In the 1990s, Peter Noonan says, our VET sector was the envy of the rest of the Asia-Pacific. Now, the professor of tertiary education policy at Victoria University's Mitchell Institute thinks it might be the other way round. At a recent Hong Kong-based ...
More »TAFE warns government: ‘Don’t fund uni diplomas’
Following a brief budget uplift, it’s been a tumultuous time for the vocational education sector. TAFE enrolment numbers have plummeted in NSW and Victoria, causing TAFE NSW to announce plans to self-accredit. To make matters worse, the government’s National Innovation and ...
More »Indigenous gap closing thanks to VET
Indigenous youths are becoming more educated, and are thereby helping to Close the Gap, according to a new report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). Increased Indigenous vocational completions are driving this change, though they remain behind ...
More »Opinion: The future of funding VET and higher education: a cohesive approach is needed
The 2017 Budget underscores the need for an approach to tertiary funding that is cohesive and recognises the differences between VET and higher education. Decisions on higher education and vocational education and training (VET) funding contained in Commonwealth government Budgets ...
More »VET training body delighted by Budget
Unlike other higher education divisions, the VET sector has largely embraced the 2017 Budget, which endows the sector with $1.56 billion worth of funds. Most of this money will be used to create 300,000 new apprenticeships in high-demand fields like ...
More »Push to include VET on innovation agenda
The incoming chief executive of TAFE Directors Australia says he will push to get vocational education included on the government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda. Craig Robertson said workers will need to be reskilled as old industries perish, and that ...
More »Bond University College debuts to suit new cohort of heterogeneous would-be uni students
Catherine O’Sullivan is the pro vice-chancellor for pathways and partnerships at Bond University. In this role, O’Sullivan is overseeing the launch of Bond University College, an on-campus pathway program that brings together the existing university preparation and foundation programs, diplomas ...
More »Apprenticeship numbers keep falling
Trade apprenticeship numbers have continued their decline, new statistics from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research have shown, with the number of new apprentices plummeting. Between September 2015 and September 2016, trade apprenticeship numbers decreased by 4.7 per cent ...
More »Plan to bring Indonesian VET trainers to Australia
The federal government is looking to bring Indonesian VET trainers to Australia, so they can learn and return to educate their homeland. Karen Andrews, federal assistant minister for vocational education and skills, said this is part of an effort to ...
More »Sage students get help to move providers
Thousands of students at Sage Institute’s network of colleges have been told they will be given help to find a new college to continue their studies after administrators closed their campuses. The Australian Careers Institute, which owns the Sage Institutes ...
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