The Australian | 29 October 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… One of Australia’s largest private training providers, Evocca College, company is facing a class action from former students who claim they were duped into enrolling in its courses or enticed with offers such as free laptops and received substandard training. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Figures from the Department of Education and Training reveal Evocca had 27,907 students enrolled last year, of whom all but three were receiving government-funded VET Fee-Help loans. It received $250 million in funding yet only 1053 students completed its courses. About 200 former students are now … [Read more...]
US diploma mills = money mills
29/10/2015 by
Associated Press | 29 October 2015 Does this sound familiar? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Many in the US are asking how trade schools went from being places that trained mechanics and hair stylists to making billions on Wall Street in just a decade? And if the industry is as predatory as the Education Department and many politicians suggest, why didn’t they stop it? …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… In 1990, there wasn't a single publicly traded college. Now, there are more than a dozen with most of them being investigated by state and federal regulators for fraud or deceptive business practices. Among the allegations is that many of these … [Read more...]
Redesigning Australia’s tertiary sector
29/10/2015 by
29 October 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… If there is the collective will, a window of opportunity has opened for a serious discussion about the future architecture of Australian tertiary education and the funding mechanisms that would encourage genuine diversity to flourish, write Richard James and Leo Goedegebuure. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… After two lost years the sector desperately needs funding reforms. But how can the debate be placed on a new footing? We believe the answer lies in returning to first principles: what kinds of institutions, and what mix of institutions, would best serve Australia? Our thinking is simple: let’s develop a farsighted … [Read more...]
Birmingham releases “synthesis report” on HE reform
29/10/2015 by
The Australian | 28 October 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The Commonwealth government has released a synthesis report of the past seven reviews of higher education over the past 30 years rather than conducting a further separate review in the wake of its failed higher education reform package. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Education minister Simon Birmingham told the Australian Financial Review’s Higher Education Summit said that the government is under intense time pressures to come up with a new and revitalised higher education reform package after its the package devised by former education minister Christopher Pyne was rejected by the Senate … [Read more...]
Consumer watchdog targets rorting providers
29/10/2015 by
28 October 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Ten VET providers face prosecution as the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) targets “unconscionable’’ sales tactics in the vocational education sector. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Unique International College allegedly sent door to door salesmen into Aboriginal communities and handed out free laptops to people who could not use a computer, had no internet connection and who struggled to read or write, in return for their signatures on applications for online diplomas. The ACCC alleges the tactic earned the Sydney college more than $42 million in just six months this year alone, all of it … [Read more...]
Vic TAFE enrolments hit 5 year low
28/10/2015 by
Fairfax Media | 28 October 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The latest Victorian training market half year report shows a marked decline in government subsided training, with 12% fewer enrolments in 2015 compared to the same time in 2014. TAFE enrolments were at their lowest point in five years. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The report attributes the decline as likely due to a decline in foundation studies by 42% to 29,731 enrolments and a decline in traineeships by 34% to 20,258 enrolments. Private training providers now capture 59% of government-subsidised enrolments, up from 21% in 2010. This compares with a 27% share for TAFEs, down from 49% in … [Read more...]
LH Martin Newsletter 23 October 2015
28/10/2015 by
Responses by Some Australian Universities to Demand-Driven Policy Reforms by Prof. Emeritus Frank Larkins Frank Larkins' latest analysis on Australian higher education looks at the responses to the demand-driven reforms of 2009. 2016 postgraduate courses - applications open and online info sessions available Master of Tertiary Education Management A two-year, part time course designed for middle to senior level educators, administrators and scholars seeking to extend their knowledge and skills in tertiary sector leadership and management. Read more about the course. Read also about the recent papers by our graduates which were published in … [Read more...]
