Practical classes and work placements for Canberra Institute of Technology students have been put on hold as the institution deals with the impacts of the ACT's Covid lockdown.
Parts of the CIT Bruce and Reid campuses were listed as COVID-19 exposure locations, however these sites have been archived by ACT Health because the exposure was more than 14 days ago.
CIT chief executive Leanne Cover said courses had been rearranged so that students could learn remotely, but it was too early to say if the lockdown would prevent people from finishing their qualifications on time.
"During this period there is some more knowledge-based delivery online, and then when we get back on campus we'll be able to supplement that knowledge with the practical skills," Ms Cover said.
"Most of our students are adults and at the moment they're trying to balance children at home and study or caring duties - and they're working from home as well - so we're trying to accommodate all of that with our students and make allowances and support our students to engage in learning in the way that best suits them."
Ms Cover said teachers were trying different ways to deliver courses remotely and aiming to support students' individual needs.
For those not already in employment, free online short-courses are available through the JobTrainer program, which is jointly funded by the Commonwealth and ACT governments.
The courses are aimed at 17- to 24-year-old school leavers and jobseekers in Canberra, to give them skills in areas of employment growth, including health, cyber security and education.
"We're hoping that there might be some small businesses who at the moment can't operate fully and would like to direct their their workers to engage in education during this time," Ms Cover said.
"These are sort of short online courses that would allow workers who are working remotely in different physical arrangements to access those courses when it suits them."
Speaking during national skills week, Ms Cover said the pandemic was accelerating changes to vocational education offerings across all industries, from cyber security to healthcare.
She said the CIT had a role in responding to the needs of employers to provide the skills in areas of jobs growth on the other side of the pandemic.
"There are challenges for all of us but there's lots of opportunity presented for all of us in Canberra working with the CIT and with industry partners to better support the economy in Canberra for those new jobs," she said.
Despite the lockdown, the CIT is moving ahead behind the scenes on its new flagship campus in Woden. Ms Cover said there were also plans to upgrade existing campuses with the latest technology.
