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The Ministerial Statement, 'Our universities backing Australia's future', was released with the Federal Budget on 13 May, 2003. This independent study has been commissioned to analyse the Commonwealth's decisions with emphasis on issues in areas of particular concern to State and Territory Governments. The report is provided in two volumes. Volume one analyses the current situation in Australian Higher Education. Volume two then analyses the decisions announced in 'Backing Australia's future'.

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This publication considers the way growth funds are allocated to the post-compulsory education and training system and looks at other options. It largely confirms the student projections to the year 2001 that appeared in the Finn report and the consequent resource requirements to meet that student demand. The Advice proposes policy initiatives that require considerable further analysis and assessment. It suggests that alternative mechanisms should be considered for allocating growth funds which would further facilitate and encourage maximum use of existing infrastructure through collaborative ventures, within and between sectors or between institutions and industry. The Advice identifies a number of options for financing growth through contributions by government, employers and individuals. Show less

This report looks at the structural and policy changes at Commonwealth level in adult education since the 1991 report 'Come in Cinderella: the emergence of adult and community education' (indexed at TD/LMR 85.644). It examines significant changes in the patterns and level of participation by adults in education and training, describes the organisation of adult and community education (ACE) provision in the states and territories and identifies technological, demographic and economic trends such as our aging population and the Internet which are likely to influence significantly the nature and extent of adult education provision in Australia. It also examines the professional development of adult education since 1991, and prepares guidelines for Australia's contribution to the UNESCO International Conference on Adult and Community Education. Chaired by Senator Rosemary Crowley, the Committee recommended an unequivocal commitment by government to the concept of lifelong society, and recommended a bringing together of the national ACE policy and the vocational education and training (VET) policy to establish an integrated National Adult Community and Vocational Education and Training (NACVET) Policy. Show less

All jurisdictions in Australia have signed a Heads of Agreement for Skills Reform. The Agreement sets out immediate reforms to improve the vocational education and training (VET) sector and an approach and priorities for developing a new National Skills Agreement to replace the National Agreement on Skills and Workforce Development [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 104.531]. The priorities in the Agreement are aimed at ensuring the VET system is delivering for students and employers and equipping Australians with the skills they need for emerging jobs.

The Commonwealth is also partnering with the states and territories to deliver the JobTrainer Fund, which will provide more access to free, or low cost, training places in areas of identified skills need.

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In November 2011, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) Standing Council on Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment (SCOTESE) agreed to a National Foundation Skills Strategy for Adults. Australian governments have worked in partnership to develop this 10 year strategy built around a shared vision for a productive and inclusive Australia in which adults develop and maintain the foundation skills they need to participate confidently in the modern economy and meet the complex demands of modern life. The strategy focuses on improving outcomes for working age Australians (aged 15-64 years) with a view to moving more people to higher levels, but with a particular focus on those with low levels of foundation skill proficiency. Australian governments have set an aspirational target that by 2022, two thirds of working age Australians will have literacy and numeracy skills at Level 3 or above. For the purpose of the strategy, foundation skills are defined as the combination of: English language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) - listening, speaking, reading, writing, digital literacy and use of mathematical ideas; and employability skills, such as collaboration, problem solving, self-management, learning and information and communication technology (ICT) skills required for participation in modern workplaces and contemporary life. Foundation skills development includes both skills acquisition and the critical application of these skills in multiple environments for multiple purposes. Foundation skills are fundamental to participation in the workplace, the community and in adult education and training.

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The national strategy for vocational education and training 1998-2003 expresses the collective commitment by Australian governments, in partnership with Australian industry, to vocational education and training (VET). The strategy analyses economic, industrial and social forces for change and their implications for vocational education and training over the next five years. It sets out a vision for VET, aligned with five key objectives. These objectives are: (1) equipping Australians for the world of work; (2) enhancing mobility in the labour market; (3) achieving equitable outcomes in VET; (4) increasing investment in training; and (5) maximising the value of public vocational education and training expenditure. Show less

The challenge of funding a high quality higher education system, ensuring it has the capacity to help meet the increasing demand for high level skills in the economy and the aspirations of students, has been an ongoing concern for successive Australian governments over many years. This paper reviews the findings and recommendations of significant reviews of Australia's higher education funding system from the 1988 Dawkins white paper through to the 2014 'Review of the demand driven funding system'. It summarises the challenges identified and responses proposed across that period as well as some recent international literature about higher education reform. What is clear from the survey of major reviews from 1988 to the present is the similarity of issues that were of concern to governments of the day. Successive governments have sought to build and fund a higher education system to meet the need for high level skills and innovative research for the Australian economy. The challenge for all governments has been how to enable greater numbers of students to access the benefits higher education offers - in terms of employment, earnings, social and cultural opportunities - while ensuring the system remains fair, high quality and affordable for both individuals and taxpayers.

The number of domestic higher education students has more than doubled since 1989 and, as student numbers have grown, they have come from more diverse social, economic and academic backgrounds. The number of providers and their diversity has also grown, with around 20 new public universities since the late 1980s and the emergence of significant numbers of non-university providers. The proportion of the Australian working age population with a bachelor degree or higher qualification has tripled since 1989 to just over 25 per cent. Direct Australian Government funding for teaching, learning and research has grown both in absolute and real terms. The paper concludes that Australia is not unique in facing this growth and higher education systems around the world are increasingly moving from elite to mass systems, and beyond to universal systems.

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A review of Australia’s higher education system was undertaken by the Commonwealth Government in 2002. The Review began with the release of an overview paper entitled ‘Higher education at the crossroads’ in April 2002 (indexed at TD/TNC 71.381). The paper described some of the characteristics of the higher education sector and the challenges facing it. It raised a number of questions for debate and called for submissions on the issues raised. There were 355 submissions from a variety of stakeholders in response to the overview paper. This document, based on the outcomes of the review process, presents the Government’s blueprint for reform. It proposes increased Commonwealth investment of $1.5 billion over four years linked to progressively introduced reforms in areas such as teaching, workplace productivity, governance, student financing, research, cross sectoral collaboration and quality. Show less

This Senate Committee report is the culmination of three years of close scrutiny of vocational education and training (VET) issues by senators covering education policy areas. It provides a plan for addressing the concerns about the adequacies of quality assurance in VET. The Committee’s broad inquiry into VET has covered many technical and complex issues facing the sector. The extensive terms of reference addressed by the Committee involved a detailed consideration of concerns held by the wide range of stakeholders in the national VET structure. The terms of reference cover the effectiveness of the VET sector in developing the educational skills of the Australian people and the skills formation and productivity of the Australian workforce, including: (1) an evaluation of the place of the New Apprenticeships scheme within the national priorities set for Australia’s vocational education system and the appropriateness of those priorities; (2) an evaluation of claims that the key objectives of the original New Apprenticeships scheme, as agreed by the states and territories, are not being met; (3) an assessment of the quality of provision of technical and further education (TAFE) and private providers in the delivery of nationally recognised and non-recognised VET services and programs; (4) an examination of the impact on the quality and accessibility of VET resulting from the policy of growth through efficiencies and user choice in VET; (5) an evaluation of the provision of Commonwealth and state employers’ subsidies; (6) an evaluation of the growth, breadth, effectiveness and future provision of vocational education in schools; and (7) an assessment of the consistency, validity and accessibility of statistical information on the performance of national VET systems, especially relating to apprenticeships and traineeships. The report contains 28 recommendations to the government. These go to the heart of restoring quality in VET, beginning with a renegotiation of VET objectives with major participants in the training network, but focusing mainly on strengthening institutional arrangements which ensure compliance with quality control processes.

The overview and recommendations are indexed at TD/TNC 63.458. The Government response to the report is indexed at TD/TNC 66.506. Show less

The National Skills Agreement is a five-year agreement between Commonwealth and state and territory governments, working in partnership, to ensure that the national vocational education and training (VET) system provides high-quality, responsive and accessible education and training to boost productivity, deliver national priorities and support Australians to obtain the skills and capabilities they need to obtain well-paid, secure jobs.

As part of the National Skills Agreement, the Parties have committed to implementing improved funding arrangements, with a view to replacing the National Specific Purpose Payments for Skills and Workforce Development.

The National Skills Agreement replaces the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development (NASWD) [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 104.531] which was established through the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations.

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