Newsletter

Reservations held about the Tokyo Olympics are fading in the glory of Australian gold, silver, bronze and personal bests.

An article in the weekend papers grabbed my attention. It’s a debate about falling education standards in schools and featured Alan Tudge, the federal minister for Education.

If a plane left Canberra for Perth by the most direct route but was off direction by just one degree, it would miss the airport by 51 kilometres.

With apologies to Banjo and the riders of the Snowy Mountains

For someone who has spent half of his life learning or teaching bible stories the one of the Tower of Babel was particularly curious. From Genesis, it tells of the Babylonians building a tower to the sky to reach for their God and, possibly more pointedly, to demonstrate their closeness to God to ward off enemies.

Future energy sources that help Australia move to zero net emissions also tell the story of the crucial role of TAFE in technological transformation.

I regretted when I booked a seat in the top tier of the Ponsford Stand at the MCG to watch Collingwood play Hawthorn. Specks and spots. Player and ball. I was pleasantly surprised, however, that the elevated view gave me a new appreciation for the quintessential Australian Rules Football.

Most of us have seen the transformation of the media in our lifetimes. From broadsheet and broadcasting, to narrowcasting and podcasting and now, me-casting.

In place of my column this week, I’d like to refer you to this article written by Tom Karmel for the Mackenzie Research Institute on some critical policy issues for VET – Craig Robertson The Productivity Commission review of the National Agreement for Skills Workforce and Development, at 532 pages, is a substantial piece of work. However, the review has caused barely a ripple.

Imagine. It’s not that hard to do …. that the events of this past week in Melbourne played out before mass communication. Just word of mouth. Messages limited by terrain and distance of the walk. A super moon. Is it going to hit the earth? Blood moon. Reminder of the flames which can tower through the Eucalyptus on hot windy days. Fire! Soon. A terrible infliction upon the people. The old can’t breathe. They perish one-by-one. An invisible evil. No warning, apart from the Red Moon! Fear!

Do you know the feeling that something’s right but there’s a missing piece?

With a Budget of significant expenditures and an economy recovering from a major upheaval and the uncertainty of vaccines and when borders will open there will be many rounds of effects on delivery in vocational education and training. Much has been written about the Budget but here is a quick assessment of the rounds of impact.

When it comes to the good news in tomorrow’s national Budget we’ll be thanking iron ore once again for helping reduce our national government debt. This financial year the federal coffers are expected to be $20 billion richer than expected and debt will be forecast to come down quicker thanks to China’s ongoing demand for steel and faltering supply from competitor nations.

In conversations several people have lamented the introduction of Free TAFE courses in some states and territories, although their scale and scope varies in each jurisdiction. There has not been the chance to test their logic, but it has caused me to think it through. I assume they are concerned that they distort the VET market due to the moral hazard.

Do the social sciences have a place in vocational education and training? That was a question given to several TAFE representatives during the week.

Is it possible to look to a VET future-state? Yes, if trends of the world we triangulate

The proposed US infrastructure plan of President Biden is eye-watering. A massive US$2 trillion – that’s 2,000 billion – and comes on top of the America Rescue Package of US$1.9 trillion.

I had the privilege prior to Easter to visit two TAFE campuses in Victoria, both back into full swing for the new year.