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The University of Newcastle recognises that there are many pathways to higher education and that a diverse student population adds richness and depth to the student experience. This year approximately 3,000 students enrolled in the University's enabling programs as a stepping-stone to higher education. Enabling programs include: Open Foundation - a tertiary preparation program which provides a qualification which students can use to gain entry to University; Newstep - a tertiary preparation program of one year duration, designed for 17-20 year olds who did not complete the Higher School Certificate or gain sufficient marks for entry into University; Yapug - is a tertiary preparation program designed to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people qualify for entry into undergraduate degrees. The University of Newcastle has also demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the credit articulation and transfer process and pathways between its five faculties and its academic and [vocational education and training] VET partners, including TAFE NSW and private registered training organisations. For example, seven per cent of students offered admission in semester one, 2012, had either TAFE or VET qualifications. Whilst the activities to date have produced sustainable and mutually beneficial outcomes, 2011 saw the University take pathways with its VET partners a step further. The University has a strong partnership with TAFE NSW Institutes, in particular its formal partners TAFE NSW, Hunter and TAFE NSW, North Coast. The University has shared campuses with these TAFE institutes for many years at Ourimbah on the Central Coast of New South Wales and Port Macquarie, New South Wales. A formalised partnership between these institutes has seen the development of a strategic framework in which to operate, setting priorities in relation to identifying potential academic opportunities including dual integrated degrees, credit articulation and reciprocal credit arrangements. This strategic framework has been presented as a best practice example by senior TAFE and university representatives at the 2nd Annual Dual Sector Forum held in Melbourne in October, 2011 and again in March, 2012, at the the 2nd Annual Interconnected Tertiary Education Conference.

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