Fairfax Media | 17 August 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Labor and the Greens will be shown as hypocrites if they throw low-income students undertaking higher education at vocational colleges ''into the dustbin'' by denying them government support, according to TAFE Directors Australia (TDA). ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… TDA chief Martin Riordan says it would be a ''tragedy'' if the Senate blocks the expansion of Commonwealth subsidies to students in sub-bachelor degrees - a budget measure experts say will bring fees down and reduce university drop-out rates. The Abbott government announced in the May budget that, as part of its sweeping higher … [Read more...]
TAFE should position as the “discount HE provider”
07/08/2014 by
The Australian | 1 August 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… NSW TAFEs have been told that they should take advantage of Coalition reforms by reinventing themselves as the "discount airline of higher education" vis-a-vis universities. We see the point but you need to be careful: TAFE ought not be - nor be seen to be - as a cheap, low quality and potentially unsafe alternative. TigerAir gets a bad press and, from our once only experience, thoroughly deserves it. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......… In a report on fees and pricing strategies, consultants SMS Management and Technology told TAFE NSW that federal government proposals — specifically, the deregulation … [Read more...]
The Scan | 4 July 2014 | #156
04/07/2014 by
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Govt sets VET deregulation agenda 4 July 2014 | The government has set out its deregulatory intentions for vocational training, signalling a shift away from “gateway control” to “responsive regulation”. Speaking at a skills summit organised by the Australian Council of Private Education and Training and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, industry minister Ian Macfarlane said the government had “revisited” the work of the now abolished National Skills Standards Council (NSCC) and released new draft standards … [Read more...]
TAFE becoming “residualised”
04/07/2014 by
4 July 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Analysis by Leesa Wheelahan (University of Toronto and LH Martin Institute) of recent VET statistics shows that TAFE's share of publicly funded in Australia students is now 55.6%. In Victoria TAFE's share of publicly funded students has fallen to 37.4%, while in South Australia it has fallen to 52.3%. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Private providers now teach the majority of students in Victoria (50.5%), and they teach 44% of publicly funded students in South Australia. TAFE's share of full-year training equivalents or student load continues to fall. While TAFE did 81.2% of the teaching in 2009, by 2013 this had … [Read more...]
Higher education outside the universities: a better option?
03/07/2014 by
Grattan Institute | 3 July 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The likely extension of commonwealth student subsidies to non-university providers portends big changes for the higher education sector. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Australia has around 130 higher education providers outside the university system. They are a diverse group, ranging from large multinational companies to small theological colleges to the TAFEs now offering degrees. Together they enrol more than 70,000 students. These numbers could increase significantly in the future as a result of the government accepting a recommendation of the review of the demand driven funding system, to … [Read more...]
VET needs some powerful friends
23/06/2014 by
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...]
TDA Newsletter 23 June 2013
23/06/2014 by
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...]
