Partnership between Bunbury Senior High School and Edith Cowan University provides opportunity for students

The futures of Bunbury students just got a whole lot brighter, with one high school partnering with the South West’s only university in a memorandum of understanding. Last week, Bunbury Senior High School and Edith Cowan University South West forged a strategic collaboration to help create pathways for students wanting to pursue tertiary education. With a particular focus on science, engineering, creative humanities and performing arts, ECU deputy vice-chancellor Professor Cobie Rudd said the newly formed relationship would enable exciting opportunities and projects to be explored. “We are looking forward to even closer integration with the BSHS, working together to build the capacity and success of students in the South West region,” Professor Rudd said. “ECU South West and BSHS are actively engaged in this alliance to generate alignment in areas of relevant education, training and research priorities and nurture education pathways to ECU for BSHS students.” Through the partnership, students will be able to increase their “micro-credentials” through the creation of custom content that will align to a unit of study within an ECU degree. Completion of a number of these micro-credentials could provide advanced standing in a unit if they choose to study the relevant course at ECU post ATAR, helping students to get a head start on their higher education. Students will also be able to attend the South West campus to participate in research projects and use the campus resources to explore career opportunities that are available to them BSHS principal Mike Sinagra said the school was excited by the partnership and the opportunities it offered to students. “This is a great opportunity for students to expand their academic knowledge and foster an interest in a university pathway,” he said. “Through this collaboration and the development of innovative programs, students can gain greater academic currency and add to their portfolio of academic achievement.”