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After
years of local lobbying for a Technical School in Box
Hill, the doors of the Box Hill Technical School for Girls
and Women welcomed its first 65 junior pupils on 31st
March 1924. Another 161 seniors enrolled in April that
year. On 4th September 1924 the Minister for Education
Mr John Lemmon MLA, officially opened the school.
The
range of subjects available reflected the education and
training priorities of the early 20th century. Core subjects
included Housewifery, Cooking, Dressmaking, and Millinery.
Through these courses girls gained skills to equip them
for their main role in life: that of wife and mother.
Some girls went on to undertake vocational courses related
to paid employment including bookkeeping, secretarial
work and professional dressmaking.
On
2nd February 1943, almost 20 years later, the Box Hill
Boys’ Technical School opened its doors to 470 junior
students. Many boys seeking technical education had been
turned away from Swinburne Technical School, the nearest
technical school in the eastern suburbs. The subjects
offered included Carpentry, Sheetmetal, Machine Shop Practice
and Technical Drawing.
In
the mid-1960s both technical schools expanded their subject
range to include post-secondary options including Certificate
courses in Business, Engineering, Electronics and Clothing
Studies.
By
the early 1970s the technical schools had been re-named
as technical colleges and their Technical and Further
Education (TAFE) course enrolments expanded rapidly. The
original Girls’ Technical School was renamed Whitehorse
Technical College in 1971 when its new building in Whitehorse
Road was opened officially. Box Hill Technical College
was one of the first of seven technical colleges to separate
its TAFE programs from the secondary technical offerings.
In October 1981 Box Hill College was officially re-named
as a College of TAFE, with Whitehorse Technical College
declared as a TAFE entity in December of 1981.
On
25th January 1984 the Whitehorse College of TAFE and Box
Hill College of TAFE amalgamated to provide the most diverse
range of programs in the TAFE system.
From
those early days of 65 junior students, today the Box
Hill Institute provides education and training programs
and services to students on four campuses, numerous industry-based
campuses, as well as home and work-based study programs.
Our programs and services are offered locally, nationally
and internationally.
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