Creating a future direction for Australian vocational education and training: a discussion paper on the future of the VET system

Fundamental changes to vocational education, including a user-pays funding model, a transformed apprenticeship system and the partial merger of TAFEs and universities, have been put forward by Skills Australia in this discussion paper. The paper describes vocational training as a system suffering from declining funding, stagnant enrolments and a lack of national co-ordination. In the paper, Skills Australia has put forward a range of options including: (1) a transformed funding model which would effectively make students and business the main source of income; (2) a restructure of the...  [+] Show more

Fundamental changes to vocational education, including a user-pays funding model, a transformed apprenticeship system and the partial merger of TAFEs and universities, have been put forward by Skills Australia in this discussion paper. The paper describes vocational training as a system suffering from declining funding, stagnant enrolments and a lack of national co-ordination. In the paper, Skills Australia has put forward a range of options including: (1) a transformed funding model which would effectively make students and business the main source of income; (2) a restructure of the apprenticeship system - the new system would focus on boosting the 50 per cent student completion rate by offering personalised advice and career mentoring, the option of a pre-apprenticeship program to help course selection, and assessment based on competence rather than ‘doing the time’; (3) the possibility of blurring the lines between TAFEs and universities, including the creation of polytechnic colleges. It may also include more dual-sector institutions, especially if students demand better pathways between vocational education and higher education. Alternatively, vocational education providers may increase their entry into the degree area. Skills Australia are calling for submissions on the issues and questions raised in the discussion paper (by 26 November 2010) and will be holding public meetings in every state and territory.