At the Western Institute of Technical and Further Education
(WITAFE) in New South Wales (NSW), vocational education and
training (VET) courses are being delivered to students in
isolated homesteads and remote Aboriginal communities by
Interactive Distance eLearning (IDL). IDL provides satellite-
supported two-way broadband voice, oneway video and Internet
access for school-age and adult distance education. Adults
commonly access VET courses offered by WITAFE using the
equipment provided to their children who are students of a
‘School of the Air’ or through community facilities in remote
Aboriginal communities. By providing lessons via satellite to
isolated students TAFENSW is helping to counter long-standing
inequities in distance and rural education by decreasing the
digital divide and assisting with rural renewal. Through a case
study, this paper examines the influence of the provision of IDL
and Internet access for adult students in isolated homesteads in
NSW and also the benefits and challenges of teaching