Established in 1997, the Canberra College is a senior secondary school (Years 11 and 12), which comprises the main campus at Woden and an annex at Weston, both in the geographical centre of Canberra. The Woden campus is only four kilometres south of the new Parliament House. The college offers access to the widest range of courses of any college in the ACT. International students actively seek enrolment at the college, which in turn enriches the college culture.
Facilities: State-of-the-art IT facilities, extensive library, drama studio and theatre, dance studio, new science labs, digital photography suite, refurbished gym and practice firm.
Curriculum: Students have extensive choice in course offerings. The college is an International Baccalaureate World School and offers the IB Diploma Program in addition to the ACT Year 12 Certificate. There is also a focus on vocational courses. The college operates seven VET courses: Information and Office Studies, General Construction, Retail — Customer Service, Contemporary Music, Music Industry, Child Care Studies, Tourism Industry Studies, and Hospitality. The Canberra College has an excellent balance of vocational, academic and interest courses to fully develop the potential of all students.
Special features: A diverse range of registered units is available, including community service, sports and other recreational activities. A challenging outdoor education program includes abseiling and scuba diving. Jazz studies and dance are offered as fully accredited courses or registered units. There is a dynamic focus on the arts, with registered units offered in music (the college jazz band), dance, life drawing, media and photography. The student council is energetic and innovative.
Welfare and personal development: There is close communication with parents and students, with an emphasis on student attendance at all lessons. There is a well-trained student services support team to advise and assist. Resources are committed to providing for the educational needs of every student, including those with learning difficulties, the gifted and talented, and those from a non-English-speaking background.
Special features: CCCares Program provides individualised learning programs for young parents and other students who have ceased their links with education. The young mums and bubs structure is a nurturing and integrated program that has networks with community-based support agencies.