Transcript Convergence, competition and collaboration – planning in

Emeritus Professor Denise Bradley AC





What is needed?
What is agreed?
What are the hindrances?
What changes can we see already?
Underlying questions
Equal value
• Equal value to both VET and higher Education,
reflecting the importance of their different roles in
the development of skills and knowledge and their
contributions to our economy and society
Mission and
qualifications
• Recognition that institutions may have a primary
mission in one sector, but should still be able to
offer qualifications in the other sector under current
arrangements
Coordination
• A shared and coordinated information base and
approach to anticipating future labour market and
industry needs and demographic trends
Integration
• Capacity for the whole system to provide
integrated responses to workforce needs
for industries and enterprises, including
those in specific localities and
communities such as outer metropolitan
and regional areas where there is
significant population growth, low level
of educational participation and
attainment, and uneven provision
Regulation
• An efficient regulatory
and accountability
framework
Pathways
• Clearer and stronger
pathways between the
sectors in both directions




Acceptance of relationship between
productivity and tertiary skills levels
Concerns about international
competitiveness
Education exports critical for economy
Industry wants a more effective national
approach to
▪ Identification of needs
▪ Educational responses to needs
▪ Regulation of quality
VET
Higher
Education
• VET system quite
effective by international
standards
• HE system also performs
well
Scepticism
• Experts sceptical about
effectiveness of a tight fit
between planning, delivery and
employment placement
Different
assumptions
• Different assumptions underpin
HE and VET
• The current system is
Only
too complex with too
agreement many players
1. authorising and
oversight layer
2. legal, advisory
and policy layer
3. product and provider
regulation layer
4. market layer
Scope: defining layers of VET governance and regulation
Entities
Instruments
Commonwealth
VET Minister
State & Territory
VET Ministers
Products
MCTEE
Funding lines
Accountability lines
NQC
AQFC
TVET
Skills
Australia
NISC
NSOC
DEEWR
State & Territory
VET Departments
State &
Territory
legislation
NCVER
NTSC
ISCs
HESA (VET
FEE HELP)
AQF
AQTF
VET
provider
guidelines
State & Territory
Training
Authorities
Process lines
S/T based
regulatory
guidelines
Training
packages
Contracts Contracts
for
for
Program Apprentice
delivery
ships
Qualifications
Accredited
courses
State & Territory registering and/or accrediting bodies
NARA
ACT
NSW
QLD
NT
SA
TAS
VIC
WA
Businesses
learning
Providers resources
Students
assessment credential
provides information to NCVER
Notes: ‘Process ‘is defined broadly. Funding lines are left deliberately incomplete in layers 1 and 2 to simplify the map.




Growing divergence of approaches to VET
provision in the states
Growth of private provision in HE and VET in
response to government policy
Blurring of public and private divide in both
VET and HE
Consolidation of providers into large forprofit companies which deliver both VET and
HE



Concurrently entry of small for-profit players
into VET market with no industry experience
No agreement about the reasonable costs
and the benefits of a strong public provider in
VET
Further contestability of government funds
for education and training on agenda
nationally in VET



Contestability of funds for teaching in HE
inevitable
Other changes to VET system as year 12
credentials encompass VET modules or
qualifications
Focus on teacher quality as major
determinant of student outcomes in schools
and higher education but little attention in
VET at present
Which driver – student or
industry demand?
How do we bring HE and
VET into greater synergy ?
Impact of Youth Compact and of HE
student demand driven model on
VET industry demand driven model
Regulation and quality


Respective roles of Commonwealth, States,
Industry bodies, Industry partners, and
institutions in planning and meeting demand
Respective roles of Education departments
and central agencies in shaping a new system
– MCTEE and COAG