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The Universities Accord Final Report was released yesterday. It begins with a vision statement titled, a National Tertiary Education Objective. That objective defines tertiary education as containing both higher
education and vocational education. In quantifiable terms the vision is that eighty percent of the working aged population will hold at least one tertiary qualification by 2050.
What that means is that more than double the number of students will have access to a Commonwealth Supported Place than do currently. In 2022, 860,000 students received a Commonwealth Supported Place, by 2050 those numbers will need to be 1.8 million. Consistent with the interim report, the message in the Accord’s final report is “growth in skills through equity”.
The final report contains specific equity targets. These include increased participation of First Nations students, of those from the lowest socio-economic quartile, and of regional, remote and rural students. It also states there should be maintenance of the current number of students identifying with disabilities.
All this is only meaningful if funding is attached. Of note to TDA members, the report recommends Commonwealth Supported Places for microcredentials and TAFEs. This is a very positive recognition of the role of TAFEs in meeting the tertiary education aspirations of students from equity groups. TAFE is fundamental to achieving the growth in skills through equity.
As we know, TAFE has a vital role in providing access for students from all sorts of backgrounds including lower socio economic groups and the equity groups identified in the targets above. To see this recognised in the final report of the Accord is very pleasing.
An expanded role for TAFEs in the tertiary education sector, and a pathway for TAFEs to become self-accrediting in higher education are among the key recommendations of the Australian Universities Accord Final Report, released yesterday.
The report, released by Education Minister Jason Clare proposes a new tertiary education funding model that would see a significant increase in publicly funded higher education places, including at TAFEs.
The report proposes an ambitious target of lifting the share of the workforce with a VET or university qualification from the current 60% to 80%.
It proposes a “more seamless and integrated tertiary education system” in which the number of 25-34 year olds with a VET qualification reaches 40 per cent by 2050.
One element in ramping up skills delivery, would be through use of collaborative infrastructure such as the new TAFE Centres of Excellence. It also says TAFEs could be assisted to broaden their higher education offerings to “become a new model for dual-sector, teaching‑only delivery”.
“The Accord says that in the years ahead, we will need 80 per cent of the workforce to not just finish high school, we will need them to finish TAFE or university as well, “Mr Clare said.
“The Accord will help to drive this change. It will help us build a better and fairer education system where no one is held back, and no one is left behind.”
The report says that the proposed expansion of tertiary education will require “new institutions, more diverse operating models and more cross-provision between VET and higher education providers, including opportunities to expand the role of TAFEs.”
The report recommends a pathway for TAFEs to become self-accrediting in VET at the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) Level 5 and above in areas of national priority.
It also calls for a new, independent tertiary education Commission that would oversee the sector. As a first step the review recommends the Commission, “working with TEQSA, encourage and assist TAFEs to build the institutional capability to attain self-accrediting status in higher education”.
The review also recommends that Commonwealth supported places be allocated to high-performing TAFEs and TAFE Centres of Excellence offering higher education.
See a summary of key recommendations and initiatives related to TAFE.
See the Final Report and a Summary of the Final Report.
TDA CEO Jenny Dodd will join an expert panel to discuss and debate Australia’s future workforce and skills needs at Universities Australia’s Solutions Summit in Canberra this week.
The panel will include the Minister for Skills and Training, Brendan O’Connor; the Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Wollongong, Professor Patricia Davidson; the Managing Director of Saab Australia, Andy Keough; and the former CEO of the Tech Council of Australia, Kate Pounder.
The panel session is part of the two-day Universities Australia conference (27-28 February) at Canberra’s National Convention Centre.
The TDA Convention 2024, under the theme of TAFE at the Heart, runs over two full days from 8-9 May 2024 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth Hotel. Early bird registrations have been extended until 8 March so register now to take advantage of this offer. Further information on registration is available here.
TDA is excited to announce that Saxon Rice, pictured, CEO of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) will be
joining speakers from Jobs and Skills Australia, the Mitchell Institute and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations for the opening keynote panel on 8 May. The draft program can be viewed here.
We look forward to welcoming you to Sydney in May 2024 for TAFE at the Heart! Please register here by 8 March to secure your early bird ticket.
Exploring TAFE Centres of Excellence
The TDA Convention 2024 program will be an early opportunity to explore the thinking behind the new TAFE Centres of Excellence, including the ‘turbo-charged’ nationally networked TAFE Centres of Excellence which were announced as part of the National Skills Agreement.
Delegates will hear from keynote speaker, Boudewijn Grievink, Program Manager Internationalisation for Wij zijn Katapult in the Netherlands on the success of the European Centres of Vocational Excellence (COVE) in areas such as water and urban greening. This will be followed by a thought provoking presentation from Dr Margot McNeill, Chief Product and Quality Officer at TAFE NSW on innovation and self-accreditation which will be fundamental aspects of TAFE Centres of Excellence.
The session continues with a panel bringing together three States to explore their early models on how their Australian TAFE Centre of Excellence will support new ways of collaborating, innovate the delivery of tertiary education, enable teaching excellence and curriculum development, and provide one main point of access for high quality and responsive skills development for critical and emerging industries.
TDA is delighted that Steve Brady, Managing Director, TAFE NSW, Joanne Payne, Managing Director of Central Regional TAFE, WA and David Coltman, Chief Executive of TAFE SA will be lead that discussion. They will be joined by industry partners.
We look forward to welcoming you to Sydney in May 2024 for TAFE at the Heart! Please register here by 23 February to secure your early bird ticket..
Get involved at the TDA Convention 2024 by nominating your extraordinary staff members for a TAFE Staff recognition award.
TDA’s TAFE Staff Recognition Awards recognise and honour the achievements of TAFE staff across Australia. The awards will be held during the TDA Convention 2024 on the evening of 8 May 2024 at the Sofitel Wentworth in Sydney.
See here for more information and online nomination forms. Nominations close on 1 March 2024.
The Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor last week met with his international counterparts from nations including Japan, Belgium, Ireland, The Netherlands and the EC at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Skills Summit in Brussels.
Mr O’Connor is the first Australian skills minister to join the OECD Skills Summit since it commenced in 2016.
It was attended by ministers and senior officials from 38 OECD member countries, as well as a number of non-member countries.
The summit discussed the response of the international skills and training system to issues such as the shift to net zero emissions, digitisation and AI.
“The twin economic transitions of decarbonisation and digitisation may play out differently in different countries, but there is commonality in how we are looking to ensure our skills systems provide workers with the skills necessary to enable these transitions,” Mr O’Connor told the summit.
See the Minister’s address to the OECD Skills Summit in Brussels
Clockwise from top left; Minister O’Connor meets with Japan’s Senior Assistant Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare Nozomi Tomita; Belgium’s Minister for Employment and Training Christie Morreale; Ireland’s Minister of State for Skills and Further Education Niall Collins; European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit; OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann; and Dutch Minister for Education, Culture and Science, Robbert Dijkgraaf.
An independent National Student Ombudsman will be established to investigate student complaints and resolve disputes with universities.
The new Ombudsman is part of the Action Plan to address gender-based violence in higher education, agreed to by education ministers last week.
The action plan was developed in response to the Universities Accord Interim Report and will allow higher education students to escalate complaints about the actions of their higher education provider, including complaints about sexual harassment, assault and violence.
A National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence will also be established.
The Minister for Education Jason Clare said that a recent survey found that 1 in 20 students experienced sexual assault since they started university and 1 in 6 have been sexually harassed.
“Universities aren’t just places where people work and study, they are also places where people live, and we need to ensure they are safe,” he said.
“Not enough has been done to tackle sexual violence in our universities and for too long students haven’t been heard. That now changes.”
The NSW Government has officially opened the $80 million Institute of Applied Technology for Construction at TAFE NSW Kingswood.
The Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education, Steve Whan last week unveiled the centre, which is a partnership between TAFE NSW, construction company CPB Contractors, and Western Sydney University.
The 7500m2 facility features a civil construction sandpit, and large workshop spaces to accommodate the construction of full-scale buildings for use in carpentry, plumbing, and electrotechnology training.
In addition to traditional trades, the Institute also designs and delivers a host of training that rapidly responds to industry needs and includes a host of micro skills and microcredentials.
The newest IAT at Kingswood adds to the IAT Digital which opened at the TAFE Meadowbank campus last year.
TDA invites you to join experts from TAFE NSW and TDA Corporate Affiliate, Learning Vault, for our next TAFETalks which will tackle the pressing issue of skill shortages in our evolving economy.
Our speakers will explore solutions addressing growing skills gaps in today’s workforce, focusing on lifelong learning, upskilling opportunities, and technological advancements including digital credentials.
Participants will gain insights into navigating the shifting landscapes of employment models and career pathways, focusing on bridging the gap between education and employment in the digital age.
For further information, please click here.
The federal, state and territory governments are embarking on the development of a VET Workforce Blueprint which will identify strategies for workforce attraction, retention, development, and career progression.
Consultancy firm, Dandolo Partners is working with the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) on stakeholder consultation, which has included roundtables in each state and territory and online.
As part of the consultation, DEWR is inviting further engagement through public submissions and a survey of those who have left the workforce in the last five years. More information is available on the department’s website.
Any member of the public can make a submission here by March 26.
A consultation paper to support this process is available here.
The survey is intended to gather insights from anyone who has left the VET workforce within the last five years. Follow this link to complete the survey. It is open until March 26.
Wodonga TAFE has launched the Veteran Skills Recognition Program which is designed to support veterans in their transition to civilian employment.
The program was developed in collaboration with the Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing’s Office of Veterans, and offers a comprehensive pathway for veterans to have their skills recognised and valued in the workforce. It will cover the cost of the application process, ensuring accessibility for all eligible veterans.
Phil Paterson, Chief Executive Officer of Wodonga TAFE said the pilot program will engage a dedicated Veterans Liaison Officer (VLO) who will work with veterans and their families to establish meaningful education and employment pathway.
With experience in the VET sector, the VLO will have an understanding of what an assessor needs and can guide veterans on how to demonstrate their skills and knowledge.
There has been a lot of discussion about the ways in which generative AI will disrupt teaching, learning and assessment in education. However, another important consideration is how this technology will impact TAFE compliance, operations and administration.
For this TAFETalks session, TDA along with our corporate affiliate ReadyTech, invite you to join academic registrars from Melbourne Polytechnic and Chisholm Institute for a conversation on the impact of generative AI on TAFE operations, some potential use cases and whether we are ready to entrust such critical responsibility to the machine.
To register, please click here
The Victorian government has invited applications for part-time positions on TAFE boards.
It calls for leaders with knowledge and experience in areas including corporate governance and leadership, higher education and VET, financial management, community and industry engagement, and strategic risk management and audit.
Applications close March 10.
Registration is now open for the World Congress of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics (WFCP), being held 22 to 27 September 2024 at Montego Bay, St James, Jamaica, West Indies.
Universities Australia Solutions Summit
27-28 February 2024
National Convention Centre, Canberra
More information
TAFETalks: Overcoming skills gaps in a skills-based economy
28 February 2024, 2-3pm AEDT
More information
TAFETalks: The impact of AI on TAFE operations
20 March 2024
More information
TDA Convention 2024, ‘TAFE at the Heart’ – Register now!
8-9 May 2024
Sofitel Wentworth, Sydney
Call for presenters open now
Early bird registrations
Apprentice Employment Network NSW & ACT
2024 Skills Conference: Empowerment & Connection
12 June 2024
Dockside Darling Harbour, Sydney
More information
33rd National VET Research Conference ‘No Frills’
‘VET partnerships powering a dynamic workforce’
10-12 July 2024
North Metropolitan TAFE, Perth
More information
National Apprentice Employment Network
National Conference ‘Skills for Life’
23-25 July 2024
Location TBA
Save the date
VET National Teaching & Learning Conference 2024
‘From Competence to Excellence – Strive to Inspire’
15-16 August 2024
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
Save the date
National Skills Week 2024
‘It’s a Game Changer’
19-25 August 2024
www.nationalskillsweek.com.au
47th WorldSkills Competition
10-15 September 2024
Lyon, France
More information
WFCP World Congress 2024
22-27 September 2024
St James, Jamaica, West Indies
More Information
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