Last week I was fortunate to be on a panel at the ACSES (Australian Centre for Student Equity and Success) symposium in Sydney. University colleagues were the predominant audience.
The ACSES symposium tackled the big question that is fundamental to the Universities Accord implementation – how equity students can access higher education. The symposium also considered how universities can embed practices that support these students.
My panel was on Alternative Pathways to University. I focused on the decades of successful TAFE-University relationships that have built pathways where students get credit for their study at Cert IV, V or VI. As we know there are many of these, all predominantly individually negotiated between a TAFE and a University. As stated on many occasions, TDA has called for more systemic pathways that provide credit for the first year of a degree if the student has successfully completed a TAFE diploma in an aligned course. This message is being heard but we have a long way to go for it to be realised.
However, today I want to share the very interesting presentation at the ACSES Symposium by Dr Tim Renick from Georgia State University in the USA. Georgia State University examined why so many students from equity backgrounds did not complete. They used analytics to identify the reasons for poor completions.
The solutions Dr Renwick presented on how they improved completions were multidimensional. For example, Georgia State University introduced financial payments for near final students who they identified were close to completion but unable to pay their US tuition fees, they changed the course design when they analysed that enrolments in certain subjects in the one semester were leading to high failures, and they helped equity students start to ‘learn the lingo’ of universities.
What was interesting about Dr Renwick’s presentation was that it was about changing the system, not focusing on a deficit model about individuals. This is consistent with TDA’s pathways message – we must change the system if we are to increase pathways between TAFE and university and align tertiary education.
Despite efforts to address gender imbalance in VET, the trend of enrolments, including in the fastest growing sectors, points to persistent, ongoing gender division, according to a major study from Jobs and Skills Australia.
The analysis says that while participation in VET at the aggregate level is more balanced, “entrenched gender biases in the underlying education and training choices continue to reinforce Australia’s highly gendered labour market outcomes”.
The paper, ‘Education and training divides: Gendered skills, pathways and outcomes’, is the second of three studies addressing Australia’s gendered workforce and training system.
“Of the 5.1 million VET students enrolled in nationally recognised VET in 2023, the gender divide remains very pronounced,” JSA says.
Females account for just 17% of STEM program enrolments yet they comprise a majority of non-STEM fields with 56% of enrolments.
In engineering and related technologies, one of the fastest-growing sectors, females comprise only 12% of VET program enrolments.
Top female dominated fieldss such as nursing, personal care and community services continue to attract overwhelmingly female enrolments, replicating the occupational segregation identified in the broader workforce.
“This alignment between VET enrolment patterns and the gender distribution of the top 20 largest employing occupations indicates that the current VET pipeline is unlikely to exert downward pressure on existing labour market gender imbalances or interrelated occupation shortages,” the paper says.
JSA says there are significant gender segregation patterns in training pipelines for government priority sectors – electrotechnology, construction and manufacturing qualifications for Net Zero: information and communications technology qualifications for the digital transformation; and care and health qualifications to support the care sector.
The analysis also includes a dashboard of intersectional VET outcomes across the top 100 VET qualifications.
Bendigo Kangan Institute has announced the appointment of Laura Macpherson as its new Chief Executive Officer, commencing in the role on October 20.
Ms Macpherson is currently the CEO of TAFE Gippsland and is a member of the boards of TDA and the Victorian TAFE Association.
The chair of the BKI board, Sharan Burrow said Laura’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for the institute.
“She brings not only deep sector experience and strategic insight, but also a genuine passion for people and communities. We’re thrilled to welcome a leader who understands the heart of our vision and will help us grow our impact across Victoria.”
Ms Macpherson said she was honoured to be joining BKI at a pivotal time.
“BKI has a proud legacy and a clear vision for the future. I’m looking forward to working alongside our dedicated teams, partners and communities to deliver skills that matter, create inclusive learning environments, and help shape the future for Victoria.”
Dr Norman Baker begins as the new CEO TasTAFE on November 24. Dr Baker is currently Executive Dean of Education at TAFE SA and prior to that held leadership roles for TAFE in WA as General Manager, North Metropolitan TAFE and Managing Director Pilbara TAFE.
Dr Baker has over 30 years of management and leadership experience in both the public and private sectors, including four years abroad in the United Arab Emirates and CEO of the Goldfields Esperance Development Commission (GEDC) and the Peel Development Commission (PDC) in WA.
He holds a number of VET qualifications, two master’s degrees and a Doctorate from UWA.
“I’m excited about my next chapter at TasTAFE and look forward to meeting my new colleagues, TasTAFE Board members and industry partners in the coming months,” he said.
Dr Baker will be a director on the TDA Board. TDA extends its congratulations to Norm and looks forward to his contribution to the strategic direction of TDA.
TDA also thanks Will McShane who was interim CEO at TasTAFE and contributed significantly to the TDA board during that time as a board member including becoming a member of the Finance Risk and Audit Committee.
You asked, and we have listened.
The closing date for the Call for Proposals has been extended to 5pm (AEDT)15 October 2025 in response to the many requests we have received.
Don’t miss this extended opportunity to share your industry and community partnerships, applied research, innovation and great practice at TDA Convention 2026.
TDA welcomes proposals from all partners and stakeholders
The NSW Training Awards celebrated their 70th anniversary at a glittering ceremony at Sydney Town Hall last week.
TAFE NSW was awarded Large Training Provider of the Year.
Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year, James Barry, said that his studies with TAFE NSW were a gamechanger.
“It was a fully Indigenous class and the fact that my TAFE NSW teacher allowed us to move out of the classroom and onto the riverbank and teach us on our terms was really good,” Mr Barry said.
Vocational Student of the Year, Rebecca Hambrook, has overcome significant challenges and said her Certificate IV in Community Services and personal experience made for a powerful combination to transform people’s lives.
TAFE winners were:
2025 Training Award winners: Vocational Student of the Year, Rebecca Hambrook and Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Student of the Year, James ‘Poncho’ Barry.
The ACT’s vocational education and training sector celebrated its achievements at an awards ceremony on Thursday.
Canberra Institute of Technology was named as the Large Training Provider of the Year.
The Minister for Skills, Training and Industrial Relations, Michael Pettersson said the ACT was proud to have a strong and vibrant vocational education and training sector.
“As our city grows, these skills are vital to driving economic development and preparing our young people for the future.”
Winners are:
Join us for an engaging TAFETalks session exploring how tertiary harmonisation can be supported through shared data standards. The Australian Government is taking action to break down barriers between TAFE and Higher Education to create a more aligned tertiary education system.
In this TAFETalks session, Megan Lilly, Deputy Commissioner Jobs and Skills Australia, will set the scene, discussing progress against the recommendations outlined in JSA’s Tertiary Harmonisation Roadmap.
Olivia Roberts from TechnologyOne, TDA’s longest Corporate Affiliate, will talk about the importance of higher education data standards. A critical challenge to harmonisation is that tertiary providers’ data systems are not aligned, limiting collaboration, creating duplication, and making student mobility difficult.
Large scale HE tech companies have been working towards data standards as a key ingredient of harmonisation for some time. MortarCAPS has been set up a not-for-profit model to pursue the development of these data standards.
Charlsey Pearce, CEO of MortarCAPS, will explain how the MortarCAPS Higher Learning Data Standard (MCDS) is helping to break down barriers between universities, TAFEs, and vocational providers, and the benefits of implementing the shared data standards.
You will gain practical steps to explore MCDS and learn that harmonisation is not about forcing institutions to be the same, it’s about allowing them to be different while still connected.
The federal and Queensland governments have agreed on a $115 million package of funding to support the state’s VET sector as part of the National Skills Agreement.
The two governments will jointly commit $98.7 million to improve student completions, focused on supporting regional students, disadvantaged students and apprentices.
The Commonwealth will provide $15 million to broaden access to foundation skills, particularly for apprentices, trainees and students needing improved digital skills.
The Commonwealth is also funding $1.9 million to support Queensland’s participation in the VET data streamlining program.
The five-year National Skills Agreement, which commenced in January 2024, commits up to $2.5 billion in federal funding to Queensland. This is the fifth bilateral funding agreement with Queensland under the NSA.
The money under the NSA is on top of $414 million committed by the Commonwealth for Fee-Free TAFE.
The Queensland Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training Ros Bates said the funding would will help to develop a stronger skills pipeline.
“As we look towards the opportunities of the 2032 Games, we will continue delivering more training opportunities, as we work to address the skills shortages in sectors like housing, healthcare, and construction.”
What happens when the power of generative AI meets the practical needs of TAFEs?
In this engaging webinar, Build the future of education with humans and generative AI, Professor Martin Bean unpacks how leading TAFE providers can harness this emerging technology to transform learning, streamline student services, and build a stronger sense of belonging across campuses.
Drawing on real-world insights and sector-wide shifts, Martin explores the opportunity for TAFEs to go beyond automation, leveraging AI to empower staff, personalise learning pathways, and drive measurable impact for learners and institutions alike.
HumanAbility is seeking feedback on VET student completions in care and support qualifications. You can provide feedback on the issues paper or get involved in upcoming consultations. Feedback is due by 17 September. HumanAbility is also launching the next phase of the VET workforce project, which will explore challenges faced when maintaining industry currency. Register for online workshops via our webpage, and look out for in person consults that are due to take place in October.
Vocational Degrees Symposium
15 October 2025
VET Development Centre Melbourne and online
More information
TAFETalks: Tertiary harmonisation and the importance of shared data standards
22 October 2025, 2pm-3pm AEDT
Register here.
TAFETalks: Build the future of education with humans and GenAI
29 October 2025 14:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Register here
Velg Training National VET Conference
30-31 October 2025
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
More information
Association of Colleges Annual Conference
18-19 November 2025
Birmingham, England
More information, contact TDA: memberservices@tda.edu.au
11th Annual Conference on VET Teaching and VET Teacher Education
Australian Council of Deans of Education Vocational Education Group
‘VET teaching in the tertiary education sector: New horizons and possibilities’
11-12 December 2025
Canberra
More information
TDA Convention 2026
5-7 May 2026
Brisbane
Call for proposals now open!
More information
VET National Teaching & Learning Conference
13-14 August 2026
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
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48th WorldSkills International Competition Shanghai
22-27 September 2026
More information
2026 WFCP World Congress
23-28 November 2026
Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Kenya
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