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TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) argues that skill set and 'modular' vocational educational training programs should be funded based on those skill sets which meet occupational needs and provide capability to articulate and build toward broader industry qualifications. Australian governments currently restrict VET course funding to full occupational qualifications. TAFE Institutes, however, demonstrate a wide range of industry training delivery models to meet industry skill needs. Despite selected industry demands for 'skill set' funding, this aspect needlessly holds back TAFE's role to support challenging COAG productivity and access educational targets.

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Growth and development in green technologies and innovation are key elements of a productive and sustainable economy. Essential to this growth are appropriately educated technical and vocational education and training (TAFE and VET) teachers and students. Currently there are limited professional development opportunities for TAFE teachers and VET professionals to gain the knowledge and skills they require to develop and teach programs which integrate green skills. TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) advocates on-going and enhanced support for professional development in green technologies and sustainability for all TAFE and approved Registered Training Organisation (RTO) professionals. TDA proposes that funding criterion for the National Workforce Development Funds enable TAFE and approved RTOs to join with Industry Skill Councils (ISC) in developing the capability of VET professionals at the front-line to support high technological green credentials.

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This publication brings together papers and summaries of presentations from the 2014 conference. The theme of 'Vision 2020' explored ways to increase productivity and 'create dangerously' by considering topics such as future labour markets, what makes a college a global partner, the imperative of having a digital technology strategy, what TAFE institutes will look like in the future, and cultivating an entrepreneurial culture. Four pre-conference workshops were offered: (1) UNESCO-UNEVOC regional forum; (2) future proofing your TAFE institute; (3) maintaining quality in a time of scarce resources; and (4) entrepreneurial leadership. Speakers from Australia, USA, UK, China, Hong Kong, India, and Indonesia addressed a range of issues including future labour markets, business and industry goals; international partnerships; adopting LEAN principles; reconceptualising higher education; integrating innovation into an organisation; using digital technology; moving from a learning organisation to an entrepreneurial institution; the vision for the public provider; and international [vocational education and training] VET regulatory benchmarking.

The conference sessions were: Future labour markets; Skill development: unpacking trends and predictions; The 'Lean' university and other projects; Innovations in learning; Education and innovation: an international perspective; Sydney TAFE and Multistrada Partnership; Developing global partnerships in TVET; Global partnerships: Overarching theme; The Belfast Metropolitan College experience; The issues: How will TAFE survive ... with industry?; Setting the scene; TAFE won't survive; Getting on the good foot: responding to the question, will TAFE survive?; VET funding in Australia and the role of TAFE; Marketplace; Diversified higher education – an international perspective; Shifting boundaries and the pursuit of prestige; Diversified higher education; Sustaining growth and prosperity through diversification; Designed to engage; Digital technologies and VET; VET reform update; Food for thought in regulating the VET sector; VET regulation: how does Australia compare?; Quality assurance in the VET sector in Hong Kong.

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This report summarises one component of the second stage of an ongoing national project funded by the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) and undertaken by TAFE Directors Australia (TDA). The project addresses the issue of leadership and succession planning in TAFE, a key concern for TDA members as senior managers approach retirement age, taking with them their educational management and leadership skills. The first stage of the project addressed the leadership development needs of TAFE directors and senior managers. Stage two involved the development of a leadership capability framework for vocational education and training (VET) for chief executive officers (CEOs) and research into and development of a future model for Australian VET middle managers. This report addresses the development of a leadership capability framework for VET CEOs undertaken by TDA and the trial of some associated professional development activities. Both stages of the project confirm the value of TDA developing leadership experiences for its members and those aspiring to TAFE senior management roles. The project shows that these experiences need to be broad and that there is an urgent need for formal succession planning processes and the resources to support them. TDA endorses the value of the leadership capability framework and leadership development tools and processes (e.g. the 360 degrees assessment process, shadowing and mentoring, leadership workshop) for senior managers and CEOs in TAFE institutions. Show less

Enterprise and national productivity GDP are tied to the capability of Australia's own workforce which requires ongoing development. TAFE has been fundamental in delivering training – not only for individuals to have employability skills in metropolitan, rural and regional areas in Australia, but companies and SMEs requiring special skill upgrades, competition issues, and as technology requires safety and better performance. More recently, TAFEs are foremost to 'close the gap' in indigenous training and employability skills, and for Manufacturing Industry Restructuring TAFE remains at the centre of many state and territory re-skilling programs. This paper suggests that success relies on collaborative partnerships between enterprises and TAFE where TAFE is a workforce development partner.

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This occasional paper brings together the papers and summaries of discussion sessions from the 2010 National TAFE Directors conference. The key themes that emerged from the conference include: challenges and opportunities for Australia in the international education market; the shape of tertiary education and the implications for funding; leadership in tertiary education; quality and how it can be achieved and measured; and rural and regional priorities. The conference sessions were: TAFE in the Year of the Tiger topics: The ferocious tiger: what should quality mean for a 21st century TAFE institute? The toothless tiger: are competency-based qualifications relevant in a 21st century knowledge society?; Tiger or pussycat: what's in a name?: TAFE by any other name; Tiger stripes: what should performance benchmarks look like?; The government's priority drive; The hybrid tiger: one tertiary - a connected sector topics: Riding the tiger: education and skilled migration (The impact of changing migration scenarios on TAFE international student recruitment; International students and skilled migration: re-appraising the relationship); Riding the tiger: a Chinese perspective on education and skilled migration (New trends in VET reform and development in the People's Republic of China); World cafe: success and quality for a 21st century TAFE; The tertiary sector; Early prey (The technology tiger: 21st century technology for VET); Roar of the tiger: entrepreneurship and organisational growth (Newcastle College Group: delivering growth and excellence); Vocational education and training beyond 2010: next steps in VET reform; Year of the Tiger: leaders' perspectives (The drive to higher level skills and qualifications; 'TAFE should grab the higher skills agenda by its tail'); Prowling the jungle in a post-Bradley world (Competitive VET: a case study; Measuring success in the post-Bradley world; An industry view of innovative and high-performing TAFE institutes?); TDA beyond the election statement; Post-election analysis: education and training, a number one priority - stream one 'A tale of the domestic tiger' (Skills for the resources sector: a challenge for VET); stream two 'A tale of the global tiger' (A sustainable international education sector?). Show less

The 'Review of higher education', chaired by Denise Bradley (report indexed at TD/LMR 85.696), was established to address the question of whether the higher education sector is structured, organised and financed to position Australia to compete effectively in the new globalised economy. The panel has concluded that, while the system has great strengths, it faces significant, emerging threats which require decisive action. To address these, major reforms are recommended to the financing and regulatory frameworks for higher education. In this document, TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) responds to the key characteristics of an effective tertiary education and training system as set out in the review. Show less

A total of 10 TAFE participants from across Australia took part in key bilateral forums in the USA and Canada in May 2008. With contributions from the TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) participants and TDA partners in the USA and Canada, this paper highlights issues and opportunities aligned to key themes in vocational education and training [VET]. The papers are from mission members and are focused around their own interest areas and themes including: leadership; sustainability; international marketing; research and innovation; governance; regional and remote delivery; supporting indigenous learners; workforce and economic development; and mobility (staff and students). The contents are as follows: Future directions for TAFE: can international benchmarking improve RTO performance by broadening our experiential and institutional gene pool; The benefits of travel: valuing home; Research and innovation; Leadership and management development: observations from TDA’s North America; Edu-Canada: a national approach to marketing the Canadian college system; Reflections on first nation training in Canada; Regional and remote delivery of vocational education and training in the USA and Canada; Getting things moving … a mobility plan for USA, Canada and Australia; Expanding opportunities: postsecondary career and technical education and preparing tomorrow’s workforce; A new educational imperative for a new global century; Canada changes visa guidelines to attract more international students; American community colleges working effectively with employers; California community colleges and international education; The Global Consortium: global partnerships in action. Show less

The provision of international education services is Australia's no.1 export in the services industry. These services include education and training for international students, capacity building projects offshore, and partnerships with industry both at home and abroad. Australia's TAFE Institutes rank among the top three international technical, vocational education and training (TVET) providers in the world. TAFE Institute expertise is increasingly in demand from employers, government agencies, education institutions and donor organisations, particularly in the Asian region. Our expertise is sought to improve technical skills training in the region in order to increase both productivity and workforce participation. Of equal importance is our role in supporting Australian students and businesses to engage with other countries through outbound mobility programs and industry-led training programs. To enhance these services, TAFE needs a policy and regulatory environment which recognises the quality of our provision and actively supports our international engagement efforts. This includes streamlined student visa processing for our international students, post study work rights, and visa pricing equivalent to those currently offered to university graduates.

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The terms of reference of this inquiry are to investigate: (a) current skills shortages and likely skills requirements; (b) the effectiveness of current policies and programs and recommended improvements; (c) the effectiveness of industry strategies to meet current and emerging skill needs; (d) the performance and capacity of Job Network to match skills availability with labour market needs on a regional basis; (e) strategies to anticipate the vocational education and training needs resulting from industry restructuring and redundancies; and (f) consultation arrangements with industry, unions and the community on labour market trends in general and skills demand in particular. TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) is a national association representing TAFE institutes and the TAFE divisions of multi-sector educational institutions through its members, the CEOs of these bodies. This TDA response to the inquiry provides comments for each of the terms of reference, including comments on the effectiveness of current policies and programs and ways in which they could be improved. TDA considers that, although the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system has many strengths, it needs improving to meet future challenges. Such a system would need to better address the diverse needs of its learners, be flexible and responsive to rapidly changing requirements, and provide leading edge applied skills and knowledge to sustain a world class knowledge economy and high technology industries. Strategies to facilitate these objectives would include: a better focus on the needs of individual learners and the community as well as industry; some system redesign to improve flexibility and responsiveness; better integration of VET policies with other government policies; and increased national investment in skills formation.

The website for the inquiry is indexed at TD/TNC 71.234. Show less