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A matter of some controversy in schools, TAFEs and universities has been the advent of significant controls over these state and territory law bodies by the Commonwealth Government, based on the supply of grants linked to conditions. Under the previous Howard Government the conditions required significant workplace reforms (including Australian Workplace Agreements) at the university and TAFE level. Commonwealth grants for state and private schools contain conditions relating to curriculum, school reports, statements of learning, and various school performance targets. Such controls were never envisaged for the Commonwealth in the Constitution. This paper examines in some detail the conditions imposed on schools, TAFE and universities, describes the constitutional position relating to regulation of education by the Commonwealth, including the potential use of the corporations power, and makes suggestions for reform.

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The work quality of public servants directly affects a country's administrative performance, and the Taiwan government has recently invested a considerable amount of funds in constructing e-government learning platforms and developing digital courses to provide all public servants with sufficient on-the-job training and enhance the quality of human resources. Therefore, the circumstances under which public servants use e-government learning platforms warrant investigation. In this study, questionnaires were used to collect data for quantitative research, and a theoretical model was created to clarify the impact of 'barrier factors' and 'policy factors' on e-government learning. These factors have been examined inadequately in previous research on the theory of e-learning behaviour. The results presented here show that barrier factors and policy factors strongly influence the willingness of public servants to use e-learning systems, and these factors explain more than 80 per cent of the variance in users' behavioural intention. These results revealed the characteristics of the research participants, and the findings can be used as a reference in future studies and by management agencies responsible for providing e-government learning. Furthermore, these results might facilitate further research on and the practice of adult e-learning.

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This article analyses the governance of VET for adults and its development from a historical-institutionalist perspective. It takes a look at the collective skill formation system of Switzerland, in which the federal government and private companies (or the associations representing them) play integral roles. The article argues that the establishment of VET for adults is a form of policy expansion, in which certain actors - especially from the canton administrations - exert considerable influence in the initial phase, but then get side-lined as the governance structure and institutional framework of formal VET shape the process of expansion, due to numerous feedback mechanisms. These findings are relevant not only for understanding the development of VET for adults, but also for a more general understanding of educational reforms that affect other policy fields.

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Perkins IV established student performance measures at the secondary and postsecondary levels for state agencies, such as state educational agencies, and local recipients, such as school districts, eligible to receive funds.[Government Accountability Office] GAO examined (1) how states have implemented the Perkins IV performance measures and what, if any, challenges they have faced in implementing the measures; (2) to what extent the Department of Education (Education) has ensured that states are implementing the new performance measures and supported states in their efforts; and (3) what [the Department] knows about the effectiveness of [career and technical education] CTE programs.

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Federal funding for career and technical education (CTE) programs is critical to the expansion and success of training a skilled workforce to meet the needs of labor markets. The Morrill Act of 1862 was the first federal law to provide support to build agricultural and mechanical colleges and universities. Federal support continued through the decades with Perkins IV being the current legislation with funding guidelines for CTE programs. Today's educational systems are faced with the task of providing rigorous and relevant educational programs with the mission of developing productive citizens capable of competing in a global society. This mission cannot be accomplished without continued federal funding support.

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The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Perkins IV: P. L. 109-270) supports the development of academic and career and technical skills among secondary education students and postsecondary education students who elect to enroll in career and technical education (CTE) programs, sometimes referred to as vocational education programs. Perkins IV was authorized through [financial year 2012] FY2012, which ended September 30, 2012. The authorization is extended through [financial year 2013] FY2013 under the General Education Provisions Act. The US Department of Education issued its blueprint for reauthorization in April 2012. This report provides a summary of Perkins IV.

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Vocational education and training (VET) is a national concern and a national responsibility according to the author, who is the Queensland Minister for Employment, Training and Industrial Relations. It is the basis for our international performance, as fundamental to our national intellectual infrastructure as roads are to our physical infrastructure. Under-spending by the Commonwealth government on vocational education and training has amounted to $220 million over the past two years. Annual Commonwealth funding has remained static for the past three years and will remain so for another three. Joint stewardship needs to be reaffirmed during this period of great growth and greater opportunity. Show less

The Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006 (Perkins IV; P.L. 109-270) supports the development of academic and career and technical skills among secondary education students and postsecondary education students who elect to enroll in career and technical education (CTE) programs, sometimes referred to as vocational education programs. Perkins IV was authorized through [financial year 2012] FY2012, which ended on September 30, 2012. The authorization is extended through [financial year 2013] FY2013 under the General Education Provisions Act. This report provides a summary of potential reauthorization issues that Congress may consider in the 113th Congress.

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Canada is the only country in the OECD to not have a national strategy for international education. In 2011, the Canadian federal government announced plans to develop and launch Canada’s first international education strategy, including the creation of an advisory panel. The panel’s 2012 report outlines a balanced strategy to increase international student recruitment while also supporting the international mobility of Canadian students. Coordination of international education policy within a highly decentralized federal system remains a core challenge.

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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. The chapter is an edited version of a paper [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 119.1038] written by the authors in 2015. It sets out an idea that was both central and enduring to Peter Noonan's policy vision for tertiary education in Australia: an entitlement to funding for an initial post-school qualification for every young person. Noonan argued strongly that the different funding models and entitlements across vocational and higher education systems were acting as a barrier stopping young people from pursuing the education or training of their choosing.

The vocational and higher education sectors are financed separately, work to separate policy settings, and attract differing perceptions of prestige. The result of these variations is that tertiary education, taken as a whole and as a national institution, does not realise its potential for effective and equitable investment in human capital development. This chapter concentrates on the design of the financing system as it applies to revenue flowing to providers for qualification delivery. The aim is to inform the creation of a more transparent financing framework for tertiary education with clear responsibility and accountability for each level of government.

Edited excerpts from publication with additional information.

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