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This chapter is part of a volume that proposes a systematic approach to the tertiary education system reform agenda, building on the work of Peter Noonan (1955-2022), professor of tertiary education at Victoria University, who was a central figure in the development of this policy agenda. This chapter is an extract from Peter Noonan's 2016 Mitchell Institute paper, 'A new system for financing Australian tertiary education' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 125.130]. This paper described how to administer and govern a new system for financing tertiary education in Australia and remains highly relevant in the 2020s. This chapter summarises some of the key points that have been outlined in other chapters in this book and goes on to outline the case for a tertiary education financing authority to oversee the proposed new funding model.

Noonan suggests that this could be called the Tertiary Education Commission. From 1977 to 1988 there was an entity called the Commonwealth Tertiary Education Commission (CTEC) that was responsible for providing advice to the minister regarding granting of Commonwealth financial assistance to universities and other continuing education institutions. The financing authority or commission proposed in this chapter would have a more ambitious agenda: it would oversee Commonwealth and state funding of vocational and higher education. This was also proposed by the 2007 discussion paper 'Seizing the opportunities: designing new policy architecture for higher education and university research' (Group of Eight, 2007). Although there have been some changes in funding and institutional arrangements since 2016, the proposals in Noonan's paper still resonate and are highly relevant to the reform agenda proposed in this book.

Excerpt from publication with additional information.

The volume from which this chapter is taken is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 154.572. Show less

'Investing in America's workforce' is a Federal Reserve System initiative in collaboration with the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University, the Ray Marshall Center of the Lyndon B. Johnson School at the University of Texas, and the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. How can well-structured and effective workforce programs and policies result in better economic outcomes for individuals, businesses, and communities? This book is part of a three-volume series that explores contemporary research, resources, and solutions on workforce development policy and practice. The three volumes are: 'Investing in workers', 'Investing in work', and 'Investing in systems for employment opportunity'. Within each volume are discrete sections made up of chapters that identify specific workforce development programs and policies that provide positive returns to society, to employers, and to job seekers. The policies and practices presented in the book are intended to spur innovative thinking that results in context-specific solutions. The perspectives are not intended as an endorsement from the Federal Reserve System or its partnering institutions. Volume one and volume two are available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 135.162 and TD/TNC 135.163 respectively.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website and publication.

The contributions in this volume discuss how public, private and nonprofit sectors can coordinate their efforts and integrate new technologies and finance models to meet the needs of both workers and employers. The contents are as follows: Introduction: Investing in systems for employment opportunity / Stuart Andreason and Alexander Ruder. Part one, 'Financial innovations in workforce development', contains the following chapters: Rebalancing the risk: innovation in funding human capital development / Heath Prince (pages 11-16); Partnering with banks in workforce development / Elizabeth Sobel Blum and Steven Shepelwich (pages 17-28); Nimble capital for an agile workforce / Keith Wardrip and Mels de Zeeuw (pages 29-47); Outcomes-oriented contracting: unlocking economic opportunity for low-income communities / Celeste Richie (pages 49-62); Improving workforce outcomes with pay for success / Nirav Shah (pages 63-74); Financing human capital through income-contingent agreements / Miguel Palacios (pages 75-86). Part two, 'Government investment in workforce development', contains: Strategy and capacity of public workforce systems / Richard A. Hobbie (pages 89-97); Results and returns from public investments in employment and training / Demetra Smith Nightingale and Lauren Eyster (pages 99-111); Research and evidence-building capacity of state workforce agencies / Yvette Chocolaad and Stephen Wandner (pages 113-123); State sector strategies for talent pipeline systems / Michael Bartlett and Martin Simon (pages 125-138); Improving outcomes for workers and employers through mayoral leadership / Kathy Amoroso and Evan Amoroso (pages 139-151); Employer engagement policy: shifting from customers to partnerships / Andy Van Keunen (pages 153-166).

Part three, 'Investing in technology', contains the following chapters: The promise and perils of the future of work / Carl E. Van Horn (pages 169-174); Navigating the future of work: can we point businesses, workers, and social institutions in the same direction? / John Hagel, Jeff Schwartz, and Josh Bersin (pages 175-193); From want ads to mobile apps: realizing the promise of technology in labor market matching / Chauncy Lennon and Sarah Steinberg (pages 195-213); Personalized education: from curriculum to career with cognitive systems / Michael King, Richard Cave, Mike Foden, and Matthew Stent (pages 215-232); All data big and small: using information to guide workforce development / Rachel Zinn and Bryan Wilson (pages 233-250); Preparing workers for the expanding digital economy / Jordana Barton (pages 251-266). Part four, 'Investing in skills and credentials', contains: Creative solutions to the credentialing chaos / Stephen Crawford (pages 269-275); Fixing the credentialing chaos: a national tool and state application / Ken Sauer and Stephen Crawford (pages 277-296); Transforming employer signaling in the talent marketplace / Jason A. Tyszko (pages 297-312); Building an expanded public-private data infrastructure for the credentialing marketplace / Robert Sheets (pages 313-327); Credentialing entrepreneurs: how and why / Alejandro Crawford (pages 329-349). Part five, 'Investing in regional workforce development systems', contains: Coordinating regional workforce development resources / Stuart Andreason (pages 353-357); Cultivating healthy workforce ecosystems / Tucker Plumlee (pages 359-373); Examining spatial mismatch and mobility in the workforce system / Raphael Bostic and Ann Carpenter (pages 375-390).

This volume concludes with an appendix, 'Investing in America's workforce: report on workforce development needs and opportunities' by Noelle St. Clair (pages 391-429). This report was originally published in 2017 and is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 135.161. Show less

This conference paper describes the growth of TAFE from the 1930s, and in particular the changes that both the organisation and the environment have undergone since the 1980s. The relationship between TAFE and Australian federalism is described, where the key features of Australia’s economic system under the federated system are described as industry protection, central arbitration and State paternalism. Problems experienced in the field of vocational training by TAFE are described, leading up to the national training reform agenda, which was a complex and ambitious programme to reform the vocational education and training system launched in the late 1980s. The reform process has encompassed the content of vocational education and training, the ways in which the content is decided, the ways in which skills are recognised, and the ways in which the system is funded and administered. The author identifies various problems with this reform process, and suggests several solutions. Show less

This draft strategic plan has been prepared by a group of US federal government departments and agencies to help address their common goals for youth. It articulates a vision of pathways of opportunity for youth with respect to living, learning and working. It is a plan for all youth, but with special emphasis on youth at risk. Three overarching and connected goals underpin this strategic plan: (1) collaboration and co-ordination; (2) evidence-based and innovative strategies; and (3) youth engagement and partnerships. Show less

Since 1997 vocational education and training (VET) in schools has developed from a marginal activity to an established part of mainstream education across Western Australia. Due to the increased depth of VET study the State and Commonwealth Ministers agreed on a new framework for vocational education. This framework committed the states and territories to introducing enterprise and vocational learning into programmes to enhance student support for career education. This review discusses the progress that has been made in all aspects of the new framework during 2002. Show less

The Commonwealth Government is committed to achieving better results for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians in three key priorities: getting children to school, adults into work, and building safe communities. This strategy addresses the priority to build Indigenous employment within the Commonwealth public sector. It is also part of the Government's initial response to Andrew Forrest's review of Indigenous training and employment programmes report, 'The Forrest review: creating parity' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 117.900]. It is vital to improve the representation of Indigenous Australians in the workforce if the Commonwealth is to capably respond to the needs of the community.

A large and geographically dispersed workforce providing services to all Australians means the Commonwealth public sector is well placed to establish itself as a leader in Indigenous employment. Our goal is to increase the representation of Indigenous employees across the Commonwealth public sector to three per cent by 2018. We need to offer Indigenous Australians a range of entry pathways into the public service and better career development opportunities for existing Indigenous employees. We must also increase the representation of Indigenous Australians in senior leadership positions. The strategy provides a roadmap to achieve our goal. It has been informed by consultations with Indigenous employees and Commonwealth agencies and focuses on four key action areas: (1) expand the range of Indigenous employment opportunities; (2) invest in developing the capability of Indigenous employees; (3) increase the representation of Indigenous employees in senior roles; and (4) improve the awareness of Indigenous culture in the workplace. Show less

Currently, both 'work' and 'family' are key priorities of the Australian Government as, faced with an ageing population and high costs of living, it is grappling with the challenge of promoting increases in both fertility and labour force participation. With this focus, family payments were expanded substantially under the Howard Government (Harding, Vu, Payne, and Percival, 2006) and the promotion of 'work-life balance' has become increasingly prominent. However, in 2005-06 almost 390,000 Australians - around 87,000 of whom were children - had incomes below the poverty line, despite having a member of their household employed. This represented nearly one fifth of all Australians in poverty and 2.7 per cent of all people in households where someone was employed part- or full-time. Using the most recent (2005-06) Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Income and Housing (SIH), this study assesses the extent of poverty among households in Australia with at least one employed member, and how the characteristics of this group differ from those of all Australian households living in poverty.

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This report makes available information regarding the allocation of funds and the impact of policy decisions arising from the Commonwealth budget 1990-1991. Key policy areas are broken down into categories such as training; skills training; Aboriginal education; award restructuring etc. Show less

The federal government plays an indispensable role in helping community college students pay for their education. It is hard to imagine today's community college campuses without needs-based federal student aid, such as the Pell Grant program and subsidized loans. There are, however, significant differences between community college students and college undergraduates overall in the sources and extent of the financial aid they use. This brief paper is intended to explicate some of these issues.

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In 2009, two major pieces of industrial legislation were enacted to give effect to the Labor Government's commitment to replace Work Choices with laws for 'Fair Work'. The Fair Work Act 2009 (Commonwealth) promises to bring greater stability and simplicity to Australia's workplace relations system. However, transitional rules in the Fair Work (transitional provisions and consequential amendments) Act 2009 (Commonwealth) mean that it will be some time before participants in the system can enjoy these benefits. This review gives a brief account of both Acts before examining in more detail the enterprise bargaining rules which commenced operating in July under the supervision of a new institution, Fair Work Australia. We then consider two aspects of the Fair Work legislation which are most likely to provoke controversy when they commence operating in 2010, the adverse action and transfer of business provisions. We also look at the steps taken by federal and state governments to move towards a national system of workplace relations.

Published abstract reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less