VET needs some powerful friends

24 June 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Delivering the Swinburne University 2014 Chancellor’s Lecture, Business Council of Australia (BCA) chief executive, Jennifer Westacott, said reform of the vocational education and training (VET) system needs to be far-reaching, with greater Commonwealth involvement and closer links to industry. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Delivering the Swinburne University 2014 Chancellor’s Lecture, Business Council of Australia (BCA) chief executive, Jennifer Westacott, said reform of the vocational education and training (VET) system needs to be far-reaching, with greater Commonwealth involvement and closer links to … [Read more...]

Enrolments in diplomas crash in Victoria

Decline

24 June 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Government subsidised diploma enrolments have crashed in Victoria’s open training market, according to the government's latest quarterly report. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The report shows enrolments in government-supported diploma and advanced diploma courses fell by 26,400 or 28% last year. This means two-thirds of the growth in upper level qualifications since the government opened up access to its training funds — from 55,700 enrolments in 2008 to 94,800 in 2012 — has been erased in a single year. According to The Australian, some students appear to have settled for paying commercial rates, with the number … [Read more...]

Redefining vocational learning in the global economy

Jennifer Westacott

24 June 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Swinburne University 2014 Chancellor’s Lecture by Jennifer Westacott, chief executive Business Council of Australia, 19 June 2014s. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Thank you Bill . It is a great honour to be here to give this year’s Chancellor’s Lecture. Bill Scales is a great friend of the Business Council of Australia. He is one of those rare Australians who can move seamlessly between the public, private and academic communities, constantly adding value, constantly challenging lazy assumptions. He is a great joy to work with. Swinburne, of course, is a great Australian institution famous for innovating … [Read more...]

Senate inquiry splits on TEQSA bill

The Australian    |    19 June 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… A Senate inquiry into a bill to restructure the higher education regulator has split along party lines. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The majority report of the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee has recommended the Senate to pass the bill to streamline the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). The bill would take away its broad quality assessment role, spill the commissioners and restructure the commission, and enlarge the minister’s power to give directions to the agency. It would give commissioners more power to delegate decisions, and allow TEQSA to … [Read more...]

WA Review recommends clarity on independence for TAFEs

TDA News    |     24 June 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The West Australian Government has released the Final Report of the Independent Review of the Vocational Education and Training Sector in Western Australia, headed by Emeritus Professor Margaret Seares. The report makes 40 detailed recommendations, including the need for widespread reform focused on improved governance for State Training Providers (STPs), as well as measures to address unnecessary or duplicated reporting and governance requirements. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Professor Seares praised the quality of STPs, noting their role in regional delivery of skills and qualifications, their … [Read more...]

WA Review of the Vocational Education and Training: Final Report

Training WA

24 June 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Executive summary and recommendations. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The Independent Review of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sector in Western Australia was convened by the former Minister for Training and Workforce Development, the Hon Terry Redman MLA, and continued working under the new Minister for Training and Workforce Development, the Hon Dr Kim Hames MLA. Its brief was to examine how the new entitlement model of training in Western Australian, Future Skills WA, was being implemented and areas which might warrant some modifications or development. A remarkable convergence of views around the … [Read more...]

TDA Newsletter 23 June 2013

Unleash the potential of TAFE and make VET a national priority – Business Council CEO delivers 2014 Chancellor’s Lecture at Swinburne University of Technology Reform of the vocational education and training (VET) system needs to be far-reaching, with greater Commonwealth involvement and closer links to industry, the Business Council of Australia (BCA) says. Delivering the Swinburne University 2014 Chancellor’s Lecture, BCA Chief Executive, Jennifer Westacott, said while higher education is not short of people with opinions, “VET on the other hand, needs more powerful friends”. “No matter what successive governments have said, future-proofing VET has not been a national priority and this … [Read more...]