Recognising shared achievements as VU and AVID USA partnership draws to a close

After 13 years partnering to offer professional development programs for primary and secondary school teachers in schools, the Victoria University (VU) partnership with AVID USA will conclude at the end of this year. 

Since 2011, AVID Australia has operated as a standalone, not-for-profit unit within our First Year College. The program has delivered high-quality professional development to primary and secondary teachers with a particular focus on schools with students from diverse and disadvantaged backgrounds. 

Teachers involved with AVID programs have won many state and national education awards, with transformative impact for their careers and the learning environment for their students. Over 6,000 participants have attended AVID Australia Professional Events, which have been held across Victoria, the Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Western Australia. 

A final success was the Summer Gap project in 2022, a collaboration between AVID, VU, the Hellenic Museum and youth collaborators, which saw researchers and young people working together to co-design, pilot and evaluate a prototype summer program to build young people’s agency and capabilities to negotiate post-secondary life choices, including pathways to further education and employment. 

Rechelle Martinez, Head of Operations VU First Year College is looking forward to celebrating AVID Australia’s educational achievements at our final Summer Institute. 

The Summer Institute will give us an opportunity to acknowledge all the successes, and thank, not only the AVID Australia team, but many schools, principals, staff developers and others who have played such a big role over the past 13 years.” 

Tightened educational budgets and competing professional development offerings have contributed to a significant number of participating schools withdrawing from the program in 2022 and the final decision from VU. 

VU has shared the news with participating schools, staff and the wider VU community. Professional development of teachers remains a priority, and we will continue to work closely with schools, especially in Melbourne’s west, to support students’ aspirations to participate in tertiary education. This includes active contribution to staff and student STEM development through our Wyndham Tech School, and we look forward to the establishment of the Brimbank Tech School. 

Our final shared initiative with AVID, the 2023 Summer Institute, will be held from 29 November to 2 December 2023.