Search results

This paper investigates how technical and further education (TAFE) institutes evaluate their effectiveness and efficiency. The authors interviewed nine TAFE institute directors and 59 of their senior and middle managers in South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Key messages derived from the paper include: (a) externally imposed requirements for funding accountability and regulatory compliance are the main drivers of institute processes and systems for monitoring and evaluating effectiveness and efficiency. This applies both to institutes within centralised governance arrangements and to those in devolved governance systems; (b) regardless of governance structures, strong managerial leadership is critical to the evaluation of effectiveness and efficiency; (c) TAFE institutes engage with employers and industry bodies to better understand training demand, but employers do not always speak with one voice; and, (d) TAFE institutes have a general understanding of their markets and business. This may help them to survive in a more competitive environment, but they will require more robust systems for working out the cost-efficiency of their operations.