New Director appointed for Kangan Batman TAFE
13 April 2004
Ray Griffiths, newly- appointed Director, Kangan Batman TAFE.
John Parish, outgoing Director, Kangan Batman TAFE.
Kangan Batman TAFE has announced the appointment of a new Director, Mr Ray Griffiths, who will commence at the institute on 26 April.
Mr Griffiths, who grew up in Pascoe Vale, has been Chief Executive Officer and Director of the East Gippsland Institute of TAFE since 1993 and replaces Mr John Parish who is retiring from Kangan Batman after seven years.
Mr Parish joined the institute in 1997, just after the amalgamation of the Kangan and John Batman TAFE institutes, which formed Kangan Batman TAFE. President of Kangan Batman TAFE Council, Anne-Marie Corboy said Mr Parish has achieved far more than just successfully bringing together two TAFE institutes and part of another, the Richmond campus of Barton Institute of TAFE.
Under Mr Parish’s leadership, Kangan Batman TAFE has emerged as a highly-focused organisation which is a leader in many areas of the VET sector.
“His background in quality meant that continuous improvement always remained high on the institute’s agenda. He also pushed for the development of an innovation culture and systems across the institute, even establishing an Innovation Unit,” said Ms Corboy.
Another of his passions has been the vision of establishing an Automotive Centre of Excellence in the Docklands, to centralise automotive training across all sectors and become a showpiece for the automotive industry. “Mr Parish has been a driving force throughout the long process of lobbying for and developing the Automotive Centre of Excellence,” said Ms Corboy.
Automotive General Manager, Phillip Murphy, described Mr Parish as having had a significant effect on Kangan Batman TAFE. “John is passionate about TAFE and its purpose of delivering job ready people for industry, providing a good experience for students and the belief in lifelong learning,” he said.
Mr Parish grew up in the Mallee town of Robinvale and started working life as an apprentice panel beater, which increased his interest in restoration of old cars, something which has stayed with him through the years. Whilst attending trade school Mr Parish became interested in trade teaching as a career but had to have 10 years’ trade experience before he could realise that dream.
After moving to Melbourne he became a student instructor at Noble Park Technical College in 1975 and an automotive teacher at Dandenong Technical College in 1979. Moving through senior teacher rank and becoming an associate director he also completed a Bachelor of Education and became focused on the concept of quality in education.
After managing a department at Dandenong TAFE, Mr Parish moved into the position of Acting Director at Kangan Batman TAFE and after six months was offered the Director’s role.
Mr Parish leaves Kangan Batman with a legacy of achievements including the Automotive Centre of Excellence (Stage One of which is due for completion in 2005), the Polymer Engineering Centre, the Transport and Logistics Centre, the new Gunung-Willam-Balluk Learning Centre (all at the Broadmeadows campus) and the introduction of quality auditing across the institute.
He believes passionately in the concept that education is for everyone and that TAFE has a duty of care for marginalised groups within the community, such as the Indigenous Australian population. “We must do more for Indigenous Australian people and their culture, it is a significant part of our history and we have to work together on solutions,” Mr Parish said.
He also believes in people’s ability to learn, that if we make it easy for them to learn they will do well. “We mustn’t underestimate the transformative power of TAFE in people’s lives,” said Mr Parish.
Mr Parish also believes that international operations are a strong part of Kangan Batman TAFE’s future and that great opportunities in education are available overseas, particularly in Asian countries.
Mr Parish has been a member of the Ministerial Advisory Committee of the Office of Training and Tertiary Education’s proposed TAFE Development Centre, which will promote the professional standing of the whole Victorian TAFE workforce. Mr Parish will continue his involvement with the centre on a part-time basis.
Background on Mr Ray Griffiths
Mr Griffiths comes to Kangan Batman TAFE with a similar history of growth and development. Since 1993 East Gippsland TAFE has grown significantly and developed a reputation as one of Victoria’s highest performing publicly owned providers of vocational education and training.
Under Mr Griffith’s leadership East Gippsland TAFE has developed a thriving commercial training and consultancy business which serves a range of enterprises in Victoria, nationally and internationally. He has played a pivotal role in the growth of an innovative approach to corrections education which sees East Gippsland Institute contracted to provide services to inmates of privately owned prisons in Gippsland and in New South Wales.
Mr Griffiths is committed to the transformational role that TAFE institutes and staff play in building the competitiveness of individuals, enterprises and communities, and has a long standing commitment to promoting the role of vocational education in ensuring economic, social and cultural development.
He holds a Bachelor of Economics degree, a Masters in Education (Management and Leadership), diplomas in education and frontline management and is an Associate Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management.
He is an active contributor to a broad range of community-based groups, particularly in regional economic development, and has been involved in his own businesses as a primary producer and as a director/part owner of a hospitality and tourism enterprise located on the Great Alpine Way.
