Kangan Batman TAFE recognised for business excellence
30 May 2002
John Parish.
Kangan Batman TAFE was recognised in the 14th Annual Australian Business Excellence Awards, held in Sydney.
Kangan Batman TAFE received Finalist level recognition in the awards, which are presented by Standards Australia. Only one other organisation - Wodonga City Council - achieved Finalist status, and Kangan Batman TAFE was the only Australian TAFE institute to have received this level of recognition in the Australian Business Excellence Awards.
Kangan Batman TAFE is a multi-discipline TAFE institute with six campuses across the north-western suburbs of Melbourne.
Organisations Australia-wide enter the awards, which judge entrants against the Australian Business Excellence Framework. The Australian Business Excellence Framework is based on a set of principles which have been identified as the hallmarks of sustained organisational success, all over the world.
The Framework is divided into 22 elements, including areas such as Leadership, Strategic Direction, Management and Improvement of Processes, Organisational Culture, The Planning Process, Development and Application of Resources, Customer Relationship Management and Quality of Products and Services.
"The application process for the awards is quite rigorous, but it is also extremely rewarding because we gain feedback on our organisational strengths, but most importantly on any improvement opportunities", says Kangan Batman TAFE Director John Parish.
The process begins with the organisation providing a detailed written submission against the criteria, followed by site visits by a team of assessors to verify and clarify elements of the submission. The decision regarding recognition levels is then made by a panel of senior executives from leading organisations, including previous Australian Business Excellence award winners.
Each entering organisation receives a comprehensive feedback report from the assessors on its management, systems and processes.
"Based on the evaluation, the assessors said that Kangan Batman TAFE is a very successful and progressive organisation, which understands what is required to build upon and sustain its success", Mr Parish said.
"The assessors also congratulated us on our 'exceptionally detailed and comprehensive strategic planning process', and our structured approach to fostering innovative ideas, in terms of finding ways to better meet our customers' needs".
"We were also praised for our customer focus, the commitment and quality of our employees, and for being an excellent 'corporate citizen' due to our support of diversity within the community. For example, we have a strong commitment to providing quality educational services for the Indigenous community", he said.
The awards presentation in Sydney was attended by around 600 representatives of organisations Australia-wide, including high profile companies such as Boeing and BHP.
Kangan Batman TAFE has a long-standing commitment to quality, having held AS/NZS ISO 9001 certification since 1995, and receiving Australian Quality Council Awards for Achievement in Business Excellence in 1996 and 1997. (These awards were presented to the former Kangan Institute of TAFE, prior to the amalgamation with John Batman Institute of TAFE on 1 July 1997, forming Kangan Batman TAFE.)
Kangan Batman TAFE provides vocational courses in a broad range of occupations, and is VictoriaÂ's major training provider for the automotive, aerospace and polymer industries. Kangan Batman TAFE is also Victoria's largest provider of trainee/apprenticeship training, VET in Schools and corrections education.
The instituteÂ's 33,000 students have access to a range of support services, including counselling, job placement assistance, a student association and social activities.
Kangan Batman TAFE was recently named Training Provider of the Year in the 2001 Victorian Training Awards.
For information on any of the courses or services offered by Kangan Batman TAFE, telephone the Customer Service Centre on (03) 9279 2555.
