Education

The Shoalhaven has a well serviced and growing education sector offering a wide range of education and training opportunities. In the Shoalhaven you can continue lifetime learning with all levels of education catered for from child day care to private and public schools, vocational, TAFE and University courses - to the University of the Third Age.

The vocational education sector is oriented to industry requirements integrating student work experience through to business training courses to improve staff capability.

Approved Education and Care Services

There is a range of community based pre schools, privately operated child care facilities and early childhood centres on offer throughout the Shoalhaven. At present there are over 40 day care facilities within the Shoalhaven, with a number catering for vacation care. You can search for individual child care facilities at ACECQA.

Shoalhaven City Council also coordinates Family Day Care. Family Day Care is an alternative to centre based care. Children are cared for in the homes of registered careres.  Offices are in Nowra and Ulladulla.  The carers nurture and develop each child's learning potential in small group settings, and cater for children from birth to twelve years.

Parents can make flexible arrangement for full, part time, occasional or after school care, including vacation care.

Shoalhaven Family Day Care is always looking for carers to work in the Shoalhaven region.  If you are looking for a career in child care and want to open your own small business then contact the co ordination unit and find our about the requirements to become a carer in our professional team.

For more information contact Shoalhaven Family Day Care on (02) 4421 7314.

Noah's Inclusion Services

Noah's Inclusion Servicesoffers flexible, high quality services to children and young people with special needs and caring support to their families.

Over more than 33 years, Noah’s has grown from a toy library operating from the verandah of a small cottage to a vital centre for the Nowra community, providing services for around 900 children per year. It supports families and listens to its community. Noah's strive to provide family-centred, evidence-based intervention for children and young people and their families, and to celebrate the diversity and dignity of children of all apparent levels of ability.

In 2015 Noah’s moved to a new premises located at Building 303, Shoalhaven Campus, University of Wollongong, George Evans Road, Mundamia (West Nowra) and in 2016 opened the Noah’s Mundamia Early Learning Centre offering extended hours placement for all children in the Shoalhaven.

Government Primary Schools

Twenty four government primary schools operate throughout the Shoalhaven. Government primary schools are located in most of the larger villages and school bus services operate in other areas.

• Bomaderry Primary School
• Berry Primary School
• Callala Public School
• Cambewarra Public School
• Culburra Public School
• Falls Creek Public School
• Gerringong Public School
• Greenwell Point Public School
• Havenlee School (Specific Purpose School)
• Huskisson Public School
• Illaroo Road Public School
• Kangaroo Valley Public School
• Milton Public School
• North Nowra Primary School
• Nowra East Public School
• Nowra Hill Public School
• Nowra Public School
• Sanctuary Point Public School
• Shoalhaven Heads Public School
• St Georges Basin Public School
• Sussex Inlet Public School
• Terara Public School
• Tomerong Public School
• Ulladulla Public School
• Vincentia Public School

Non-Government Primary Schools

There are several non government primary schools across the Shoalhaven, with most located in the larger centres. A comprehensive school bus service provides access for all children to their nearest non-government school.

• Nowra Anglican College
• Nowra Christian School
• St Marys Star of the Sea School (Milton)
• St Michael’s Catholic Primary School (Nowra)
• William Campbell College

Government Secondary Schools

The Shoalhaven has five government secondary schools at Bomaderry; Nowra; Shoalhaven; Ulladulla & Vincentia.

• Nowra High School
• Bomaderry High School
• Shoalhaven High School
• Ulladulla High School
• Vincentia High School

Non-Government Secondary Schools

There are several non-government secondary schools.

• Nowra Anglican College
• Nowra Christian School
• St John the Evangelist High School (Nowra)

In addition rail and coach transport is available to Shoalhaven students attending either Wollongong or Southern Highlands private secondary schools.

The Shoalhaven Education Precinct, a strategic development is combining the resources of Shoalhaven City Council, the University of Wollongong and the NSW Government.

At the centre of development at Mundamia, to the west of Nowra is a campus for the University of Wollongong offering a range of courses at Nowra through its Faculties of Law, Humanities & the Arts; Business; Science Medicine and Health; Social Sciences.

The Shoalhaven Education Precinct offers a campus where students can undertake all or part of a degree. With the upgrading of the technology used for flexible delivery of learning at UOW, it is expected that an even greater range of subject and course offerings will be available each year.

NSW TAFE have campuses at Bomaderry and Milton/Ulladulla, allowing the opportunity to train locally and providing the region with a strong skills base.

The Nowra Campus is the Illawarra Institute’s second largest and includes a library, a large tourism and hospitality training facility, a child studies facility and computer rooms. The campus offers a broad range of courses in the trade, manufacturing and services areas. Including;

• Access Programs (includes Aboriginal Education & Training Unit, Outreach)
• Building & Construction (Carpentry & Joinery)
• Business Services (includes Administration Services, Finance, Retail & Property)
• Engineering & Manufacturing (includes Electrotechnology, Metal Fabrication & Welding)
• General Education ( includes Adult Basic Education, Prevocational)
• Information Technology and Arts & Media (includes Fashion Technology)
• Personal, Community & Health Services (includes Child Studies, Nursing, Welfare)
• Tourism & Hospitality (includes Commercial Cookery, Food & Beverage, Travel) Transport, Rural & Maritime (includes Agriculture, Dairy, Horticulture, and Land Management)

The Ulladulla Campus of TAFE serves the southern Shoalhaven area from Sussex Inlet in the north to Kioloa in the south. Students have the opportunity to study a wide selection of courses in the business services, tourism and hospitality, general education, community services and maritime.

There is a wide range of specialist registered training organizations (RTO’s) that operate within the Shoalhaven. Organisations such as the Illawarra Retirement Trust, Mission Australia, Sureway, Essential Personnel, Aerospace Training Services and more.

Aerospace Training Services was established in Nowra in 1996 to provide quality aviation maintenance training and training support to Australian General Aviation, Regional Passenger Transport industries and the aviation elements of the Australian Defence Force.

Ken Mitchell from Aerospace Training Services expands on the courses offered to business and local high school students.

The Shoalhaven Community College,  is also based at Bomaderry for work skills programs, with a particular strength in the beauty industry.

Illawarra ITEC Ltd services the Illawarra/Shoalhaven and Southern Highlands region.  It is a not for profit organisation that was established in 1988 providing a range of courses including education, training and skills development and business and advisory services. To view their latest course offerings, click here.