NCVER News | 21 October 2013 Skilled migrants and their families face the prospect of not being socially integrated into the local labour market and the community more generally, according to new research by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). The research report - Skilled migrant women in regional Australia: Promoting social inclusion through VET - considers how vocational education and training can assist in achieving ‘social inclusion’ for skilled migrant families. The study centred on the Greater Shepparton region in Victoria, an area that has seen an expanding number of migrants settling from new and emerging communities in Australia. As to how … [Read more...]
The La Trobe model?
24/10/2013 by
The Australian | 24 October 2013 La Trobe University vice-chancellor John Dewar has flagged a possible radical streamlining of the university's structure in which the current five faculties would be collapsed into two super faculties. One would house all the professional degrees, with the other combining the humanities, arts and sciences in a liberal arts faculty. While no decision has been made, Dewar told the The Australian that such a structure could “play to [La Trobe's] strengths”. He said the professional faculty would appeal to the university's demographic, with La Trobe attracting many first-in-family students who were particularly focused on professional … [Read more...]
Medical research funding announced
24/10/2013 by
Commonwealth Media | 23 October 2013 The government has announced more than $559 million in funding to Australian health and medical research through the National Health and Medical Research Council. This is over $100m less than the previous government allocated in each of the past two years. The Gillard government spent $652m in last year’s October round and a record $674m in 2011, funding some 1140 grants each year. However, NHMRC funding allocations are staggered through the year, with another substantial round expected in December. This round's funding will support 963 grants across three NHMRC research support schemes and five fellowship schemes. It includes 652 … [Read more...]
Why institutions matter – why TAFE MATTERS
24/10/2013 by
25 October 2013 The insightful Leesa Wheelahan will soon be decamping the LH Martin Institute to take up the William G Davis Chair of Community College Leadership at the University of Toronto. Here she reflects on the challenges facing the TAFE sector as a result of "VET reform", which she suggests can only result in a greatly diminished role for TAFE, at great community and social cost. It's not an uncommon view: recently retired Holmesglen Institute director Bruce Mackenzie says TAFEs might disappear entirely from some states in less than a decade due to "state government meddling and federal government indifference ". He does suggest that "re-invention" involving TAFEs in … [Read more...]
Pyne takes scissors to redtape
24/10/2013 by
24 October 2013 Minister for education Christopher Pyne has directed the Tertiary Education Quality Standards Agency (TEQSA) to “simplify the paperwork and deregulate”. He declared that reducing red tape is a key priority for the government, while acknowledging it is important to keep quality at the centre of Australian higher education. We are committed to working with the higher education sector to reduce the burden of red tape, regulation and reporting so that it can innovatively and efficiently deliver high quality education. In line with the recommendations of the Review of Higher Education Regulation Report, Pyne says key aspects of the government’s actions to decrease … [Read more...]