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This publication sets out the national strategy for vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. It is the intended direction agreed by the governments, and the sum of a number of specific strategies designed to deliver responsive, quality, accessible and efficient VET. The strategy is designed as a framework which will evolve and be periodically reviewed. Implementation will be through existing mechanisms, including State and Territory training profiles, national industry VET plans and performance agreements. The strategy emphasises greater responsiveness, enhanced quality, improved accessibility and increased efficiency. Show less

In response to the findings of the Bradley Review of Australian Higher Education, the Australian government will invest in universities and the tertiary education system to drive comprehensive reform across the postcompulsory education and training sector. The government is proposing a phased 10-year reform agenda for higher education and research to boost Australia’s national productivity and performance as a knowledge-based economy. The program will involve: (1) transforming access to higher education through a major package designed to radically improve the participation of students from low socio-economic backgrounds (SES) in higher education, and enhance their learning experience; (2) promoting greater diversity and quality within the tertiary sector by phasing in a new system to allocate funding on the basis of student demand; support to encourage more students to choose teaching and nursing and to study overseas; and support for the renewal of student services and amenities; (3) providing funding certainty and creating a more sustainable higher education sector through higher indexation of teaching and learning grants; (4) ending historic funding cross-subsidisation by increasing funding for the full cost of university research, and enabling universities to strive for research excellence in areas of strength; (5) upgrading university and TAFE infrastructure to meet the teaching and learning requirements of students, teachers and researchers now and into the future; (6) establishing the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), which will provide the foundation for enhancing quality and accreditation in higher education; (7) reforming student income support, which will redirect assistance so that it reaches the most needy students to boost both their higher education participation and attainment; (8) supporting regional tertiary education provision with a review of regional loading, encouragement to explore new models of delivery and access to new structural adjustment funding for the sector; (9) building stronger connectivity between the higher education and vocational education and training sectors; and (10) forging a new relationship between government and educators built on mutual respect, trust and agreed funding compacts.

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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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The need for reforms of the Australian vocational education and training (VET) system to build the skills of the workforce and to facilitate the processes of economic development and structural change had been well documented in previous Ministerial statements ('Skills for Australia' (indexed at TD/LMR 85.648); 'A changing workforce' (indexed at TD/LMR 85.675); and 'Industry training in Australia: the need for change' (indexed at TD/LMR 85.664)). This policy statement announces reforms that would underpin the award restructuring process already in process, with an extended and improved training infrastructure. The initiatives outlined in this statement aimed to enhance the quality, consistency and equity of the national training system. They included: organising a meeting of relevant Federal and State Ministers to seek agreement on establishing a National Training Board to determine national standards and skill competencies across a full range of industries and occupations; establishing a National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR) to enable the development of national standards for competency-based skills recognition; allocating funding for skills audits, development of skills and competency-based training, curriculum development and an expansion of Training Services Australia and Group Training Schemes; funding to improve equity in apprenticeship arrangements to encourage more disadvantaged groups to enter the job market; and more flexible and broadly-based training arrangements. 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

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

The Australian Government has significant financial and policy responsibility for higher education, while State and Territory governments retain major legislative responsibilities. Recent debate has suggested that there may be a need to re-think this arrangement to promote national consistency and transparency in key areas and ensure the capacity of Australia's universities to compete in both domestic and international markets. On the evidence currently available, there may be benefits in the Australian Government having a greater role in three key regulatory functions which are currently the responsibility of State and Territory governments.

Firstly, legislative differences mean that universities cannot always operate on a level playing field in seeking to expand and diversify their revenue sources through commercial activities. The Australian Government could play a strategic role in encouraging and achieving more consistency across jurisdictions and institutions in areas such as land use, power to invest and to operate outside jurisdiction of establishment. Secondly, governance and management in public universities have not always been responsive to changes in the operating environment over the last decade, for example, diversification of revenue sources and growth in commercial activity. All the State and Territory governments support implementation of the National Governance Protocols introduced by the Australian Government. Thirdly, there is an emerging consensus on the need for greater national consistency in recognition of universities and accreditation of courses and providers. It has been suggested that variations in the implementation of the National Protocols on Higher Education Approval Processes between the States and Territories are costly for providers seeking to operate in more than one State and Territory and confusing for consumers. They may negatively affect Australia's reputation for quality and consistency.

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The Standards Policy Framework paper presents the [National Skills Standards Council’s] NSSC’s position on the policy that underpins the reforms required to the current standards for the regulation of vocational education and training. The NSSC is a committee of the Standing Council on Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment (SCOTESE), one of a number of Standing Councils that report to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). A primary function of the NSSC is the development of national standards for regulation of vocational education and training for approval by SCOTESE. SCOTESE asked that the NSSC, as a priority, undertake a broad ranging review of the standards for the regulation of vocational education and training, focusing on issues of quality. Standards are critical to the appropriate and effective regulation of vocational education and training, ensuring the integrity of qualifications awarded to learners and supporting the achievement of both improved productivity and social outcomes for all Australians. The NSSC’s review has confirmed the need to reform the existing standards for the regulation of vocational education and training. Based on an analysis of available evidence and extensive consultation, the NSSC found that there are many instances of excellent practice in registered training organisations (RTOs) across the country, leading to quality outcomes. However, the NSSC was also made aware of the growing concern that excellent practice is not systemic across vocational education and training, with current delivery highly variable in terms of quality of qualification outcomes. Effective regulation of vocational education and training is critical to the reputation of the sector; the confidence of industry and employers in the value of the qualifications issued by RTOs; and individual learners and employees having the skills to effectively perform in the workforce. This paper presents the NSSC’s Standards Policy Framework which it considers critical to ensuring consistent, high quality vocational education and training and the integrity and reputation of vocational qualifications awarded to learners. Subject to agreement by SCOTESE, the Standards Policy Framework will provide the basis upon which draft regulatory standards are developed for presentation to SCOTESE for endorsement later in 2013.

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In 2012 the Commonwealth and states and territories committed to a National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform (NP) [indexed at TD/TNC 108.1569]. The agreement set out the goals and structures of intergovernmental [vocational education and training] VET funding and reform for the period 2012-13 to 2016-17. The NP was created in accordance with the provisions of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations (IGA-FFR), and is directed to achieving the reform directions agreed under the National Agreement on Skills and Workforce Development (NASWD). The NP has the objective of a 'VET system that delivers a productive and highly skilled workforce which contributes to Australia's economic future, and to enable all working age Australians to develop the skills and qualifications needed to participate effectively in the labour market'. This review of the NP has been commissioned as called for by the agreement itself.

The review has examined 'progress of the structural reforms and training outcomes', noting that the jurisdictionally flexible reforms have differed across the states and territories and are at different stages of implementation. While the review has considered progress within individual states and territories, its focus has remained on progress at the national level. To inform future VET policy, the review has identified examples of good practice across different aspects of the training system and has considered and made recommendations on future objectives, outcomes and outputs that could form the basis of any future Commonwealth-state agreements. The report first addresses the specific outcomes of the NP, then considers good practice and future reform.

The chapters are as follows: Overview of the National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform; An accessible and equitable training system (Outcome 1); A more transparent VET sector (Outcome 2); A higher quality VET sector (Outcome 3); A more efficient and responsive VET sector (Outcome 4); National Partnership Agreement on Skills Reform VET training outcomes; Recommendations for future Commonwealth-state agreements. The appendices provide greater detail on jurisdictional training outcomes and the background to the review.

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This position paper reports the findings and recommendations for a new governance framework for the national training system. The paper is the culmination of an extensive review and consultations across all jurisdictions and engagement with key stakeholders, and supports a more aligned and streamlined governance model for an integrated tertiary sector. Three overarching messages emerged during consultations. Firstly, submissions urged a reinvigorated partnership or compact between governments and industry if the foundations of the governance system are to be sound. Stakeholders were also very clear about the need for a shared national policy agenda on workforce and economic development, using the knowledge we gain from our industry partners to inform investment in skills linked to labour market needs, sustainable employment and long term careers. A toughened and more consistent national framework for regulation to deliver the highest quality outcomes and enhanced performance by the system was a further theme. The paper identifies six underpinning functions of the national training system’s future governance and architecture and Skills Australia proposes these as the framework on which a more cohesive and streamlined system can be established. The functions are: (1) leading a unified vision for skills to support a national economy; (2) providing strategic advice and the evidence for reform; (3) investing wisely and effectively in skills and workforce development; (4) regulating and ensuring quality services and products; (5) using information to inform decision making, quality and client choice; and (6) providing training services that meet needs.

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The consultation paper is indexed at TD/TNC 95.916. Show less