Beyond the rhetoric: Engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in regional contexts

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are under-represented in education and training. Access, bridging or enabling education courses and programs seek to address this under-representation and while it is generally accepted that they are important strategies in Indigenous increasing participation, there is little evidence on the success of such programs. This presentation presents the results of a research project undertaken at three dual-sector universities which focused on Indigenous learning journeys via enabling programs. The research team propose that access, bridging and enabling courses and programs need to consider Indigenous understandings of ‘success’ to assist in affirming Indigenous cultural identity whilst simultaneously developing study skills in the vocational and educational sector.