TERM 3 | ISSUE 6
3 August 2021

The current COVID limitations present us all with challenges, individually and as a community. One challenge for us has been moving from face-to-face classes to online learning due to COVID-19. But, like last year, our students and trainers have adapted to the change.

Recent high-profile sports stars have put a spotlight on the mental trials they experience, and we can see how they bravely decided to protect themselves from further damage, no matter how large the prize.

Our lockdowns present many of us with a need to do something similar. Whether working from home, working remotely, working from anywhere, it is necessary that we look after our mental health.

To me, the secret is to connect. Studying on campus and traditional on-the-job training creates a connected community. Working remotely disconnects those communities.

I encourage everyone to connect with their classmates, their teachers, and staff at ACBC. Connect by phone, by email, by chat. Do the same with your friends and your family. Do it every day. Create a daily online community to share what you are doing and how you are feeling.

While the current studying and learning arrangements are disruptive, I feel that there is good news in all of this. The future of work was always moving to remote work. That change is inevitable. Agricultural infrastructure can be managed from the farmhouse by apps, drone technology is enabling unmanned delivery, supply chain robotics is effectively picking and packing, and much more. The world of artificial intelligence is changing the work landscape. Now it is happening quicker than originally thought.

This doesn’t mean jobs are disappearing. It means work is changing, and some roles are heading towards remote work. The circumstances we are in now is quickening that change. ACBC is embracing that adjustment and we are making sure that our students are equipped to thrive in such a changing world.

One of our disappointments, however, is that we have not been able to hold our usual school talks. Nevertheless, acknowledging the changing ways to connect, our Careers Advisors are available for Zoom sessions or can provide schools with a digital presentation to show students. Please contact us to take advantage of either offer.

We will continue to monitor information from the government and update our approach as required. Students are encouraged to check their emails daily for updates from the college. We look forward to moving past lockdown so that our students can continue their study journey on-campus as soon as possible.

To view the rest of the August 2021 Newsletter, click here