Queensland Education Minister meets TDA Board with TAFE Queensland Chair and CEO
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Launch of TAFE Queensland TV advertising…….TDA Annual Report 2013.
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The TDA National Board has met in Brisbane, Friday for the TDA Annual General Meeting.
The Queensland Minister for Education, John Paul Langbroek met with the Board and previewed new television advertising which will be launched in July for TAFE Queensland.
The Chair of TAFE Queensland, Warren Tapp, and CEO Jodi Schmidt attended, with Jodi outlining the brand characteristics for the new TAFE Queensland TV promotion.
See here for TAFE Queensland advertisement.
The Chair of TDA, Stephen Conway, conducted the AGM and welcomed TDA corporate affiliates, members of the TAFE tuition assurance scheme as well as VET stakeholders.
See the TDA 2013 Annual Report.
Congratulations to new TAFE Queensland executive team
The Chief Executive Officer of TAFE Queensland, Jodi Schmidt has announced the appointment of six General Managers:
- TAFE Queensland Brisbane, General Manager Aaron Devine
- TAFE Queensland North, General Manager Joann Pyne
- TAFE Queensland South West, General Manager Trevor Schwenke
- TAFE Queensland SkillsTech, General Manager Mary Campbell
- TAFE Queensland Gold Coast, General Manager Jenny Dodd
- TAFE Queensland East Coast, General Manager Paul Wilson.
The new General Manager for TAFE Queensland Gold Coast, Jenny Dodd, is currently the Deputy Chief Executive of Canberra Institute of Technology and has more than 20 years’ experience in the sector.
Ms Schmidt said that Kaylene Harth chose not to apply for one of the General Manager’s roles, following many years as an Institute Director, as a TDA board member, and recently as one of the Directors of TAFE Reform.
“Kaylene’s leadership, her dedication, and her passion for TAFE have been hugely valuable to us and have contributed a great deal to TAFE’s progress and reputation. Kaylene will stay on board until 1 July to ensure a smooth handover to Aaron Devine when he moves from the Gold Coast to take up the role of General Manager for TAFE Queensland Brisbane,” Ms Schmidt said.
New executive roles in the office of TAFE Queensland will be announced soon.
TDA congratulates Jodi Schmidt on her CEO appointment, and the six General Managers on their appointment.
Indigenous skills progress too slow
The proportion of Indigenous Australians with or working towards a post school qualification increased by 9.2 percentage points from 33.1% to 42.3% between 2008 and 2012-13, according to the latest COAG Reform Council report.
South Australia had both the largest increase in Indigenous qualifications (15.6 percentage points) and the only significant reduction in the gap (10.0 percentage points).
Despite these improvements, the gap has not changed significantly since 2008, and was at 21.6 percentage points in 2012–13.
In the NT and Western Australia, the Indigenous post school qualifications rate was lowest and the gap was widest, with little change over five years.
The report says faster progress is needed if Australia is to halve the gap in employment outcomes by 2018.
See the COAG Reform Council report, Indigenous Reform 2012-13: Five years of Performance.
New partnership in Indonesia
Western Sydney Institute of TAFE (WSI) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Balikpapan State Polytechnic based in East Kalimantan in Borneo.
The MoU commits both parties to develop teacher training and curriculum development projects to support local industries, particularly in the mining, resources, tourism and hospitality sectors.
This relationship was a direct result of last year’s TDA Indonesia Mentoring program where WSI hosted delegates from Indonesia including Totok Sulistyo from Balikpapan.
With support from the Commonwealth Department of Education and the Indonesia Ministry of Education and Culture, the second mentoring program is due to commence in late August.
Totok Sulistyo, Head of Research & Community Service Centre; Mui Cook, WSI Director International; and Dr Syaeful Akbar, Deputy Director.
Latest international student statistics from Immigration Department
The Department of Immigration and Border Protection has released international student data as at 31 March 2014
There are some concerns, with significant increases in student numbers from Nepal and India, with many coming through streamlined visa arrangements for higher education study.
The VET sector shows no overall increase in numbers, however there are encouraging signs with a rise in offshore applications and grants. The overall rate of visa grants remains static at 76.3%.
It is worth noting the Budget Statement from the Department noted a specific allocation of $1.3 million over four years to extend streamlined visa processing to TAFE and other VET providers for Advanced Diploma courses. There will be more on this initiative as it comes to hand.
See the Department’s Student Visa Program Report.
Victorian training reforms lead to rise in VET enrolments
Training reforms can lead to substantial increases in vocational education and training (VET) enrolments, according to a study published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
The research, undertaken by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, investigated the impacts of the first round of Victorian demand-driven reforms from 2009 to 2011, known as the Victoria Training Guarantee (VTG).
Between 2008 (pre-reform) and 2011 (post-reform), the VTG is estimated to have led to a 35% growth in enrolments, with much of it in private providers. NCVER says this increase outstripped growth in enrolments reported in other states and territories over the same period.
The report says that “private providers have done better than TAFE in responding in the short run to increased demand for publicly subsidised places under the training guarantee.”
There were also mixed results across learner groups, according to Rod Camm, Managing Director, NCVER.
“The effect of the VTG on enrolments for students from non-English speaking backgrounds and those who have a disability were less marked, while for Indigenous students there was no discernible impact,” Camm said.
See the report.
Diary Dates
Edu TECH
National Congress and Expo
DATE: 3-5 June 2014
LOCATION: Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre
DETAILS: Click here for information.
Office for Learning and Teaching
National Conference
DATE: 10-11 June 2014
LOCATION: Dockside Pavilion, Darling Harbour, Sydney.
DETAILS: See more.
‘No Frills’ – 23rd National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference
DATE: 9-11 July 2014
LOCATION: Holmesglen, Moorabbin Campus, Melbourne, Victoria
DETAILS: Click here.
Victorian TAFE Association
2014 State Conference
DATE: 17-18 July 2014
LOCATION: Holmesglen, Moorabbin Campus, Melbourne, Victoria
DETAILS: Click here.
TDA National Conference 2014
TAFE Directors Australia
DATE: 1-2 September 2014
LOCATION: Sheraton on the Park, Sydney, NSW
DETAILS: Click here for more information.
National VET Conference
Velg Training
DATE: 11-12 September 2014
LOCATION: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
DETAILS: Click here for more information.
Teaching & Learning Conference 2014
VET Development Centre
DATE: 4-5 September 2014
LOCATION: RACV Club Torquay, Melbourne
DETAILS: Click here for more information.
VETnetwork Australia 2014
Biennial National Conference
DATE: 17-19 September 2014
LOCATION: Darwin Convention Centre
DETAILS: Click here for more information.
Australian International Education Conference
Inventing the Future
DATE: 7-10 October 2014
LOCATION: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
DETAILS: Click here for more information.
2014 WorldSkills Australia National Competition
DATE: 18, 19 & 20 September 2014
LOCATION: Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
DETAILS: Click here for more information.
Group Training Australia
2014 National Conference
DATE: 12-14 November 2014
LOCATION: Grand Chancellor Hotel, Hobart
DETAILS: Click here for more information.
