Research that defines the NSW central west labour market will be presented at a lunchtime seminar from 12.30pm to 2pm at Charles Sturt University’s Bathurst Campus on Wednesday 1 November. Dr Parikshit Basu from the School of Marketing & Management will present work based on research he co-authored with Professor John Hicks and Richard Sappey. Titled Overview of an ‘Established Rural Regional Inland’ Australian Labour Market Dr Basu analyses the operation of a local labour market in the NSW Central West, the oldest European-settled inland region of mainland Australia. It seeks to contribute to a classification of labour markets that would be useful for forming policies at local, State and Federal levels. The seminar will be held in Syndicate Room 2 in the Centre for Professional Development, CSU Bathurst Campus, from 12.30 pm.

As Year 12 students continue sitting their Higher School Certificate (HSC), latest performance research on the NSW HSC Online study resource by Internet research company Hitwise shows it is in the top 10 education websites in Australia. Now in its tenth year, NSW HSC Online was heralded for providing access to quality learning resources, especially for students in rural and remote areas. The current performance data support this success in providing equity, with high use by students living in provincial centres, who traditionally have below average use of the Internet. There were also more boys than average for an educational website going to HSC Online in the lead-up to the HSC, with 58 per cent males and 42 per cent females using www.hsc.csu.edu.au. The research also revealed excellent brand recognition and a strong association of the site with CSU. Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Lyn Gorman said the website’s success highlights its value in bringing high quality resources to all HSC students, regardless of where they live. The NSW HSC Online project was initiated and continues to be maintained and updated by the University in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training.

Business performance has remained steady across the Central West region of NSW over the September quarter compared to the previous quarter, according to the latest Reliance Credit Union’s Central West Business Survey, compiled by Charles Sturt University’s Western Research Institute (WRI). Chief Executive Officer of the WRI Tom Watson said “despite the drought, more than three-quarters of Central West businesses surveyed reported that sales performance had been maintained or improved in the September quarter. Parkes, West Wyalong, Bathurst and Orange were the strongest performers. A marginal decline is expected in the December quarter, but on the whole performance should remain relatively steady.” The survey also addressed the issue of drought in the Central West. Central West Regional Development Board chair Sandy Morrison noted that nearly 90 per cent of businesses had not decreased staff numbers as a result of the drought, indicating that many regional businesses are relatively insulated from the effects of the drought and they understand it would be easier to retain workers than attract new workers in the future, given the skills shortage. However, almost 60 per cent felt business would decline if drought conditions continued for another six months. Tom Murphy in analysing survey results said, “Although agriculture is important in the region - the diverse nature of the Central West economy means it is resilient to the drought.” The business survey, released on Thursday 2 November, included 100 businesses in the Central West region of NSW and a further 299 across the rest of regional NSW.

"When you find a goldmine, you keep digging," says Mark Green, Studio Communications Manager at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) of Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Games Technology course. Chip Bell, Michael Blaha and Daniel Hotop are all CSU graduates who travelled to England to undertake the industrial placement component of CSU’s Bachelor of Computer Science (Games Technology) degree. As a result, all three were offered employment at Sony’s Cambridge Studio. Mark Green says Sony is returning to CSU for more potential staff because “it is hard to get good quality staff members so we are going back to those universities who have supplied great people. We are just one of 14 studios worldwide and we are all looking for who is out there. And it is not just programming, we need art or design or production people as well”. Daniel Hotop is acting as the point of contact between SCEE and CSU. “If you told me four years ago that I would be working in England for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, I would not have believed you."

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is inviting the private sector to take part in the University’s plans to significantly increase student accommodation on or near its main campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga. Later this month, CSU is calling for expressions of interest to finance, plan and build student accommodation next to or near the CSU campuses, with the option to also manage the facility. “We want to provide well-located and competitively priced accommodation for our students that is also commercially sustainable and in keeping with our ecologically sustainable development goals,” said CSU Executive Director of Financial Services Jim Hackett. As part of the University’s expansion of student accommodation, CSU is also developing and financing facilities to house 200 students in self catering accommodation on its Bathurst, Albury and Wagga Wagga sites.

Superlatives flow like fine wine when it comes to the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion: “a must have for any serious lover of Australian wine”, “the No. 1 bestselling guide to wineries and wine in Australia”, “keenly anticipated by winemakers, faithful collectors and wine lovers alike”. In the 2007 edition, it is James Halliday who waxes lyrical about the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery, giving it, and its 2005 Orange Chardonnay, the highest rating. Only “outstanding wineries capable of producing wines of the highest calibre” can receive five stars from Halliday, while the 2005 Orange Chardonnay was an “outstanding wine of the highest quality” and “outstanding value”. CSU’s winemaker Andrew Drumm says the Winery is “very pleased to receive this honour, especially from someone like James Halliday. It makes the students feel proud of the time spent in the winery and reinforces our education and research activities.”

Graduating Rural Management students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be “job ready” according to industry representatives who recently interviewed the students as part of their final assessment. Final year students at the University’s Orange Campus have completed interview sessions with industry leaders and presented portfolios demonstrating their work and capabilities. “We had 15 local industry representatives volunteer their time to give feedback to our final year students on their portfolios and interview techniques,” says Mrs Zelma Bone, Bachelor of Management course coordinator. “Disciplined knowledge and high level skills are what every graduate should have and what employers are looking for,” said Mrs Bone. “Our graduates have always been in high demand but these techniques ensure they are ready to enter the work force and are quickly employed.” Mr John Chilcott, senior manager at the Manildra Flour Mills, said the students he interviewed were ready to apply for positions. “The great thing about this type of preparation for job applications is that when it comes to recruiting, it sorts the wheat from the chaff.”

A senior Charles Sturt University (CSU) social researcher is leading research and discussion into the influence of globalisation on economic development and human security in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr Manohar Pawar, a principal researcher in CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, believes globalisation “is good if it helps erradicate poverty and reduce global inequalities”. In October, Dr Pawar organised a major international conference on the topic in Thailand, in collaboration with Thailand’s Thammasat University and Taisho and Kyushu universities, Japan. “Confronted by extreme poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, disorder and violence and many other social problems, the conference delegates presented positive examples from the region showing that alternative social development approaches must include and allow participation in the planning and implementation of projects by the people affected by them,” Dr Pawar said.

“The big question is, do some adults improve their lives after a parent’s cancer experience? It sounds quite odd, because how could anything good possibly come from this?” Janelle Levesque from Charles Sturt University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences will research how having a parent with cancer impacts on their adult children. “For some, cancer can act as a wake-up call. Some realise life is too short to stay in work they don’t like while others switch to more family-friendly or part time work. Another change may be the realisation that the little things are not so important. The wet towel on the bathroom floor really doesn’t matter, what matters is making time to speak to the kids for 10 minutes before bed.” Ms Levesque says the biggest area of change is that “most people find that their family grows closer through the experience”.