Sydney Community College

Making  Difference Through Lifelong Learning

For over 35 years, Sydney Community College has been providing practical learning experiences to the community of Sydney, NSW.

As a registered charity and not-for-profit organisation, our mission is to provide affordable and high-quality education to the community of Sydney, with a belief that education is a right for every person.

We strive to ensure that our courses are accessible to everyone in the community, regardless of their gender, status, culture, or ability.

Our Offering

We offer a wide range of on-campus and online courses, with over 1,200 classes running each year in areas such as visual arts, personal and career development, language, home, garden, and cooking, and sport and fitness.

Our main campus is in Rozelle, NSW, less than 10 minutes away from the Sydney CBD, and includes a visual art space, professional training space, and on-site parking.

Our courses are scheduled in classrooms or studios suitable for the study subject and vary in length from 3 hours to 18 hours, with no prior qualifications or assessments required to enrol.

Community Outreach

Sydney Community College serves the community by offering quality and affordable educational programs. By partnering with the government, we deliver courses that focus on providing education to community groups facing barriers to entering the workforce, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, migrants, refugees, students with disabilities, and those experiencing hardship.

We also offer a Tech Savvy Seniors program aimed at developing the technology skills of senior community members and exclusive discounts for health care card holders, pensioners, and seniors.

Please Note: Sydney Community College is not a university and is not a registered CRICOS provider in NSW for international students.

Our History

Starting from humble beginnings in 1986 with just a telephone and a small office, Sydney Community College was founded based on a NSW government policy direction to better use NSW State Schools.

The idea was to create a place where the community could come together to learn, share ideas, and develop new skills. Sydney Community College was created when Cleveland Street Evening College and Leichhardt Evening College amalgamated.

Since that time, it has operated across the Inner City, the CBD and the Inner West and now, online.

Initially, the College offered courses in Arts, Business, Languages, Lifestyle, Handcrafts, and Sport. In 2010, the College won a tender to renovate and manage a large tennis facility in Camperdown, which became the Sydney Centre for Tennis.

Over the years, the College has expanded its offerings to include a wide range of topics, including cooking, photography, gardening, writing, and business training options.

The College became a Registered Training Organisation in 1998 and has won both State and National awards like Provider of the Year (NSW) and Programme of the Year (National).

The College focus proudly remains as the provision of Quality Continuing Adult Education. It operates as a not-for-profit company, and in 2021 became a registered charity.

Today, Sydney Community College is one of the largest and most respected community colleges in Australia, offering over 350 courses each year. It continues to be a leader in adult education, providing high-quality, practical, and engaging courses to people from all backgrounds.

Our Purpose

Sydney Community College is a registered charity(opens in a new tab) with a voluntary Board of Directors. The College has a mission to offer innovative continuing adult education and training programs that support individual efforts and facilitate sustainable social change.

We do this by:

• providing quality continuing adult education opportunities for people to build practical and theoretical skills and develop knowledge;
• leveraging from and developing community capacity and inclusivity;
• developing innovative affordable and accessible skills training programs;
• partnering with like organizations to deliver learning opportunities for disadvantaged individuals and communities;
• partnering with all levels of government to deliver education policy objectives.

Our Mission

To enrich lives, strengthen adult individuals, and build communities through innovative, high-quality continuing education and training.

Our Vision

To achieve our mission by being a self-sustaining not-for-profit social enterprise focusing on innovative short courses and life-changing training experiences for adults.