Last week in TDA’s Monday Newsletter we shared with readers sections of the opinion piece that leaders of Jobs and Skills Australia, Barney Glover, Megan Lilly and Peter Dawkins, wrote for The Australian (25/7/2025) regarding productivity and skills. Their opinion piece was input to Treasury’s Economic Reform Roundtable.
TDA welcomes the JSA position. For example, the three writers call for reforms to funding and regulatory environments to increase connection between vocational education and higher education and thus improve productivity. They identified the need for more efficient and effective credit transfer between different qualifications. They also called for qualifications containing both vocational and higher education to be co-created.
In TDA’s April 2023 response to the Universities Accord discussion paper (www.tda.edu.au) we also called for similar reforms. For example, Big Idea number 5 of TDA’s Ten Big Ideas was as follows: “Provide innovation funding ,,, that must contain TAFE partnerships and a focus on industry … encourage education solutions, such as the creation of dual qualifications with both TAFE and university components that meet specific industry needs.”
Like Dawkins, Glover and Lilly, TDA agrees that funding and regulation are the two main constraints to industry responsive qualification design. Both funding and regulation do not make it easy to build qualifications that can contain both vocational education and higher education. However, they are not the only constraints.
TDA has also made a submission to Treasury’s Economic Reform Roundtable. In our submission we identify that one of the constraints to achieving collaboration between the two parts of tertiary education is their different models of curriculum construction. In vocational education, training packages were introduced over two decades ago to deliver national consistency and support the rapidly increasing number of RTOs. Higher education has no equivalent training package environment and therefore has greater agility in curriculum design.
Hence, like so many stakeholders in tertiary education, we want to be part of productivity improvement through better pathways and innovative qualification design that combine vocational education and higher education. Our hearts are willing, but more constraints will need to be removed for these outcomes to be realised.
The job of TAFEs and other training providers in trying to meet the prevailing “jobs-first” agenda has been likened to a marksman in a blindfold, in a new analysis by the Nous Group.
The paper outlines the significant challenge faced by TAFEs and colleges in delivering against government, industry, and community expectations, while insulating graduates against changes in the labour market.
“It is hard to please all, yet this is what is being asked, the paper says.
“Growth in one industry often means contraction for another. Government and employers speak to future needs but are often less clear on roles to be replaced,” it says.
“The sector is constantly bombarded with demands for new workers, in new industries, with new skills, while at the same time existing industries face persistent labour and skills shortages”.
Titled, ‘Are colleges and TAFEs doomed to fail in a job-first world? Don’t bet on it’, the paper lays out the complex and often contradictory set of signals that impact the VET sector..
“Blind fold me, spin me around, and ask me to find the target while providing different and conflicting sets of instructions on its location. At the same time, provide me with a wide range of projectiles, of all different shapes and sizes, with significant variations in potential flight paths and whose trajectory cannot be known until the projectile in question is in flight,” the paper says.
“This places colleges and TAFEs on the front line. Stray too far from local equilibrium and colleges and TAFEs will risk their social license. At the same time, they must reflect on demands and how they fit with the optimal future shape and composition of their local economy.”
Author Hamish Ride says “skills for now” are the hardest to get right, especially with the pace of change, the plethora of options, and the steps required to bring new products and content to market.
Join us for an engaging TAFETalks session exploring how TAFE Queensland is strategically transforming digital learning to drive educational innovation and learner success. Michelle Roberts from the Product and Innovation team will share how Adobe tools are being embedded across teaching and administrative functions, with a spotlight on their powerful impact in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), enhancing both engagement and accessibility.
Michelle will be joined by educator Sophie Nguyen to present a recent digital capability project focused on boosting learners’ digital literacy. Discover how creative and strategic approaches are being used to make learning more accessible, inclusive, and engaging across diverse student cohorts.
This session is ideal for TAFE leaders, educators, and decision-makers seeking practical insights and scalable strategies to embed digital capability and innovation across the education sector.
GOTAFE and Wodonga TAFE have announced that their planned amalgamation will take effect on 1 January 2026.
The two institutes announced in May their intent to merge.
“Since then, the organisations have completed further due diligence and planning, leading to the amalgamation,” they said in a statement.
“This is exciting news for vocational education in our region, and there will be no change to how our students complete their studies.
“Our courses, support services and the overall experience with GOTAFE and Wodonga TAFE will remain unchanged.
“Our focus remains on ensuring continuity of quality education delivery to our students.”
TDA is excited to announce that the Call for Proposals for TDA Convention 2026 is now open. TDA Convention 2026, Power of TAFE, will take place at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre from 5-7 May 2026. We warmly invite you to join TDA, our host partner TAFE Queensland, and Diamond sponsor ReadyTech to celebrate the strength, innovation and impact of TAFE in Australia’s education and training landscape.
TDA welcomes proposals from all stakeholders. If you are not from a TDA member organisation, and your proposal is accepted, then you will be eligible for the TDA member rate to attend TDA Convention 2026 in May in Brisbane next year. We encourage proposals from partners and stakeholders.
If you are from a TDA member organisation and you want to know more, the best place to start is with your TDA Convention 2026 Advisory Committee member. Don’t forget to also let your organisation’s Group Manager know when you submit.
TDA thanks members of the TDA Convention 2026 Advisory Committee who are guiding the development of the program. Advisory members are:
Aunty Beth, a proud Gamilaraay and Wayilwan woman, has dedicated her life to the revival and teaching of Indigenous languages, profoundly influencing communities across north-western New South Wales.
Aunty Beth’s story began in Walgett, where she first learned Gamilaraay from her mother. Despite the risks and challenges of speaking the language during difficult times, she remained steadfast in her commitment to her cultural heritage.
Her unwavering dedication to language and culture eventually led her to break new ground as the first Aboriginal language teacher employed by TAFE NSW in 2010.
Image: Uncle John Lane and Aunty Beth Wright with her award “Aboriginal Language Teacher of the Year”
The Chief Executive Officer of the Victorian TAFE Association, Dugald Murray, has announced he is leaving the organisation to become the CEO of the Jobs and Skills Council, Skills Insight.
“I’m honoured to be joining Skills Insight and to work with a group of industries that are vital to Australia’s communities, ecosystems and prosperity,” Mr Murray said.
He succeeds Michael Hartman, who announced his intention to step down from the CEO role in February.
The Chair of Skills Insight, Todd Loydell welcomed Mr Murray, saying his strategic leadership and experience in government and stakeholder engagement would be invaluable.
“On behalf of the Board and staff at Skills Insight, I want to sincerely thank Michael [Hartman] for his exceptional leadership of the organisation over the years,” Mr Loydell said.
Dugald Murray has held senior roles with Victorian, Australian and Canadian governments, including as a chief of staff and senior adviser to ministers, and chief economist at the Australian Conservation Foundation.
TDA congratulates Dugald and looks forward to working with him in his new capacity as CEO of Skills Insight.
Chisholm Institute has been engaged in a partnership that is aiming to address persistent gender inequalities that have limited women’s participation in manufacturing apprenticeships and employment.
The collaboration with Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE), and the South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance (SEMMA) has seen the release of the “Nice Work if You Can Get It” report.
Funded by the Victorian Government, the project tackled many of the cultural and structural barriers that have excluded women from manufacturing careers.
It includes a Gender Impact Assessment (GIA) conducted with Chisholm’s Engineering and Manufacturing teams, examining barriers to gender equality in manufacturing education.
Manufacturing is one of the most gender-segregated industries in Australia, with women comprising only 23% of the workforce.
The project resulted in 16 strategies designed to change culture and build awareness, and increase institutional support and governance to establish the right organisational environment.
“The evidence-based approach combined drawing from the evidence base, data analysis with the lived experiences of women and educators in the sector, ensuring that solutions were both practical and transformative,” the report said.
Applications are open for a scholarship to help those with a refugee background who intend to study film or television at a tertiary level in 2026.
The Public Education Foundation’s Australia for UNHCR Beddie Scholarship at AFTRS is three-year, full-time scholarship for study at the prestigious Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS).
The scholarship supports emerging creative talent from a refugee background, providing the opportunity to pursue studies and develop their voice as a storyteller in film, television, online media or the creative industries.
Valued at over $80,000, the scholarship enables recipients to share any story they choose – fictional, personal, or otherwise – as they build a career in storytelling.
The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) has welcomed the Administrative Review Tribunal’s decision to dismiss appeals by Productivity Partners (trading as Captain Cook College) against the cancellation of its registration.
ASQA cancelled the registration of Productivity Partners in June 2017 after a comprehensive investigation into its widespread abuse of the VET FEE-HELP (VFH) scheme.
In November 2018, the ACCC commenced proceedings in the Federal Court against Productivity Partners for multiple contraventions of Australian Consumer Law.
In May, the Federal Court ordered Productivity Partners to pay more than $20 million for systemic unconscionable conduct and $750,000 for making false or misleading representations to students in connection with the VFH program.
The Federal Court imposed a further $10 million penalty on Productivity Partners parent company, Site Group International, and $400,000 on the former CEO.
Following the Federal Court decision, Productivity Partners went into voluntary administration with administrators applying to the Tribunal to withdraw their applications for review of ASQA’s decisions. This was dismissed by the tribunal, effective July 4.
ASQA CEO Saxon Rice said the decisions are an example of cross-agency efforts to ensure the integrity of the VET sector.
“These Tribunal and Court decisions and the enforcement and compliance activity of our Integrity Unit continue to send clear messages that risks to the quality and integrity of VET will be taken seriously and acted upon.”
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.
Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA) has launched the Review of Community Pharmacy Qualifications Project, which will review and update three key qualifications to ensure they reflect the current and future needs of this critical sector.
Apply to Join the Technical Committee
Join an Information Session
Learn more about the project
TAFETalks: Evolving digital learning for strategic impact at TAFE Queensland
6 August 2025 14:00 Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney
Register here
Victorian TAFE Association TAFECreates25 Conference
7 August 2025
Melbourne Polytechnic Conference Centre, Melbourne
More information
VET National Teaching & Learning Conference
14-15 August 2025
Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
More information
National Skills Week
‘Explore All the Options’
25-31 August 2025
More information
MyeQuals Connect
2 September 2025
Venue: Rydges Latimer Christchurch
Register here
25% discount code: TDAMyeQuals
Impact ATEM 2025
Association for Tertiary Education Management annual conference
7-10 September 2025
Australian National University, Canberra.
More information
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
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
Save the date