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Former Specialist Education Provider for Senior Secondary Languages in the ACT

News

Senior secondary languages discussion on Thursday 9 October, 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.