New diploma offered by Monash in 2016

In a media conference held on Wednesday afternoon, students were informed of the plans Monash SA has to launch a new diploma in 2016.

Craig Rowe, the head of the community engagement programme at Monash SA, spoke to students about the introduction of a Community Development Diploma that will be implemented on campus in the near future. Rowe explained that two specialisations would be available within this diploma, including a Youth focus and a Health focus, and that current students could take these courses for extra credit.

Rowe said that this process is still in its early planning stages. The main community development partners are the Community Development Professionalization Steering Committee (CDPSC) as well as other NGOs (non-governmental organizations). Other interested parties in England, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand are yet to sign into this partnership to create an international footprint.

Rowe further explained that there are thousands and thousands of community development practitioners already working in the field who want to do a course but are without standardised qualifications. Therefore, receiving an advanced certificate would open doors towards a degree and may lead to a course on the subject.

 

Rowe concluded by saying, “We’ve got incredible potential for offering a qualification in South Africa that is benchmarked globally, but relevant locally and would give young people and anybody the skills to actually work in an international context.”