A learning community

The Library aptly supports Council’s strategic vision for Lifelong Learning – Live. Learn. Imagine what you are able to achieve in Mount Gambier.The Library is continually running community programs such as baby bounce, school holiday programs, Spotlight sponsored craft lessons and a host of professional development courses for various businesses.

The University of the 3rd Age are regulars in the Green Triangle Electronics sponsored IT room and have opened their courses to the whole community to come along and get savvy with technology.

Staying up to date with current events is also all about learning and the magazine and newspaper nook in the Library is a living testament to that. It is inspirational to witness how the community has embraced the Library and how easily it supports our journey of Lifelong Learning.

Centre of Educational Excellence

The City of Mount Gambier has a strong, emerging Tertiary presence. The University of South Australia’s Mount Gambier campus is exceeding the enrolment expectations; we’ve had our first graduands from Southern Cross University graduate in March 2010 and there is increasing interest from interstate students to come to Mount Gambier to undertake studies in both Forestry and Earth Science at the campus.

Flinders University are consistently increasing in strength and presence, with its $1.4 million extensions about to commence.

The successful Integrated Multidisciplinary Model for Education in Rural Settings (IMMERSE) program introduced in April 2010 has now expanded health disciplines and interest in the Parallel Rural Community Curriculum (PRCC) program run in collaboration with Deakin University is attracting attention from Harvard University as a model of excellence for work integrated learning.

Council’s Lifelong Learning Working Party continues to focus on expanding the delivery of University degree programs within Mount Gambier and has engaged extensively with the Department of Education and Children Services, Catholic and Independent school systems regarding the critical status applied to sustainable teaching numbers in regional South Australia.

It is this status that drives demand for the local delivery of an Education Bachelor Degree program. The City of Mount Gambier continues to facilitate opportunities and advocate for expanding the local delivery of tertiary education programs for the benefit of the community and wider region.