TDA perspective of HE in FE in Australia

Association of Colleges (AoC) & Learning and Skills Improvement Service (LSIS) Seminar

Pam Caven

Director Policy & Stakeholder Engagement, TAFE Directors Australia 16 June 2011

TAFE Directors Australia (TDA)

has 59 TAFE provider members that deliver approximately 84% of accredited training in more than 1300 locations across all Australian states and territories

TDA:

 develops policy positions    conducts projects organizes a major annual Conference and other seminars advocates for members’ interests with politicians and senior government officials

TAFE institutes…

are known as Institutes, Colleges and Polytechnics and, in Australia, include 5 dual-sector universities They deliver:     senior secondary school certificates vocational certificates diplomas, advanced diplomas associate degrees, bachelor degrees and graduate qualifications in a range of contexts – institutional, workplace and online And, in a variety of partnerships

Current Australian Government policies

1.

the Australian Government’s participation and productivity targets 2. competition and contestability (market-driven TAFE) 3. the emerging tertiary landscape 4. national regulatory frameworks 5. the quality of vocational education & training teaching and learning 6. social inclusion 7. better TAFE infrastructure 8. sustainability/green skills 9. rural and regional participation in education and training 10. youth unemployment rates 11. the international student market

Today’s seminar

TDA’s perspective on:

1.

The Australian Government’s participation and productivity targets 2. Competition and contestability 3. The emerging tertiary landscape 4.

Australia’s new regulatory frameworks

COAG targets

1. Halve the proportion of Australians aged 20-64 years without a Certificate III qualification 2. Double the number of high level qualification completions (Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas) 3. Raise the proportion of young people achieving Year 12 or equivalent qualification to 90% by 2015 4. Halve the gap for indigenous students in Year 12 or equivalent attainment by 2010

Competition and contestability

Skilling Australia for the Future: “…introducing greater competition to the training system, including contestability for Government funding, and providing public institutions with the flexibility to compete, will ensure that training providers are better able to respond to industry and employer needs.”

TDA’s position

In principle:

 supports competition that fosters efficiencies and more diverse and innovative responses to students and enterprises  believes where competition is based on cost-price, the consequences are negative – drives down quality

The emerging tertiary landscape…

Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education & Employment (MCTEE) Revised Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)

Blueprint for Australia’s tertiary education sector

• • • •

Key messages:

The

definition of tertiary qualifications

level and above’ as ‘those at diploma The creation of a set of

protocols more unified tertiary education

incorporating new nomenclature for a wider range of organisational types Progressive movement towards a

single tertiary regulator

TAFE institutes offering degrees access Government $s

Commonwealth Supported Places for

TDA’s Blueprint…

• • •

Key messages

( continued ) TDA supports a

diverse

tertiary education sector as providing the best opportunity for student choice TDA sees TAFE institutes as integral to diversity – as standalone institutes offering HE degrees or – as partners of other HE providers; multi-sector institutions already operating in the tertiary space Provider Standards should reflect the diversity of the tertiary sector – currently not the case

The new National Regulatory Frameworks TDA’s position…

A single national regulator

TDA supports…

…a single, rigorous national regulator (with a focus on transparency)  as a recognition of the emerging tertiary sector  to promote consistency and quality  to facilitate student movement between the sectors  which would be less burdensome for dual sectors

The current situation…

TDA maintains that despite assurances of a merger, the VET and HE regulatory frameworks are moving further apart:  Universities protect their brand  HE provider standards promote status quo rather than diversity  VET regulator does not set standards – a separate body  Maintenance of flawed VET standards (AQTF)  No differentiation in the provider market of 5,000

Conclusions…

   TDA argues that the Bradley Review’s proposed ‘…more coherent approach to tertiary educational provision’ has widened the policy settings that separate TAFE and Higher Education through:  the introduction of uncapped funding for universities Australian Government funding interventions the establishment of the new regulatory framework the perception that TAFE is the problem

Thank you…

[email protected]

2011 NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Sheraton on the Park, Sydney: 4 –6 September www.tda.edu.au