STAFF at Country Universities Centre, or CUC, Far West has celebrated a milestone this week, registering the organisation’s 1000th student since opening seven years ago.
The achievement reflects a need and interest in further education in the area, and an increase in students choosing to stay in the region rather than move out-of-state for education.
CUC Far West offers support to students from a variety of tertiary institutes, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees and the organisation’s chair Michael Williams said staff feel a lot of pride after reaching the milestone.
“This Centre is making a real difference by allowing local students to achieve their dreams without the added financial burden or the necessity of relocating,” he said.
“Achieving student registration KPIs has never been a concern for CUC Far West,” he said.
“In our first year of operations, we reached our annual target of student registrations within the first three months.
“This clearly demonstrated that our community had long been waiting for supported tertiary education they could access from home, without the need to relocate or study in isolation.”
CUC Far West centre manager Ryan Coulter said financial barriers for students who’d have to relocate to access higher education are overwhelming.
“Accommodation fees alone were beyond what many local families could afford,” he said.
“As a local and former teacher and careers advisor, seeing local people engage with education and reach their career goals has been incredibly rewarding.”
Mr Coulter encouraged anyone interested in CUC’s services to reach out.
“The support is free, funded by both the New South Wales and Commonwealth governments, and we’re here to help local people pursue their higher education goals,” he said.
“Great outcomes happen when communities work together, and CUC Far West is a shining example of what we can achieve when we support each other and invest in our people.”
