Like Rolex, Atwea will, in time, roll off the tongue – for people of the Hunter and Mid North Coast, at least.
Similarly, the acronym doesn’t stand for anything, but it does represent growth for the newly-renamed Atwea College (formerly WEA Hunter and WEA Coast), both now and into the future.
For two weeks now, the educational institution has been answering the phones as Atwea College, bolstered by its fresh direction.
“Atwea College is a new name, for a new start,” executive director Rowan Cox says.
“For just over 105 years, WEA has been privileged to share a strong partnership with our community.
“You can’t go anywhere without someone saying to you, ‘My mum, dad, uncle, aunt or I went to WEA’, to learn a language of course like lawn mower maintenance. This is a fundamental part of our legacy.
“In 2019, we are so much more than that. We provide senior secondary and vocational education to thousands of people annually across more than 6,000 square kilometres of NSW. We needed a new name to unlock our potential.”
Ms Cox says Atwea College won’t lose sight of its origins and will continue to offer lifestyle and “learning for fun” courses, but new courses are being added all the time to meet the community’s needs.
For example, the college has further developed its creative arts programs in recent years.
“Because we’re comfortable with who we are and what we offer, it’s not a total rebrand,” Ms Cox says.
“The new name takes people by surprise and it will take some time to get used to, but on the whole, everyone has embraced it.”
Atwea College unifies the organisation’s seven campuses, almost 100 staff, thousands of students and hundreds of courses and programs across the region.
The team couldn’t just give this portfolio any old name.
They brought in the expert – Word Glue author and BRANDFluence’s Louise Karch – to help decide on the new name from more than 600 choices.
For more information about Atwea College and the courses on offer, go to atwea.edu.au
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