TDA News | 10 November 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Data released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) show the continuing fundamental role of TAFE, as the public provider network, but also demonstrate a worrying failure in scrutiny by policy makers, according to TAFE Directors Australia. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The NCVER report Total VET students and courses 2014 reveals the huge growth in the VET sector to 3.9 million students – almost three times the number in the higher education sector. The data also show: TAFE and private providers deliver roughly the same number of training hours nationally (41% by TAFE … [Read more...]
Time to remake VET funding arrangements – ACPET
15/06/2015 by
15 June 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… At a recent Australian Council of Private Education and Training (ACPET) forum, assistant education and training minister Simon Birmingham mused that it’s perhaps time to rationalise VET funding arrangements in Australia, which he placed in the context of the current review of Federation arrangements. ACPET has come out, tentatively, in support of such a review, with chief executive Rod Camm saying we need to “…admit that our national approach is seriously breaking down…. what are we looking for? Do we want a national approach or the current localised model ?”. It is more than time to not merely review but to remake “national” … [Read more...]
The Scan in May 2015
31/05/2015 by
31 May 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… In May The Scan posted 60 items and published 3 editions (#168, #169 and #170) . Regulatory issues in the VET sector continue to attract most reader attention, led by the troubles of ASX-listed private training provider Vocation. There's more than one way to skin a cat and it seems that action under consumer protection laws may prove an increasingly useful way to deal with dodgy providers. The Victorian consumer protection authority successfully prosecuted one notoriously dodgy provider and the national agency has up to 10 providers in its sights for unethical conduct. May is, of course, budget month. Universities Australia's … [Read more...]
The Scan # 170 29 May 2015
29/05/2015 by
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ News __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Victorian unis "financially strong" 29 May 2015 | The Victorian Auditor General has reported that Victoria’s eight universities are in a strong financial position but he was critical of lax procedures governing travel expenditure. The eight universities, and their subsidiaries, generated a combined surplus of $537.1 million for the year ending 31 December 2014. This includes, however, audit adjustments … [Read more...]
TDA comment on 2015 Budget
19/05/2015 by
TDA Newsletter | 18 May 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The training and skills portfolio was largely untouched in the in federal budget, although there were a number of changes that will have an impact. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… These include: $14.5 million in funding in 2015 16 to expand the Adult Migrant English Program for one year to include refugees who hold temporary substantive visas, including Temporary Protection Visas, Safe Haven Enterprise Visas and Temporary (Humanitarian Concern) Visas. $18.2 million in funding over four years from 2015 16 to implement an enhanced compliance regime for VET FEE- HELP. An extension of the … [Read more...]
The Scan # 169 15 May 2015
15/05/2015 by
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ GDP spending on higher education set to fall to half OECD average 15 May 2015 | Spending on higher education as a proportion of GDP will fall from 0.56% in 2015 down to 0.48% in 2018, well below the OECD average of 1%, an analysis of the 2015 Budget figures has determined. According to Vin Massaro, an honorary professorial fellow with the Centre for the Study of Higher Education, higher education spending is slated to drop from $9.3bn in 2015, to $8.9bn in 2016, $9.1bn in 2017 and back to $9.3bn in 2018, representing a drop in GDP every year. … [Read more...]
COAG agrees to review the national entitlement to skills
14/05/2015 by
TDA Newsletter | 11 May 2015 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The National Partnership Agreement on Skills, including the student entitlement to training, is to be reviewed, following the COAG meeting of federal, state and territory skills ministers in Melbourne on 8 May. …………………………………………………………………………………….......…… The ministers agreed to a “simpler, more responsive training system” under projects agreed by the meeting, according the Commonwealth skills minister Senator Simon Birmingham. The meeting agreed to: Simplify the current 67 different training packages covering over 17,000 units of competency embedded in around 1,600 qualifications as well as 1,283 … [Read more...]
