Jacinta Richards

BEd Deakin, Grad Dip TESOL/Adult Ed Deakin, Grad Cert Management Vic (Aust), Grad cert Leadership Vic (Aust)

Head of School, Pathways and Transition

As Head of School of Pathways and Transition courses, Jacinta is responsible for delivering a range of innovative preparation courses designed to prepare, support and transit students into vocational and/or academic courses. She also has a role in supporting and preparing students currently in vocational courses for higher education and working with local communities to facilitate access and pathways for students from diverse backgrounds.

Formerly, Jacinta's role encompassed Head of the English Language Institute where she prepared students entering VU mainstream courses to reach the required levels of English through an expanding range of general and contextualized ELICOS programs. The role also involved offshore delivery to 3,000 students per year at five sites in China, as well as interests in Thailand.

Jacinta’s former role at VU was acting Associate Director for Further Education, Arts and Employment Services with responsibility for VU TAFE provision of creative industry programs  in Music, Arts and Multimedia, Theatre, Professional Writing and Editing; and programs in Further Education areas of literacy, work education, youth programs language and preparation programs.

Prior to this Jacinta taught and coordinated programs at a variety of community centres and private providers of adult education in the Macedon Ranges and the North of Melbourne. She also taught English Drama, History and Literature in Victorian secondary schools and was faculty head in English and in Drama at various times.

Jacinta is a published author of a number of secondary school texts in English and History and has presented for Victoria University at a number of forums including the international LERN conference in Beijing.

She has been involved in community forums, committees and networks to ensure that her educational work is well grounded in the needs of the communities – local and international.