THE first electronic network to be set up for women working in technical and vocational education and training in the Asia Pacific region has attracted interest from more than 20 countries.

The network, called Winvet, was created last year to give women access to information about the TVET sector and to allow them to discuss issues and ideas. The network is managed by the Canberra Institute of Technology through network convenor Jo Karmel.

Ms Karmel says the network allows women from places as far away and as different in culture as Canada and Tuvalu to develop a sense of a global community as well as rapidly learning of vocational education and training innovations.

She says the women who have registered are from a wide range of fields, including management and delivery of training; development and accreditation, technical support, and research and policy in the TVET system. TVET covers adult and community education, private industry, public and private VET providers, and community and women's groups.

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Of the 600 women who have registered, Ms Karmel says 10 per cent live outside Australia. and that does not include those who visit the site and do not register. Women in England, Germany, Japan and even the Sudan have also made contact.

The network's home page on the World Wide Web offers a calendar of events, resources such as publications, projects and other networks or associations, a list of TVET issues that members want discussed and links to other relevant sites on the Internet.

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The site can be found at Jo Karmel can be contacted by email at joanna.karmel@cit.act.edu.au