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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 title of this year’s conference, Balancing the Big Issues: TAFE 2011, challenged presenters and delegates to review the critical issues facing vocational education and training (VET) leadership in an uncertain environment: industry skills trends in a low carbon economy, a connected tertiary sector, internationalisation, the ‘patchwork economy’, contestable markets and the new regulatory framework.

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Panel session, ‘A balancing act …’, contains the following papers: Strategic directors for VET: radical reform or business as usual? / Robin Shreeve; Who should drive the VET system: providers or industry? / Bob Paton; Contestable funding and uncapped higher education: clear skies or stormy weather? / David Williams; TAFE Australia: stitching together the patchwork economy / Sue A. Slavin. Panel session, ‘Wealth of resources – or patchwork economy?’, contains: The size of the [liquified natural gas] LNG industry / Miranda Taylor; Where must more be done to meet Australia’s skills needs? / John Coyle; Structural change or terminal decline? / Phillip Toner. Shadow Ministerial address / Sussan Ley, Federal Shadow Minister for Employment Participation; The session, ‘USA-Australia: sustainability, engagement and ‘green’ skills training’, contains: Establishing the business case for a USA-Australia ‘green’ skills learning exchange / Mindy Feldbaum; Developing the workforce for a sustainable and equitable future / Marcy Drummond; Technicians in the ‘Green’ economy / V. Celeste Carter. Stream 1, ‘Why should TAFE offer higher education?’, panel presenters: Linda Brown, Kevin Harris, Wayne Collyer, Nicholas Hunt. Stream 2, ‘Offshore TAFE’, panel presenters: Mark Howland, Marie Hill, Richard Clifford. Stream 3, ‘The new regulatory policy landscape’, topic speaker - Dianne Orr, panel presenter - Pat Forward. Other papers include: Community colleges’ baccalaureate degrees: trends in the United States of America and a practical model for change / Barbara J. Bryan; Session, ‘Higher education outside of universities’, contains: Teaching at the VET-HE interface: accounts from the US and UK / Leesa Wheelahan; International panel: Higher education in English further education colleges: ‘protect and grow’ / Martin Doel; College degrees in British Columbia: successes and challenges after twenty years / David G. Ross; Broadening the degree granting power of colleges to meet the needs of the new economy / Dan Patterson; Internationalisation and a Big Australia: debates on migration, education, population / Peter Mares; Session, ‘High performing institutions: competitors and collaborators’, contains: Surviving and thriving in a tough market - perspectives of a small private provider / Gary Cobbledick; How do we balance business imperatives with quality educational programs? / Helen Zimmerman; [University of Queensland] UQ College: an initiative at the right time / Rod Arthur; How do we balance business imperatives with quality educational programs? / Susan Hartigan. Ministerial address / Christopher Evans, Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations. Stream 1, ‘What should VET qualifications look like?’, contains: Topic speaker: John Buchanan; Panel presenters: Suzy McKenna, Allan Ballagh, Rod Cooke. Stream 2, ‘Unpacking the green skills challenge’, contains: Topic speaker: Garry McDonald: Panel presenters: Elizabeth McGregor and Alicia Bales. Stream 3, ‘Australia’s support for international students’, contains; Topic speaker: Allan Asher; Panel presenters: Colin Walters, Diane Seath. Stream 4, ‘Symposium - 2011 Emerging Leaders’. Show less

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

This publication brings together papers and summaries of presentations from the 2013 conference. The theme of 'TAFE redefined' was chosen because Australian governments are leading the way in redefining technical and further education in terms of market competitiveness. This is prompting technical and further education providers to respond by recreating the skills development landscape in diverse and inventive ways. Five pre-conference workshops were offered: (1) developing a higher education strategy; (2) fostering green growth and innovation; (3) competitive TAFE; (4) the qualities of a leader; and (5) what can be learnt from research. Speakers from USA, UK, China, Hong Kong and India addressed a range of issues including the economics of skills, Australia in the Asian Century; [massive open online courses] MOOCs and digital learning, the quality proposition, tertiary connectedness, and Indigenous workers and learners.

The conference sessions were: International roundtable: what does a higher education strategy look like; Dialogue on green growth, sustainability and innovation: a learning opportunity; Competitive [technical and further education] TAFE; So you want to be a [chief executive officer] CEO?; TAFE researchers forum: conversation between theory and practice; Australia in the Asian Century; Views from China; The economics of skills; The 'quality' proposition: what is it?; Establishing standards and benchmarks for critical workplace skills: an international perspective; Preparing students with 21st century skills: the role of FE colleges (UK) and community colleges (USA); Community colleges: a unique contribution to higher education: case study Miami Dade College; Redefining learning approaches: MOOCs, digital learning; Indigenous workers and learners; Redefining the relationship of technical and further education providers with industry; Redefining learner attributes: employees or entrepreneurs?; Why should TAFE/further education and community colleges offer higher education?; Navigating opportunities in India; Innovation and productivity; Job skills, jobs and productive work; The imperative of a global outlook for vocational education and training providers; Green growth and innovation; What is new in apprenticeship training; Beyond the hype: the politics of technical and further education.

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This conference was designed around two key themes: (1) positioning TAFE to meet the challenges of the global marketplace; and (2) one tertiary sector: implications for domestic and international markets. Other issues addressed at the conference were: implications for skill development as Australia emerges from a global financial crisis; a coalescence of government reforms that may be rewriting fundamental aspects of vocational education in Australia; and concerns about a 'crisis' for international students in Australia. Underneath many of these issues was a question about the distinctive mission of TAFE in a complex and volatile landscape. The conference sessions were: Overview; Positioning TAFE: market design; Positioning TAFE: Australian Apprentices Task Force; Positioning TAFE: challenges and opportunities; Winning the skills race; TAFE/tertiary and its people: talent management; Education for the changing world of work: developing skills for the new economy; Towards a coherent tertiary education approach; One tertiary sector: a university perspective; One tertiary sector: opportunities and threats for TAFE; One tertiary sector: a Skills Australia perspective; One tertiary sector: an industry perspective; Stronger pathways between the sectors; Demand driven system: choice, diversity and competition; Demand driven system; A demand driven system: dual sector institution perspective; Demand driven: union perspective; TAFE in the new international landscape; An international education strategy; Engaging with education agents; Helping to enhance accommodation options for international students; e2e Net: new options for bridging training and employment. Show less

This document presents the papers and proceedings from the TAFE meets Parliament (Skills Innovation 2020) forum held in Canberra on September 16-17, 2008. The event was designed to celebrate 10 years of TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) and to provide TAFE directors and senior managers with an opportunity to influence policy makers from the Federal Parliament and from Government agencies and departments in the national capital. Members of Parliament and Chief Executive Officers responded enthusiastically to TDA’s invitation to meet TAFE leaders and gain an understanding of key issues affecting the sector. The forum had both a domestic and an international stream. Both streams examined many issues, and opportunities emerging for TAFE, nationally and abroad. Show less

This occasional paper, the fourteenth in the series, brings together papers and summaries of presentations from the 2015 TAFE Directors Australia national conference, INSPIRE, which was held at The Grand Chancellor Hotel, Hobart from 9–11 September. The presentations included topics related to industry engagement; a market approach to vocational education and training (VET); quality and accountability, diversity of higher education providers, internationalising vocational education qualifications; emerging technologies, and Australia's partnerships with countries abroad. The majority of the papers from the conference plenary sessions are included in this occasional paper.

The conference sessions were: Embracing the shark: risk governance = value creation; Higher education in TAFE; Can TAFE institutes in regional locations help the business communities be more innovative?; Increasing staff capability to drive organisational performance: inspiration based on evidence; A conversation: what could be the big leap forward for Australia's policy on skills?; How can vocational education and training contribute to the next wave of economic growth?; The regulator, the registered training organisation (RTO), the broker and the lawyer; Review of training packages and accredited courses; Good skills and fine training in New Zealand: we think we have all the ingredients but do we have the recipe?; Australian International Education 2025; US community colleges conferring baccalaureate degrees: an update; When do markets work in education: and when don't they?; How adopting a Smart Campus mindset can help TAFEs train people for the jobs of the future; Training for the global economy: trends in the Asian Region; Three years in Beijing: thoughts on China's rise; VET Reform in China; Switching on students: technology isn't enough!; A new and compelling narrative for the directors of Australia's public provider; Quality and accountability: what can we learn from Ontario, Canada?; My inspiration - my passion - my future; TAFE the quality benchmark? Industry partnerships: a way of achieving quality; What role should commissioned agents play in the on-shore international vocational education and training industry?; Future higher education diversity; Australia-China: develop and strengthen mutual interests in a rapidly changing environment; How TAFEs are getting it right: competing to win in 2016; How has the competitive marketplace played out across the States and Territories for TAFE?; VET, the internet and social capital: Some navigational aids for the revolution.

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TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) has developed this initiative as a project-based approach to illustrate strategies for Indigenous engagement in vocational education and technical training by Australia’s TAFE institutes. It forms part of the Indigenous Charter project reviewing training in regional and remote communities. The case studies have been endorsed by the relevant TDA members and are designed to assist training organisations to achieve: active involvement of local Indigenous communities in determining appropriate relevance, processes and outcomes for vocational education and training; personal development, education, training and employment outcomes for our Indigenous clients; community-based education and training that is locally relevant and linked to community development goals; quality teaching that is culturally aware and responsive to individuals; and maintenance of and connection to Indigenous cultures and identity. Show less

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 conference took a global perspective with a focus on the growth of Australia's Asian neighbours. Delegates explored issues of skills development that not only reflect the developing relationship between Australia and Asia but also the changing relationships between Australia's western and eastern states. The participants explored a range of topics, including the opportunities and challenges facing technical and further education public providers; improving training and employment outcomes for Indigenous Australians; the question of whether Australia has a sustainable competitive advantage in skills development; how federal vocational education and training policy is impacting productivity; and best practice in TAFE governance and organisation.

The conference sessions were: Executive leadership in a tertiary environment; Capacity building for an agile organisation; East meets West; Asia focus; Skills for a global workforce: does Australia still have a sustainable competitive advantage in skills development?; Opportunities and challenges for business and educational institutions in Indonesia; China's TVET vision and priorities; VET reform and new tertiary models: a conversation between Australia and New Zealand; How connected are we at home and abroad?; A new paradigm for technical and further education; Successful vocational outcomes for Indigenous people; Beyond the boom: has Australia's affluence produced complacency?; Industry case studies: where are the jobs now and in the future? (defence industry; resources industry; health industry; hospitality industry); A question of governance; International networks and partnerships; What is education for sustainability (EfS) and how do we build this into our teaching and learning?; What could a post-secondary education system look like?; Apprenticeships: everything old is new again: can there be a breakthrough?

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