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This research project was commissioned to inform the 2018 Review of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). Its focus is on the AQF Qualifications Pathways Policy and the extent to which the Policy supports student movement through credit pathways, including credit transfer, recognition of prior learning and articulation. The 2018 Review of the AQF will be critical for ensuring that tertiary education in Australia is underpinned by a respected, robust and cohesive organising framework. It is essential that the AQF review is informed by up-to-date data and insights into how well current arrangements are supporting flexible pathways within tertiary education. The purpose of this project is to ensure that relevant information on credit pathways is available to the AQF review.

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The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the national policy for regulated qualifications in Australian education and training. In the 2017-18 budget, the Australian Government announced a review of the AQF, to be completed by mid-2019. The review will ensure that the AQF continues to meet the needs of students, employers, education providers and the wider community. The AQF was last thoroughly reviewed between 2009–2011. Since then there have been: technological advances in education delivery, increased uptake of sub-qualifications and changes to standard international practice related to qualifications frameworks. The department contracted PhillipsKPA to provide contextual research for the review, related to international qualifications frameworks and domestic use of the AQF.

This report is from the contextual research for the review. It describes the process and findings of the contextual research for the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The purpose of this research is to provide contextual information to inform the 2018 Review of the AQF. It comprised: a comparison of the AQF against a selection of national qualifications frameworks from other countries; a consultation process and desk review of relevant documents and databases to research the breadth of the use of the AQF in both educational and non-educational settings in Australia. Structure of the report: The Executive Summary provides an overview of the main issues that stakeholders are asking to have addressed in the formal review and sets out issues for draft Terms of Reference for the review. Chapter 2 and Appendix 4 summarise national qualifications frameworks in Europe, South Africa, Asia, the Middle East, the Pacific including New Zealand, Canada and Mexico (the USA has no national qualifications framework). The AQF is compared on the basis of a number of key parameters with common international practice. Chapter 3 and Appendices 1, 2 and 3 discuss the current uses of the AQF in educational and non-educational contexts in Australia and summarises the implications of these uses for any changes to the AQF. Chapter 4 summarises the feedback we received from stakeholders on broader general issues relating to their experience with the AQF. These issues include the purpose, scope, structure, and benefits of the AQF. Chapter 5 summarises the feedback received from stakeholders relating to detailed aspects of the AQF levels, their descriptors and their relationship with qualifications. These issues are organised according to the levels of the AQF (pre-tertiary and 1 to 10).

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The Australian Government announced a review of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) in the 2017-18 budget and an Expert Panel, chaired by Peter Noonan, was appointed to undertake this review. The Secretariat to the Panel commissioned dandolopartners and Ithaca Group to undertake an impact assessment of the Panel's draft recommendations. This report: summarises the expected impacts of key recommendations, including what activities would be required to implement them, and potential mitigations to manage impacts; provides an analysis of the likely regulatory and legislative implications of the recommendations; and proposes an indicative implementation roadmap.

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The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a critical part of the architecture of the Australian education and training system. It defines the essential characteristics, including the required learning outcomes, of the 14 different types of qualifications issued across the senior secondary education, vocational education and training (VET) and higher education systems in Australia. To retain their relevance and effectiveness, qualifications will need to respond to current and emerging workforce and social needs, be delivered in ways that meet learners' needs and circumstances, and be trusted by learners, employers and the community generally. The Australian government announced a review of the AQF in the 2017-18 budget. This document is the final report of the Expert Panel, chaired by Peter Noonan. It recommends significant reforms to the AQF.

Key findings and recommendations include: The AQF is widely used by the tertiary education sectors to underpin the validity, reputation and value of formal qualifications in the Australian education and training system; there are too many levels, the structure is overly rigid and there is a lack of clarity between the current AQF levels and qualification types; shorter form credentials, especially microcredentials, will have greater portability if they have some quality assurance; and an ongoing governance body will be required to give effect to decisions by Ministers on the recommendations of the Review of the AQF and to ensure that the AQF remains relevant, is effectively implemented and widely used.

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In the 2017-18 budget, the Australian government announced a review of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). As part of the review, the Commonwealth Department of Education commissioned the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) to conduct: a conceptual analysis of the most appropriate way to develop and present a taxonomy of learning outcomes within a qualifications framework; and a technical analysis and revision of the 'Knowledge', 'Skills' and 'Application of knowledge and skills' descriptors used in the AQF. The findings, conclusions and recommendations from this work are presented in Part I of this report. Based on these findings, the Department commissioned ACER to: develop two alternative models that: (a) reflect the new conceptual base developed in the initial work; (b) comprise a set of revised domain definitions (along with a new typology for each domain); and (c) include some example descriptors to indicate how descriptors could operate; develop ways in which the two models might be utilised in the specification of qualification types; and analyse and report on potential benefits and limitations of the models. The findings, conclusions and recommendations from this work are presented in Part II of this report.

The following recommendations are made: (1) Recognise the need for a new AQF matrix; (2) Use the prototype as the starting point for the development of a new approach that builds on, and enhances, the new conceptual base; and (3) Design the matrix development process as a change management process that will develop stakeholder interest and ownership, while establishing and ensuring that the underpinning principles and concepts are reflected in the detail.

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The Australian Government announced the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Review in the 2017-18 Budget. The AQF is the national policy for regulated qualifications in Australia. As such, it affects education providers, industry and students. The AQF is agreed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). Both the COAG Education Council and the COAG Industry and Skills Council will need to consider and agree to any changes to the AQF recommended by this Review. In this discussion paper, the [AQF] Panel has posed some possible approaches involving change to the AQF to show its preliminary thinking about how the AQF might evolve. In other areas, issues are raised for discussion but approaches are not advanced at this stage of the Review process.

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The final report from the review is available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 138.311. Show less