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In 2004, the Australian Government acknowledged that a ‘cohesive and coordinated approach to accelerate the uptake of e-research by the research community was needed if Australia’s research strengths were to remain internationally relevant and competitive’. In April 2005, the Minister for Education, Science and Training and the Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts jointly established the e-Research Coordinating Committee to provide expert advice to the Government about developing Australia’s e-research capacity. In December 2005, an interim report of the e-Research Coordinating Committee was accepted by the Government as the basis for further work to develop an e-research implementation strategy. This current report is the result of the e-Research Coordinating Committee’s work and it proposes the implementation of a strategic framework and activities to accelerate the development of Australia’s e-research capabilities. Key issues addressed are: the need for leadership to drive cultural change; fostering engagement, participation and cooperation; research, development and deployment of ICT solutions for e-research; skills acquisition; support for researchers through a national e-research centre; access, authentication and authorisation; support for the physical resources, software and services that enable e-research activities (otherwise known as the e-research ‘fabric’); data management and accessible databases; and coordination. Show less

The is the sixth innovation report since the announcement of 'Backing Australia's ability', the Australian government's five year innovation statement. It provides an opportunity to reflect on the achievements of Australian government departments and agencies against the themes of 'Backing Australia's ability', along with their progress in addressing broader national goals through their implementation of the National Research Priorities. The report additionally presents the findings of the third Australian Innovation Scorecard, comparing Australia's innovation performance to that of other countries in the OECD. It thus provides a broader global context for Australia's innovation activities and a means of tracking the nation's progress in an increasingly competitive global economy. Finally, the report outlines the important role that key institutions and strategic planning processes are playing in informing the future of Australian science and innovation and ensuring that Australia remains well-placed to benefit from its investments in the future.

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This publication contains a selected set of statistical tables compiled from the Higher Education Staff Collection, which was conducted in 2004 by the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The data reported provide a summary of numbers and full-time equivalence (FTE) for staff involved in the provision of higher education in higher education institutions in 2004.

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This report examines the dramatic and far-reaching changes that occurred in Australian higher education (HE) throughout the decade of the 1990s. It chronicles the changes that have reshaped the HE system in Australia, including developments in government policy, the impact on students, the strategic directions taken by universities and their operation and governance. These changes touched numerous aspects of Australian Commonwealth HE policy and university life. They also consolidated and extended the substantial reforms of the late 1980s. The chapters are: A perspective on a decade of change; Education developments; Developments in research and research training; Access and equity; International perspectives; Quality assurance; Students and staff; and Governance and management. Show less

[This report] is designed to support international engagement by the Australian [vocational education and training] VET sector by articulating some of the opportunities available and also some of the challenges faced. It is designed to encourage a shared vision, and greater collaboration and partnerships, amongst the key stakeholders of the sector. [This report] provides an overview of the Australian VET sector as well as Australia’s international education and training engagement, in order to ‘set the scene’ for the operating environment of the sector. Some key issues in the international education and training arena for the Australian VET sector have been highlighted. [This report] then proposes a range of objectives and strategies to maximise the opportunities available in the period 2007-2011.

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This annual report for 2002-03 contains information about the Department of Education, Science and Training's (DEST's) role, its corporate governance arrangements and management accountability framework, and its performance against the outcomes and outputs framework set out in the 2002-03 Portfolio Budget Statements. The first two chapters contain the Department Secretary's review of the year and an overview of DEST. Chapters three to five report on DEST's performance in achieving the following outcomes: students acquire high quality foundation skills and learning outcomes from schools; individuals achieve relevant skills and learning outcomes from post-school education and training for work and life; and Australia has a strong science, research and innovation capacity and is engaged internationally in science, education and training to advance its social development and economic growth. Chapter six looks at management and accountability arrangements. Included as appendices are: Occupational health and safety; Freedom of information; Payments to advertising and marker research organisations; Discretionary grants; Consultancies; Ecologically sustainable development and environmental performance reporting; Commonwealth disability strategy; Financial statements; Glossary and acronyms; Tables and figures. Show less

The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) is a not-for-profit company owned by the State, Territory and Australian Government ministers responsible for vocational and technical education (VTE). In this capacity NCVER manages the collection of VTE data as well as contracts for a competitive research program. The Hon. Gary Hardgrave MP, Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, initiated a review of the two key research and statistical services that the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) has entered into with NCVER on behalf of the national VTE system. The review examined: the range of services provided in the research and statistical contracts; value for money for the research and statistical contracts; the impact of research and statistical work completed by NCVER; and the responsiveness of NCVER to shareholder and stakeholder priorities for research and statistical services. Input was sought from key shareholders and stakeholders of the national VTE system and clients of NCVER's services. The report found that, while there is widespread endorsement for the work of NCVER and its staff, there are areas of concern where improvement is recommended. A comprehensive list of recommendations is offered. Show less

The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) and the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) funded a project in 2001 to analyse and report on industry requirements for ‘employability skills’. This project was jointly managed by the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and was completed in March 2002. Employability skills were defined for the purposes of the project as ‘skills required not only to gain employment, but also to progress within an enterprise so as to achieve one’s potential and contribute successfully to enterprise strategic directions’. The project was commissioned to provide: (a) advice on possible new requirements for generic employability competencies that industry needs, or will need in the forseeable future, since the development of the Mayer key competencies; (b) clear definitions of what Australian industry and enterprises perceive as employability skills and the terminology being used to describe them; and (c) a proposed suite of employability skills and assessment and reporting options. The project also investigated industry reactions to the proposed suite and reporting options and undertook case studies involving a number of large enterprises and focus group research with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This report is based on a review of Australian and overseas policy and research literature on key employability skills. It clarifies concepts and terminology, analyses the principles and purposes of different approaches to key employability skills, develops a framework of such skills to support the fieldwork aspects of the overall project, and suggests strategies to facilitate the development of these skills more effectively within Australian education and training.

The project final report is indexed at TD/TNC 70.178. The report on detailed case studies with large enterprises is indexed at TD/TNC 70.180 and the report on the SMEs research is indexed at TD/TNC 70.181. Show less

The aim of this report is to help industry, government policy makers and training providers better understand the drivers of skill needs in the agrifood industry and identify the options for meeting those needs. This report provides the findings of a high level review of the skills and workforce issues confronting the agrifood industry and its five industry sectors: food processing, meat, seafood, racing, and rural and related industries. The key drivers of skills needs for the agrifood industry are: development of the regions; worker attraction and retention; demographic change and employment arrangements; consumer and customer service demands; competitiveness and productivity demands; business compliance; innovation; and globalisation. The relationship between these drivers and skill requirements are analysed and conclusions are developed on how changing drivers may impact on the skills base. Participation, attainment and expenditure trends in vocational and technical education are also discussed. Strategies addressing a broad range of issues driving current and future skills and workforce needs, with a focus on the role of training are recommended. Some of these strategies include: utilising existing industry champions to promote the agrifood industry as a preferred career choice for people in regional and urban areas; the provision of incentives such as higher remuneration, better working conditions and flexible arrangments to encourage older and experienced workers to remain on the job longer; developing skills in international business management; creating partnerships with government, industry and communities to strategically invest in infrastructure development; education of the industry on the challenges and opportunities of globalisation, the importance of research and innovation, and the effecient use of new technology in the global marketplace; developing and distributing tools and resources relating to environment, food safety, occupational health and safety risks and sustainability; adopting a futures approach to the development of training packages to better link research and development to competencies; and providing clear information about career paths and job opportunities that enable informed employment and education choices. Show less

This report provides detailed insights into the practical implementation of credit transfer arrangements in a variety of settings. It contains seven major case studies and a series of shorter vignettes, together with an analysis of the key themes emerging from the case studies. The case studies were selected to illustrate a range of approaches to credit transfer. The major case studies included are: Southbank Institute of TAFE with Griffith University and the Queensland University of Technology; Edith Cowan University; South Australia TAFE and the three SA universities; University of Newcastle; Swinburne University of Technology; Blue Mountains Hotel Management School; nursing pathways at the University of Wollongong, James Cook University and the University of Melbourne.

The stage 1 report is indexed at TD/TNC 90.718.

The final report is indexed at TD/TNC 90.720. Show less