Abstract:
Centralisation of the Australian population is a fundamental problem confronting rural communities. For individuals and groups in sparsely populated rural areas the opportunities for successful participation and involvement in activities readily available in the region is limited. This is most obvious in the area of education and training which must now be perceived as being part of a life long process. This factor is brought about by two main reasons, both of which are related to the high rate of technological process. In the first instance, it will be increasingly necessary for employees to undergo frequent training so as to function effectively in their current employment. In the second case, it will be necessary for employees to completely retrain for new employment due to the changing nature of the workplace. In addition, it is necessary for people currently out of the workforce to undertake retraining before re-entering it. Others need to make up for a lack of basic education, whereas, some need the extension and enrichment activities available in urban Australia. It was to satisfy the demands for education and training opportunities of rural Australia that this project was proposed, with the researchers initially unaware of overseas developments in this area.