In this edition Minister Pyne sets ground rules on higher education regulation Developing a graduation statement for VET Up-skilling needed for agrifood workforce Funding open for Queensland training providers Employers urged to ‘rate their training’ Vocations rule in the regions TAFE facing up to challenges Technical and vocational education helping skilled migrants NCVER’s validation software now available for AVETMISS release 7.0 Diary Dates Minister Pyne sets ground rules on higher education regulation The Minister for Education, Christopher Pyne, has stepped in to ensure reduced regulation and reporting in higher education, with … [Read more...]
The Scan | #141 | 25 October 2013
25/10/2013 by
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Medical research funding announced 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 … [Read more...]
Abbott : ‘no plans’ to scrap university amenities fee
26/09/2013 by
ABC News | 26 September 2013 Prime Minister Tony Abbott has moved to calm concerns the Commonwealth Government is planning to scrap the university student amenities fee, saying there are "no plans for change in this area". Education minister Christopher Pyne triggered reports over the past few days that the fee would be abolished by confirming that the Coalition is "opposed" to the measure. Universities and student groups swiftly criticised any suggestion the fee would be axed, saying it would put more pressure on university budgets and "devastate" campus life. But Abbott has indicated that while the government does not support the fee, it is too busy to deal with it … [Read more...]
Nationals plan for regional tertiary education and training
02/09/2013 by
National Party | 29 August 2013 Higher education Initiatives proposed by the Nationals "to encourage and support universities to deliver services in regional communities" include : provision of financial resources though a Faculty of Excellence Program to allow regional universities to focus on particular areas of excellence ; support for the establishment of a new Murray-Darling Medical School (presumably at Charles Sturt University); a new Regional Education Fund aiming to ensure that the key issues of equity and access to educational opportunities for regional students are addressed; a new Tertiary Access Allowance, which will be available for students for whom public … [Read more...]
Regional universities policy statement
06/08/2013 by
6 August 2013 Regional Universities Network (RUN) - Smarter Regions, Smarter Australia - was launched a policy statement on March 13 2013. It details a variety of ways "in which government can unlock the full human potential of regional Australia." Two-thirds of the nation’s economic assets and productive activity located outside Australia’s capital cities, along with one-third of the population. RUN chair David Battersby says that the economic, social, cultural and environmental development of Australia will be enhanced by further building human, social and cultural capital, employment, entrepreneurship, productivity and industry diversification within Australia’s regions. This … [Read more...]
The Australian Higher Education Supplement 17 July 2013
17/07/2013 by
This is The Australian‘s own summary of lead items in its online edition. As this is a subscription service, you or your organisation will need to have a subscription to The Australian to view the full article. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Graphic illustration of fee 'madness' Julie Hare COURSE fees for graphic design at Canberra Institute of Technology have risen 1000% in five years, an advanced diploma costing double that of a bachelors degree at nearby Canberra University. Pat Forward, national TAFE secretary for the Australian Education Union, said government reforms … [Read more...]
The Scan Early Edition 16 July 2013
16/07/2013 by
#128 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Go8 argues for tighter entry standards Go8 chairman and University of NSW vice-chancellor Fred Hilmer is pressing higher education minister Kim Carr to clamp down on entry standards, dampening enrolment growth to help save $1.4 billion. Carr is due to meet with peak body Universities Australia this week. Hilmer is responding to Carr’s invitation to bring forward budget-neutral alternatives to $2.8 billion in cuts announced by Labor before this year’s federal budget to be redirected to schools. Under the plan, entry to undergraduate … [Read more...]
Regional survey confirms costs kill university plans
12/07/2013 by
The Australian | 10 July 2013 Money and distance are the main reasons regional school-leavers are not applying for university, not lack of aspiration, research by the University of Ballarat shows, with regional students who have to leave home facing an extra $20,000 a year in costs compared with a city student living at home. The findings are consistent with claims by the Regional Universities Network that financial scholarships and access to HECS loans to cover moving costs would help participation rates. Surveys and interviews with years 9 and 12 students at Benalla, Mansfield and Wangaratta in north eastern Victoria reveal strong aspirations to study at university, … [Read more...]
Ballarat to become “Federation University”
09/07/2013 by
With the merger of the University of Ballarat (UB) and Monash University’s Gippsland (Churchill) campus proposed to take effect on 1 January 2014, the Victorian government has introduced legislation to amend the University of Ballarat Act 2010, to change the name of the university to Federation University Australia. The university says the new name will “reflect the partnerships, collaboration and co-operation among a federated network of campuses in regional Victoria which collectively provide a new and different Australian University that is regional in focus, national in scope and international in reach.” UB chancellor Paul Hemming said that, since 1994, the University of Ballarat … [Read more...]
