After winning the Northern Territory award in September, Batchelor Institute has been announced as one of three finalists in the prestigious Australian Training Awards ‘Large Training Provider of the Year’.

The first nation’s tertiary institution, which has campuses at Batchelor, 100 km south of Darwin, and Alice Springs, was shortlisted as a national finalist, along with TAFE Qld and the Victorian hospitality and tourism training provider, William Angliss.

Batchelor Institute Acting CEO Mick Gooda, said the Institute stands out in the large training provider field because it is unique.

“This organisation was started by Aboriginal people, for Aboriginal people,” he said.

When an Aboriginal person enrols in a mainstream university, there is an unwritten expectation that they leave their culture at the door and adopt a western mindset while they study.

“We know that is not advantageous or desirable for First Nations people.

“We offer ‘both ways’ learning, where their culture guides the way students learn and their study experience takes account of cultural considerations and obligations.

“Culture becomes part of their way of learning rather than an obstacle to it.”

Batchelor Institute offers Aboriginal students from remote communities and urban areas around Australia a learning pathway from foundational skills to a Doctor of Philosophy, underpinned by the Institute’s research program.

“Our priority as a training provider is to be effective and relevant to First Nation’s people,” Mr Gooda said.

“The training we provide, and how we provide it, is dictated by the aspirations and career goals of our future students.”