Newsletter 4 April 2011

     

    New NSW Minister for Education

    The Premier of New South Wales, the Hon Barry O’Farrell MP, has announced his first Cabinet, with the Hon Adrian Piccoli MP to retain the Education portfolio he held in opposition.

    To see the official list of Ministers click here.

    Further announcements on the departmental structure of education and training in NSW indicate some important changes in responsibilities. The re-named Department of Education and Communities will be responsible to three new Ministers:

    The Department of Education and Communities will have two main offices:

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    Mark your diaries!

     

     

    TDA National Conference 2011

    Balancing the Big Issues

     

    Sydney, NSW

     

    Registration and welcome drinks– Sunday, 4 September.

    Conference -  Monday, 5 September, and Tuesday, 6 September

     

    Earlybird registration closes 6 July. 

     

    Sponsorship and Exhibition opportunities now available.

    Please email Jane at tda@pco.com.au for further information.

     

     

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    VET regulator kicks into gear with new name

    The new VET regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), will officially begin operations from July 1, following the passing of the National Vocational Education Training Regulation Act in Parliament.

    Following a meeting with TDA and other industry bodies in March, where concerns were raised about the Act, ASQA has committed to a second meeting in April to discuss possible amendments. The Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator the Hon Chris Evans has indicted that the amendments may occur in August.

    To view the latest National Update from ASQA, click here.

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    Higher education not meeting industry needs, says new report

    The higher education sector must ensure that undergraduates and post graduates learn the basic skills necessary for them to be successful in the workplace including teamwork, communication and leadership, according to a Business Skills Australia report.

    The report, Lifting the Quality of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, identified four priorities to ensure the higher education sector contributes to growing productivity:

    The Australianreported the concerns of the Chairman of Accounting at KPMG, and Chair of the BCA Education Taskforce, Michael Andrew who said universities are failing to engage with industry about the skills required. Click here to view the article.

    In another article, Mr Andrew talks about the underfunding of universities which he says is driving them to over-enroll students in cheap courses without consideration of skills shortages or industry needs. Click here to view the article.  To view the BCA report click here.

    The TDA submission to the Federal Budget 2011 includes a concern that uncapped over-enrolments should be replaced with allowing wider access to Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) for TAFE and national VET providers, which deliver courses in skill shortage areas.

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    Flooded Queensland TAFE bounces back

    Central Queensland Institute of TAFE’s Central Highlands campus is once again operating at full capacity following the damage caused by the January floods.

    The campus was inundated by the flood waters, but with the help of local volunteers, most of the damage has been repaired.

    Business Services Manager, Jane Baker, told the Central Queensland News that she was shocked by the extent of the damage.

    “When we finally got in there, the water had gone down but there was muddy residue everywhere, in ground-floor classrooms and workshops. Even the elevator shaft was full of floodwater.”

    Read the full article here.

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    Industry calls on government to improve basic skills

    Industry Skills Councils (ISCs) have today launched a campaign to improve language, literacy and numeracy skills, saying up to eight million Australian workers do not have these basic skills.

    The ISCs have released a report titled ‘No More Excuses’, and are calling for COAG to develop a national ‘overarching blueprint for action on language, literacy and numeracy’ to ensure Australia stays globally competitive.

    Click here to view the report.

    Click here to view an article in The Australian.

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    Visa assessment changes begin

    The changes to visa assessment levels, announced by the Federal Government late last year, are now in force.

    The changes include a lowering of international student visa assessment levels for 38 countries. Following the Government’s original announcement, TDA expressed its disappointment at the limited benefits of the changes for TAFE Institutes.

    TDA said that of the eight countries with a lower VET assessment level, only Taiwan is in the top 20 source countries for VET.  Conversely, the higher education sector has had assessment levels reduced for 26 countries, two of which, provide a high number of visa grants.  See TDA’s response here.

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    New categories for Australian Training Awards

    An additional section of the Australian Training Awards has been created which enables the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs, and Workplace Relations to nominate specific award categories each year under the title of the National Focus Awards.

    The following categories have been approved by the Minister for 2011:

    DEEWR has sought feedback on the selection criteria with responses due by 8 April. Given such a short time frame TDA will make direct representations to DEEWR. It is expected nominations will be open in May, however nominations for these National Focus Awards will bypass State and Territory selection procedures and be handled directly by DEEWR.  

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    International education seminars

    Members are reminded that Austrade will be holding seminars on the latest market insights into international education across the country during May.

    Experienced education specialists will provide market briefings on countries in South Asia, North East Asia, South East Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, the Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa.

    Participants will also have the opportunity for one-on-one consultations with the specialists to gain deeper insight into specific markets.

    For more information click here.

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    Pre-apprenticeships under the spotlight

    Apprentices who have undertaken a pre-apprenticeship are less likely to discontinue their training because they did not like the type of work or training, but this does not translate into a higher likelihood of completions, according to a research report by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research.

    The report says the impact of pre-apprenticeships varies with occupation and prior education level. It says pre-apprenticeships increase the likelihood of completion for apprentices in the construction, food and electro-technology trades, but reduce completion rates among those already holding a Certificate III or higher qualification.

    For more information click here.

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    Nominations open for Victorian Training Awards

    Nominations for the 2011 Victorian Training Awards have now opened. The awards help nominees gain recognition for outstanding achievements, increase their profile, and gain valuable networking opportunities with senior industry and business leaders.

    There are 14 award categories, with prizes of up to $10,000 awarded to most winners. Winners also have the chance to represent Victoria at the Australian Training Awards, held in Brisbane in November.

    Nominations can be made online, and will close 6 May. For more information, click here.

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    Members invited to higher education research conference

    Members are invited to the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) 2011 Conference, Higher Education on the Edge.

    The conference will be held at the Radisson Resort Gold Coast, Queensland from July 4-7. It will bring together the academic staff, researchers and professional staff at the front lines of the higher education workforce.

    This year, the conference also aims to traverse some of the more traditional higher education boundaries by encouraging representation from colleagues in the vocational education and training sector, from schools and private providers, and from colleagues in business, industry and the private sector.
     
    Visit the conference website for more information.

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    Diary Dates

    NZ VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING RESEARCH FORUM
    TAFE Governance and Regulations Forum
    DATE: 27-28 April, 2011
    LOCATION: Rutherford House, Wellington
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    VICTORIAN TAFE ASSOCIATION
    Gaining the Edge – Outcomes, Equity and Innovation
    DATE: 3-4 May, 2011
    LOCATION: Hilton on the Park, Melbourne
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    VELG
    2011 Queensland VET Symposium
    DATE: 12-13 May, 2011
    LOCATION: Hilton, Brisbane
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    AUSTRALIAN FLEXIBLE LEARNING FRAMEWORK
    Industry E-learning Showcase and Exhibition
    DATE: 25 May, 2011
    LOCATION: Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, Melbourne
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    NATIONAL CENTRE FOR VOCATIONAL EDUCATION RESEARCH
    No Frills
    DATE: 13-15 July, 2011
    LOCATION: North Coast TAFE, Coffs Harbour
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    NSW TRAINING AWARDS
    Nominations closing date
    DATE: 25 March, 2011
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    CRITERION CONFERENCES
    Interconnected Tertiary Education - Stronger pathways across Higher Education & VET for increased participation
    DATE: 30-31 March, 2011|
    LOCATION: Mercure, Melbourne
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    INFORMA EDUCATION
    The 9th Annual Higher Education Summit
    DATE: 27-29 April, 2011
    LOCATION:Sofitel, Brisbane  
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    AVETRA
    Research in VET: Janus – Reflecting Back, Projecting Forward
    DATE: 28-29 April, 2011
    LOCATION: Rendezvous Hotel, Melbourne
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    VELG TRAINING
    2011 National VET Conference
    DATE: 4-5 August, 2011
    LOCATION: Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    SKILLSDMC
    2011 National Conference
    DATE: 10 August, 2011
    LOCATION:Four Season’s Hotel, Sydney
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    AUSTRALIAN INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
    2011 Conference
    DATE: 11-14 October, 2011
    LOCATION: Adelaide Convention Centre
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

    AUSTRALIAN FLEXIBLE TRAINING FRAMEWORK
    ePortfolios Australia Conference 2011
    DATE: 17-18 October, 2011
    LOCATION: Perth
    DETAILS: Click here for more information.

    GROUP TRAINING AUSTRALIA
    Looking ahead - Group Training National Conference
    DATE: 19-21 October, 2011
    LOCATION: Grand Hyatt, Melbourne
    DETAILS: Click here for more information

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