The value of Home Economics education
Home economics aims to improve the quality of life of individuals and families through management of resources and utilisation of decision-making skills.
More than ever, the brief for Home Economics educators in Australia is more complex and each professional has an essential role to play in the empowerment of the young people in their care.
Home economics educators have a critical role to play in educating and assisting students to meet the challenges of everyday living. This occurs through the areas of Health and Physical Education (especially food and nutrition), Technology (textiles and clothing) and Information Technology.
If you would like more information about the importance of Home Economics education and its role in schools, please download the following file.
 |
Download a PDF version of the The Value of Home Economics Education.
The file is 21kb which takes about a minute to download using a 33.6kbps modem.
If you do not have Acrobat Reader, download it here .
|
Back to top
So you want to be a Home Economics teacher?
Recent Home Economics teaching graduates identify their primary reason for wanting to become a Home Economics teacher as being because of their own Home Economics teacher.
In Victoria, the Bachelor of Health Sciences Degree offered at Deakin University can cover the requirements of a home economics undergraduate program depending on the sequence of studies chosen. By following on with an appropriate program in education, a student can become a teacher of home economics, food & technology and health & human development.
For those students wishing to focus more on Food Studies, the three year Bachelor of Applied Science (Consumer Science), is offered at RMIT University. This course includes studies in sensory evaluation, recipe development, food styling and food writing. Graduates can work as nutrition educators, consumer advisors, social researchers, food stylists or following completion of a recognized teacher training program, as teachers in courses related to food, health, nutrition and consumer issues.
From 2007, RMIT University will be offering the home economics education methods within the Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary). This will be the only tertiary institution in Victoria offering home economics specific units in education.
Students wishing to become home economics teachers are encouraged to do either the Deakin or RMIT degrees referred to above followed by the Graduate Diploma of Education (Secondary) at RMIT University.
Other pathways into Home Economics teaching exist for people wanting to upgrade or add to their qualifications. For more information about these programs, please contact carol@vhetta.com.au. For details of university courses in Australia the following website may also be helpful http://www.australiangraduate.com.
Back to top
Postgraduate Courses
Don’t miss out
VHETTA is investigating the possibility of developing and offering (beginning 2007) our own postgraduate certificate/diploma for existing teachers who would like to add home economics qualifications. This could be achieved in our capacity as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).
This would assist with upskilling those teachers already teaching home economics subjects (without home economics qualifications) in addition to providing a pathway for teachers interested in changing to home economics. From our 2005 survey (n=411), 44% of respondents indicated unqualified staff are teaching home economics in their schools.
For more information, please contact Carol Warren carol@vhetta.com.au or Catherine van Bronswijk rto@vhetta.com.au
Back to top
Career Opportunities
A wide range of career opportunities exists for students who have studied Home Economics, Technology and Health Education at school. For more information, please view the following information, which provides links to many tertiary institutions.
Back to top
|
