Challenges in ‘VET’ & how these may be addressed ?

Martin Riordan, CEO TAFE Directors Australia

25 March 2013

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS SYMPOSIUMDIISRTE / ANU CRAWFORD CENTRE FOR PUBLIC POLICY

Issues facing VET• COAG targets for workforce productivity

• Higher education attainment • Increased workforce participation

• Changing industry skill needs• Innovation and technology (NBN)• Skill shortages• Australian Workforce Development Funds

• Reforms to VET in each state and territory• The shift to an entitlement model and training market• Different governance and funding arrangements in each state and territory• NSW, Queensland & Victoria each seeking recognition under NPA, for share of

$1.75B reward payments• Victorian back down with additional $200M latest signal of change• Queensland proposal to push ahead with governance / TAFE reform• NSW Treasury reference of Entitlement pricing to iPART NSW

Issues facing VET (cont.)• An interconnected tertiary environment

• Most TAFE Institutes are now Higher Education Providers or in some form of partnership/alliance with a university

• Limited Commonwealth funding to support students studying HE in VET available (currently only available to Holmesglen and NMIT)

• The international education market• Australia in the Asian Century• Student visas & internships for those partner countries working with TAFE

• Green Skills• Importance of VET in developing green skills for the future – international

benchmarking• Quality provision

• New level of regulatory and registration context (NSSC)

• Referral of powers by some States to the Commonwealth resulting in varying regulatory arrangements across jurisdictions.

Issues facing VET (cont.)• An interconnected tertiary environment

• Most TAFE Institutes are now Higher Education Providers or in some form of partnership/alliance with a university

• Limited Commonwealth funding to support students studying HE in VET available (currently only available to Holmesglen and NMIT)

• The international education market• Australia in the Asian Century• Student visas

• Green Skills• Importance of VET in developing green skills for the future

• Quality provision • A changing regulatory and registration context

(ASQA regulating VET, TEQSA regulating Higher Education)• Current review of quality standards for VET and HE providers. • Referral of powers by some States to the Commonwealth resulting in varying

regulatory arrangements across jurisdictions.

Issues facing VET (cont.)• Apprenticeships in crisis

• Dwindling consistency in completions in key trades

• MBA/HIA epressing serious shortages into the future

• Industrial impasse (unions and employer groups)

• Progress of AWPA after ‘National Workforce Development Strategy’ • Investment buy-in by Government for raising the levels of qualifications in the

workforce ?

• Greater alignment between business improvement and skills programs and between regional employment and workforce development

• Incorporating work integrated learning into educational programs.

TDA’s response

1. TDA Strategic Plan

• Strong focus on mentoring role TAFE supporting increased workforce participation,

TAFE & industry partnerships, and higher education in TAFE

2. Suite of policy position papers

• Key policy issues – Emphasis on leading with quality

3. National and international networks

• Benchmarking and collaboration

4. New member services

• National Scholarships Foundation

1. TDA Strategic Plan 2013-15Lead with innovative advocacy in the new VET environment

1. Key objectives:• Advocacy – a sustainable, quality TAFE sector in a competitive training market• Leadership in policy development -- Position Papers • Launch of new services for members ~ TDA National Scholarships Foundation

2. Strategies: Survey members, consumers and industry

• Completed Victorian (2010, 2011) and Queensland surveys (2012)• Survey of 61 TAFE CEOs, senior executives

• Mentor the ‘game plan’ change for TAFE• Industry perspectives

• Local approaches to enhance TAFE/ industry partnerships• Bilateral work between TDA /state-based business networks • Innovation

• Member services• Tuition Assurance Scheme• Scholarship Foundation

Strategic Plan – Paradigm change2008-09 2013-14

GOVERNANCE

Victoria & ACT individual governance

GOVERNANCE

All TAFEs will move to statutory authorities

BRANDING

Victoria individual approach to governance

BRANDING

All TAFEs migrating to individual branding, with TAFE theme remaining in several states

PARTNERSHIPS

Limited number of Victorian TAFEs

PARTNERSHIPS

Widespread approach – Targets industry funded, university articulation

TERTIARY

5 Victorian

TERTIARY

23 TAFEs now registered HEP providers

INTERNATIONAL

Victoria and some Western Australia

INTERNATIONAL

25 TAFEs -- 40,000 international students onshore, 45,000 offshore (in China alone)

Survey on TAFE - findings General community perceptions in QLD – sample 1,000• Almost 80% of Queenslanders – especially employers - regard TAFE as an extremely

important community asset; one worth preserving regardless of cost

• 83 % agree that TAFE plays an essential role in developing a highly skilled and productive workforce in Queensland

• 78% agree that TAFE provides a quality standard of education

• Over 80% agree that TAFE courses of high quality courses and are reliable and trustworthy

• 74% agree that TAFE is important for disadvantaged groups within the community to obtain the skills they need

• 84% agree that TAFE is critical for regional areas

9

Perceptions of Employers and Managers• Employers generally agree with the general community

• In questions for employers or managers only, we found:• 63% agree that TAFE has the capability to address the skill needs of their businesses• Over 70% agree that TAFE works closely with local industry• Over 60% would recommend a TAFE qualification to others in industry• Over 60% regard TAFE courses as innovative• The majority of the sample were in small business.

10

None

1 - 10 employees

11 - 50 employees

51 - 100 employees

Over 100 employees

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 50%

2. TDA Position Papers

• Innovative industry partnerships• Paper produced by Dr John Mitchell ‘Reinventing service delivery’ consisting of

six case studies of exemplars of innovative partnerships between TAFE and industry

• Launch of the publication was held in late Feb 2013• Publication will be launched in QLD, VIC and WA in coming months

• Skill shortages – Apprenticeships & Traineeships• Record evidence of emerging issues/shortages• Record duplication and confusion (AWPA)• Lack of alignment with Employment Services & RTOs

• TAFE in the interconnected tertiary sector• Paper outlining the role and value of TAFE in tertiary education • Accompanying document containing 6 cases studies of students who have

completed or are undertaking a degree in TAFE who may not have had the opportunity otherwise.

• Both to be published in May, 2013

2. TDA Position Papers (cont.)

• The role of TAFE in skills development • Paper forthcoming in response to reforms in each state and territory and the

recent release of ‘Future Focus, 3012 National Workforce Development Strategy’ produced by the Australian Workforce and Productivity Agency.

• Quality provision in VET• Paper forthcoming in response to the NSSC’s discussion paper on new quality

standards for VET released last week, ‘Improving vocational education and training – the case for a new system’.

• The role of TAFE in developing green skills• Case studies of embedding sustainability in training programs • A survey of 61 TAFEs indicating:

• 83% of Institutes have a current sustainability plan• 81% Institutes cited active programs in sustainability with 30% of courses

including sustainability competencies. • Several TAFE Institutes, mostly regionally-based, having strong community,

regional and industry partnerships in sustainability.

3. TDA NetworksNational

- Regional Australia network for TAFE

- TAFE higher education professional network• Representation from Victoria, NSW, SA, WA, QLD and ACT

International

International Higher Education in VET Network • USA – Community College Baccalaureate Association• UK – Association of Colleges (AoC)

International Green Skills Network

Commissioned to create East Asia Summit 18-nation TVET network

Mentor & joint leadership programmes with China and Indonesia polytechnics

UNESCO UNIVOC regional agency

Contacts

Martin Riordan – CEO TAFE Directors Australia

Email: mriordan@tda.edu.auTelephone: + 61 2 9217 3180

Facsimile: + 61 2 9281 7335|

THANK YOU