth, Western Australia, adjacent to the Old Perth Boys School building....

 building is listed in the Register of Heritage Places of the state Heritage Council as part of the group of buildings which includes Newspaper House, the WA Trustee Co and the Royal Insurance buildings. It is also listed in the National Estate.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the institute include Sir Walter James

Walter James

Sir Walter Hartwell James KCMG KC was the fifth Premier of Western Australia and an ardent supporter of the federation movement....

, Premier of Western Australia

Premier of Western Australia

The Premier of Western Australia is the head of the executive government in the Australian State of Western Australia. The Premier has similar functions in Western Australia to those performed by the Prime Minister of Australia at the national level, subject to the different Constitutions...

 (1902 to 1904), Sir Charles Gairdner

Charles Gairdner

General Sir Charles Henry Gairdner, GBE, KCMG, KCVO, CB was a British Army general during World War II and was Governor of Western Australia from 1951 to 1963, and Governor of Tasmania from 1963 to 1968.-Early life:...

, Governor of Western Australia

Governor of Western Australia

The Governor of Western Australia is the representative in Western Australia of Australia's Monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor performs important constitutional, ceremonial and community functions, including:* presiding over the Executive Council;...

 (1951 to 1963), federal Treasurer and Leader of the Opposition Sir Billy Mackie Snedden

Billy Snedden

Sir Billy Mackie Snedden, KCMG, QC was an Australian politician representing the Liberal Party. He was Leader of the Opposition at the 1974 federal election, failing to defeat the Labor incumbent Gough Whitlam.-Early life:...

, architect William G. Bennett

William G. Bennett

William Garnsworthy Bennett was a Western Australian architect, well known for his Art Deco and Inter-War Functionalist style of civic, commercial and domestic buildings, including the Lord Forrest Olympic Pool in Kalgoorlie, the Beverley Town Hall, the Raffles Hotel and Plaza Theatre and Arcade...

, businessmen Sir James Cruthers

James Cruthers

Sir James Winter Cruthers, AO is an Australian business executive and philanthropist.He was educated at Claremont Central State School and Perth Technical College, leaving school at 16. He started work at the Daily News newspaper in Perth in 1939 and joined the forces in 1940...

 and Sir Lance Brisbane

Lance Brisbane

Sir Hugh Lancelot Brisbane was a prominent Western Australian industrialist and businessman.- Early life :Brisbane was born in Fitzroy, Melbourne, the son of an ironmonger...

. Olympian Shirley Strickland

Shirley Strickland

Shirley Barbara Strickland AO, MBE , later Shirley de la Hunty, was an Australian athlete. She won more Olympic medals than any other Australian in running sports.-Family:...

 taught mathematics and physics to returned servicemen in her spare time at the school in the period after World War II. Olympic swimmer Neil Brooks

Neil Brooks

Neil Brooks is a former Australian sprint freestyle swimmer best known for winning the 4 × 100 m medley relay at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow as part of the Quietly Confident Quartet. Brooks was as much known for his swimming achievements as he was for disciplinary incidents...

studied accountancy at the Leederville campus in 1978.