Country Universities Centre chairpersons’ luncheon

The Country Universities Centre (CUC) North West chairpersons’ luncheon took place in the Cotton Room at the Tourist Hotel on April 18.

The lunch was an opportunity to bring together business leaders in Narrabri and provide a platform for networking, knowledge exchange, and fostering valuable connections.

CUC North West chair Cathy Redding gave a warm welcome to supporting members and emphasised the importance of local connections and businesses working together to encourage the next generation of school leavers to study and enter the job market in Narrabri.

“I encourage community members and businesses to come in and see what we do here, it’s not just about a university degree,” said Mrs Redding.

“It’s for anyone from Year 11 and onwards to come in and use the centre.

“It’s free and we’re here for anyone to come in and use it, just let us know what you need.”

Chris Ronan, CEO of CUC is based in Bendigo and flew in especially to join the special luncheon.

Mr Ronan described the current period for centres as a transformative moment, where CUCs have been established in the community for quite a period, first in the student services space, and now as an outreach to high schools.

“The next frontier is where do these graduates go and how do we work better with local businesses and industry partners to give them employment opportunities,” said Mr Ronan.

“Once upon a time, if you wanted to go to university you had to change who you were to fit a city university, but now we’re changing universities to fit regional people and give them opportunities for higher education and engagement in their communities.”

CUC North West manager Cathy Walters is amazed to see how the centre has grown in the region.

“We need to grow our own, and make our community thrive, rather than recruiting from the outside,” said Ms Walters.

“More and more kids are staying in town, the vast majority of graduates are staying in town, which is fantastic to see.”