Fifty-five students from North Coast, New England and North Sydney TAFE attended the 4th annual North Coast TAFE Student Leadership Conference held between the 26th and 28th April at Coffs Harbour.

The 2012 conference was held at the Coffs Coast Conference and Camping Centre in Bonville. Students participated in a combination of classroom sessions and outdoor activities as well as opportunities to socialise and network.

Meredith Gibson, Student Association Officer at Port Macquarie campus said, “Board members have an important role in supporting TAFE NSW Campus Student Associations which provide benefits and educational support services to all students and staff.”

“The two day conference was designed to give participants information, ideas and a chance to enhance their skills to assist them in their role as Student Association Board Members. The conference included workshops on communication, meeting procedures, event management, team building and an overview of TAFE related association policy and procedures,” Meredith said.

The conference was specifically developed for Student Association board members by North Coast TAFE Student Association Officers. The program used active learning principles to provide participants with a sound understanding of how Student Associations operate and an opportunity to develop skills which will assist students in contributing to the management of their associations.

North Coast TAFE Student Association Board Members voluntarily contribute their time to the Student Association, representing the broader campus population in making recommendations about association spending, member benefits and improvements to the campus community.

Kayla Gill from Kingscliff TAFE enjoyed meeting other board members from across the state and sharing ideas. “I met a lot of really nice people and got some really good ideas to take back to Kingscliff. I am looking forward to putting some of the skills I learnt into practice,” Kayla said.