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Former Specialist Education Provider for Senior Secondary Languages in the ACT

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Advocating about senior secondary languages, posted Friday 17 October 2025, updated Tuesday 21 October 2025

A new flier about advocacy for centrally delivered senior secondary language courses is now available. For details, see here.

We have received confirmation that CIT will not accept any new enrolments for senior secondary language studies. As a result, it is no longer a suitable custodian of the ongoing strategy for central delivery of Year 11-12 language courses in the ACT. For continuing program provision into the future, the only remaining option now is for the government to bring programs in-house with the ACT Education Directorate. More action is about to commence so that the implications can be highlighted, to ensure that those issues are addressed by the government. If you would like additional information, please send an email to the CAL Convener.

Acting Chief Minister Talkback about senior secondary languages, Friday 10 October 2025

Senior secondary languages were featured during Ross Solly's ABC Canberra Breakfast program with Acting Chief Minister Talkback on Friday 10 October 2025. To hear the discussion, go to https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/canberra-breakfast/breakfast/105853186. This discussion about languages starts at 3:09:30 in last Friday's Canberra Breakfast podcast.

Essentially, the current status of the story is that there is,as yet, no information available to schools and to the public about plans for centrally delivered senior secondary language courses for new cohorts from next year onwards. It is very late in the year for questions about this to remain unanswered. The time for clarity about such matters is in March to April each year, before the college enrolment process commences in the ACT.

Second ABC story about senior secondary languages, posted 9 October 2025

There was a second discussion about languages education opportunities for ACT students in Years 11 and 12 on ABC Radio Canberra Drive program with Alice Matthews this afternoon, this time with the former convener of the Canberra Academy of Languages. To hear the conversation, go to https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/canberra-drive/drive/105851560. This second discussion about languages starts at 2:19:00 in the podcast.

ABC story about senior secondary languages, posted 8 October 2025

ABC Radio Canberra Drive program with Alice Matthews yesterday afternoon discussed emerging concerns about language learning options in the ACT for current Year 10 students who are going into Year 11 next year. To hear the conversation, go to https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/canberra-drive/drive/105842096. The discussion about languages starts at 2:15:25 in the podcast.

We anticipate that a story will also be published in The Canberra Times in coming days.

Senior secondary languages discussion, posted 1 October 2025

There will be an opportunity from 5 pm to 6 pm on Thursday 9 October 2025 for stakeholders including current and prospective students, and their families, to discuss senior secondary languages in the ACT..

The focus of the discussion will be centrally delivered provision of senior secondary language courses in Canberra. The venue will be the Limestone Room at Mercure Hotel, Corner of Ainslie Avenue and Limestone Avenue, Braddon. We would like to compare notes on what is known by that time about plans for 2026 and beyond, and what are the advocacy options for stakeholders.

The venue has limited seating capacity, so interested participants are asked to register interest by emailing cal.convener@cal.act.edu.au.

Decision from CIT may be announced in near future, posted 19 September 2025

We understand a meeting between representatives from CIT and ACT Education Directorate is set for the last day of Term 3. A decision about arrangements for course delivery in 2026 and later years may be announced after that meeting.

During the spring school break, we plan to be available to discuss the situation with students and families, who are among the key stakeholders who will be affected by the decision. We will post more information here about the date and time. The planned venue is the Limestone Room at Mercure, subject to availability once we have the relevant information from the anticipated CIT announcement.

For any stakeholders with enquiries in the meantime, please email cal.convener@cal.act.edu.au.

No commitment in QON response about programs in 2026 and future years, posted 21 July 2025

In a response on 14 July to a question on notice from Thomas Emerson MLA, Minister Michael Pettersson referred to ongoing consultation and provided no timeframe for resolution about the provision of centrally delivered senior secondary language courses in 2026 and future years.

Senior secondary schools are now preparing for their subject selection processes where students will choose their courses for 2026. The future provider – whether that provider sits with CIT or with Education Directorate – will require clarity about this imminently, to frame a meaningful offering for next year and future years, and to communicate that offering effectively to stakeholders including students, families and day schools.

Confirmation of CIT plans for remainder of 2025, posted 18 June 2025

CIT confirmed on 17 June that from next term, the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) will take over delivery of language education for all current students completing their senior secondary certificate in 2025.

Two key questions remain about plans for senior secondary language programs in the ACT:

• Will programs continue with CIT next year? If not, what provision can be put in place for current Year 11 students who need a study pathway outside their day schools to complete their language studies in 2026?
• What ongoing provision can be put in place for provision of a central delivery pathway for senior secondary language programs from 2027, to provide a fair and equitable avenue for students to undertake language courses that are not available in their day schools? The ACT would be an outlier among Australian educational jurisdictions in not having such provision, if the programs were to cease.

For more about advocacy on this see here.

If you would like additional information, please send an email to the CAL Convener.

Appointment of CIT CEO, posted 5 June 2025

A new chief executive has been appointed for the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT). Dr Margot McNeill was formerly a NSW TAFE executive. CIT board chair, Kate Lundy, announced the appointment on 4 June.

Future of courses in senior secondary languages, posted 1 June 2025

On 17 April this year (2025), it was reported in The Canberra Times that CIT had decided to transition the commercial business of its subsidiary, CIT Solutions, into CIT and wind up the company. Some programs would be transferred to the parent organisation, Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT), while other programs would be discontinued.

At the time of this post, at the end of May 2025, there has been no announcement to the community by CIT about its intentions relating to senior secondary language courses currently delivered by CIT Solutions. It is vital for stakeholders, including students, families, teachers and day schools, to have clarity on continuity for these centrally delivered language programs.

If you believe it is important to ensure that centrally delivered senior secondary language courses continue to be available after school hours into the future in the ACT to supplement language courses available in the day schools, you can contact the CIT's governing body by emailing CIT Board. For further developments, see the more recent posts above.

Origins and transition

At the end of 2023, the Canberra Academy of Languages (CAL) completed its seventh and final year of program delivery. Since that time, throughout 2024 and 2025, equivalent programs have been delivered by the Centre for Modern Languages (CML) at CIT Solutions and its parent organisation, the Canberra Institute of Technology.

For information about this year's senior secondary language programs, which after the closure of CIT Solutions are being run in Semester 2 of 2025 by CIT, visit the Senior Secondary Languages page on the Language Hub microsite.

Concept

From 2017 to 2023, CAL provided courses for Year 11-12 students and early access students (high school students commencing selected senior secondary subjects early) to continue learning in their chosen languages, where these courses were not available through their schools or other providers. CAL was a Specialist Education Provider, registered with the ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies (BSSS) throughout 2017 to 2023, preparing students as local and global citizens.

We delivered language courses leading to unit credits for the ACT Senior Secondary Certificate. Scores for courses completed by students with CAL contributed to their ATAR if the scores were among their best four course scores, along with their other course scores from courses they undertook at their home schools or colleges.

As of 2023, students were enrolled with us for courses in French, German, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Tamil. What they had in common was a belief in the value of becoming a capable communicator in at least one language other than English.

Historical records

Below are links to the Convener's Reports for 2017 through to 2023. The Convener's Report was presented annually as part of the CAL End of Year Ceremony. These provide an overview of the trajectory of program delivery throughout those seven years.

• CAL 2023 Report
• CAL 2022 Report
• CAL 2021 Report
• CAL 2020 Report
• CAL 2019 Report
• CAL 2018 Report
• CAL 2017 Report

Why learn languages

Learning languages provides cognitive, social and functional benefits. Mastering communication skills in another language delivers benefits that include:

Cognitive benefits

• Improved thinking skills, with benefits in other learning areas and in broader life experiences
• A better understanding of how languages work, including English
• An understanding that other languages differ from English and an improved capacity to learn additional languages
• Direct access to literature, music, film and other expressions of culture in the arts and humanities through the target language
• Access to a new frame of reference and perspective for understanding and interpreting the world.

Social benefits

• Ability to interact more effectively with speakers of the target language and to participate more effectively in the settings where the target language is used, in travelling, studying and working
• A greater capacity for intercultural understanding
• Greater understanding and acceptance of diversity
• Insight into the learner's own identity, values, heritage, and culture
• A richer community culture and enhanced social cohesion.

Functional benefits

• Broader employment opportunities, in both local and global contexts
• Greater collective capacity for the community in international relations, trade and strategic negotiations.

Links

• CAL Convener (cal.convener@cal.act.edu.au)
• Resources for language learners
• National Languages Plan and Strategy, AFMLTA (Australian Federation of Modern Language Teachers’ Associations), 2024
• ACT BSSS Year 12 Study 2020
• Senior Secondary Languages Education Research Project: Final report 2014, Dr Michelle Kohler et al
• Learning a language helps students better understand others in an increasingly diverse Australia (2023 article on ABC website)
• Second languages and Australian schooling (Lo Bianco 2009)
• See CAL on Facebook
• See CAL on Instagram

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