Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations
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Submission 66
ROYAL MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment,
Education and Training on The Appropriate Roles of Institutes of Technical
and Further Education
7 November 1997
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In this submission RMIT argues that the role of TAFE Institutes
should be to provide
- initial skills training for tradespersons, technicians and para- professionals;
- custom designed programs for skills upgrading in industry;
- opportunities for individuals, whatever their qualifications, to obtain
additional work-related skills;
- programs through which "educationally disadvantaged" groups
gain access to post-secondary education;
- personal enrichment programs;
- increased educational export opportunities.
Because of changes in the operating environment of TAFE Institutes, however,
they will need to make a paradigm shift in the way they design and deliver
programs. Programs in the future will need to:
- be demand rather than supply driven
- reflect "just in time" competency based training rather
than a "linear hierarchy of skills"
- incorporate multiple entry and exit points rather than fixed entry
and exit points.
To meet the challenges of the future, TAFE Institutes will need to act
as facilitators and brokers of education and training activity which facilitates
life-long learning, can be accessed flexibly, is international in its
perspective, and is integrated with other sectors.
Relationships between TAFE Institutes and Universities already
include arrangements for articulation and credit transfer, cooperation
in the delivery of programs, and sharing of resources such as equipment.
Such cooperative arrangements should be encouraged in the future and can
be expected to take many forms to cater for the diverse circumstances
and individual strengths of TAFE Institutes and universities.
RMIT believes that to preserve the integrity of both the Vocational Education
and Training and Higher Education sectors, TAFE Institutes should not
be allowed to award degrees in their own right. Cooperation in the delivery
of degree programs accredited by universities should, however, be encouraged.
The role of TAFE Institutes in research should be limited to cooperative
arrangements with universities which facilitate the effective exploitation
of their complementary strengths.
The RMIT model of integrating the design and delivery of TAFE and Higher
Education programs into a single seamless structure is one of several
potentially effective models of joint cooperation between TAFE institutes
and universities.
Governments need to embody flexibility in their policies and procedures
for matters as diverse as capital planning and management, the management
of staff resources and reporting to ensure that the potential benefits
from such co-operation are maximised.
Introduction
The Minister for Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs has
asked the Committee to investigate and report on
- the appropriate roles of institutes of technical and further education;
- the extent to which those roles should overlap with universities.
This submission addresses these questions having regard to
- the role currently played by TAFE institutes in educating and training
the Australian workforce, earning export income, providing personal
enrichment opportunities for a broad cross-section of the community,
and promoting access to educational opportunities amongst disadvantaged
groups;
- recent and anticipated changes in the operating environments of TAFE
institutes and universities;
- the effective and efficient use of resources applied to education
and training in Australia.
1. The Current Roles of TAFE Institutes
1.1 Educating and Training the Workforce
In 1996, TAFE Institutes and other government vocational education and
training providers in Australia enrolled a total of 1, 227, 765 students.
They were part of a wider vocational education and training network including
community education providers and private providers who serviced a total
of 1,744, 689 clients. The majority of these students (77.6%) were enrolled
in vocational programs such as those required to enter various trades
or technical occupations, but almost a quarter were enrolled in personal
enrichment programs. 91% of those enrolled in TAFE Institutes were enrolled
in vocational programs. In 1995-96, Governments in
Australia spent a total of $ 2,391 million on TAFE education in Australia.
The above data reflects the historic role of TAFE Institutes, which was
to provide training for persons entering trade occupations, particularly
and predominantly to males exiting school and undertaking concurrent on
and off-the-job training via apprenticeships. After the 1975 Kangan Report
TAFE Institutes progressively serviced a wider range of clients, including
people with non-traditional education experiences returning to study,
people in employment undertaking part- time study, and disadvantaged groups
seeking bridging and preparatory programs.
The core role of TAFE Institutes throughout this period, however, has
been to provide individuals with the skills and capabilities required
to secure, or progress in, a job. When surveyed by the ABS in May 1995,
29% of graduates from TAFE Institutes, Australia wide, cited "to
get a job" as the most significant reason for undertaking their TAFE
course. The second most significant reason cited was "to get a better
job." This data confirms results obtained by RMIT in surveys of its
own TAFE graduates. In 1994, for example, 76 .5% of RMIT's 1993 TAFE graduates
indicated that the course being necessary for their intended future career
was a "very important " or "quite important" reason
for choosing that course.
As well as this role in providing initial skills training for persons
entering a wide range of trades, technical, administrative and professional
occupations, TAFE Institutes also play a key role in skills upgrading.
This role is highlighted by the large number of university graduates who
attend TAFE institutes to acquire additional specialised or practical
skills not covered in undergraduate programs, and in the large number
of programs which TAFE Institutes "custom design" for industry
partners.
The scale and importance of the former has been highlighted by Barry
Golding, particularly in work undertaken for the Victorian Office of Training
and Further Education, who shows that an average of 10889 persons with
a complete CAE or university qualification transferred to TAFE each year
between 1990 and 1993. ABS data indicates that training expenditure by
Australian employers has increased through the 1990s from $943 million
in the September quarter 1990 to $1178.8 million in the September quarter
1996. Whilst a substantial part of this training is designed and delivered
by employers "in house", TAFE Institutes play a role in meeting
this demand. RMIT, for example, more than trebled its income from this
source between 1993 and 1996.
1.2 Exporting Education
In 1996, the 'vocational education' sector enrolled a total of 37759
overseas students in Australia, who spent a total of $270 million on fees
and $443 million on goods and services while resident in Australia. Enrolment
numbers of such students have almost doubled since 1993. TAFE Institutes
such as RMIT have also been active in delivering education programs offshore,
whether in conjunction with other Institutions in the host country (an
example being RMIT's delivery since 1995 of its Associate Diploma in International
Trade with the Wuhan Iron and Steel University in China), or in partnership
with major companies (such as RMIT's $1 million contract, won in 1996,
to design and deliver programs in engineering for Ford Vietnam).
1.3 Personal Enrichment Programs
TAFE Institutes have long played a role in providing personal enrichment
programs for individuals in the community. Whilst the majority of these
programs have historically been delivered through a range of community
education providers, TAFE Institutes were responsible for providing programs
for over 30% of these students in 1995.
1.4 Promoting Access to Educational Opportunities
TAFE students are drawn from a wider range of demographic and socio-economic
groups than are higher education students. For example, the data in Table
1 shows that the distribution by age of persons enrolled in TAFE vocational
programs in 1996 differs significantly from that of undergraduate university
students. 71.5% undergraduate students are aged under 24 years, compared
with 39.5% in TAFE Vocational Programs, while 22.7% of those enrolled
in TAFE were aged between 35 and 39 years, compared with 11.5% of those
enrolled in undergraduate programs.
Table 1: Distribution by Age of Persons Enrolled in TAFE Vocational
and University Undergraduate Programs, Australia, 1996
|
Age |
TAFE Vocational |
Undergraduate |
|
|
No. |
% Total |
No. |
% Total |
|
19 and under |
265111 |
20.9 |
170543 |
34.7 |
|
20-24 years |
236628 |
18.6 |
181064 |
36.8 |
|
25-29 years |
161823 |
12.7 |
50679 |
10.3 |
|
35-39 years |
288186 |
22.7 |
56382 |
11.5 |
|
40-49 years |
204185 |
16.1 |
26619 |
5.4 |
|
50-59 years |
82309 |
6.5 |
5463 |
1.1 |
|
60 and over |
18057 |
1.4 |
965 |
0.2 |
|
Total |
1270912 |
100.0 |
491715 |
100.0 |
Note : 1 : TAFE vocational data obtained from NCVER Australian Vocational
Education and Training Statistics 1996, in detail, Table 1. Data shown
excludes clients not stating their age. Undergraduate data obtained from
Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs , Selected
Higher Education Student Statistics, 1996, Table 5.
The market for courses in TAFE Institutes is clearly different from the
market for university programs. For the majority of TAFE students, their
programs will enable them to gain satisfactory employment. If they require
additional skills in their job, they might access further TAFE programs
or undertake specialised programs from other parts of the education and
training system. For other students, success in a TAFE course might build
their confidence to pursue further learning, and it is important to provide
them with the pathways to ways to enable them to do so.
The role of TAFE in promoting access to education amongst disadvantaged
groups has been highlighted by Gregor Ramsay and Don Brewster in a discussion
paper prepared for the Australian Vice- Chancellor's Committee in the
following way:
"The 'big numbers' in TAFE are in business studies and preparatory
studies. TAFE's role in preparatory studies, or second chance education,
is something of a hidden dimension in TAFE, but it offers opportunities
for basic education, ESL, remedial maths, literacy and the like to over
350,000 students a year. This equity side of TAFE's work is important
and, apart from the community education sector, has few potential competitors."
2. The Operating Environment of TAFE Institutes and Universities
in the 1990s and Beyond
It seems likely that many of the factors which have led to the emergence
of the current multi-dimensional role of TAFE Institutes will continue
to operate through the 1990s. Thus
- Analyses of Australia's long term skill needs (such as Australia's
Workforce 2005 prepared by the Department of Employment, Education
and Training in November 1995) indicate a continuing need for the skilled
workers traditionally trained in TAFE Institutes;
- Whilst the Australian Bureau of Statistics' data on employer training
expenditure suggests some fluctuation in the level of expenditure by
business on this purpose, many organisations are continuing to introduce
new technology and re-engineer their operations to maintain and enhance
their competitiveness. This process usually requires the upgrading of
workers' skills, and many employers will continue to use TAFE Institutes
for this training;
- More people are accepting the need for life-long learning. As noted
in Australia's Workforce 2005 (page 76), data from Education
Participation Rates, Australia 1993, show that participation by
older age groups has risen since 1990, after a period of relative stability
between 1985 and 1990.
There has been a major change in the operating environment of TAFE institutes
during the past decade arising mainly from the need to help Australian
industry meet the new competitive challenges arising from globalisation
of the Australian economy, increased exposure to international competition,
and rapid technological change. To meet these challenges, successive Commonwealth
and State governments have progressively re-engineered the TAFE sector
into a broader vocational education and training sector through a "national
training reform agenda" involving the following major shifts in its
underlying philosophy and organisation:
|
FROM
Single program of training immediately post secondary school equipping
workers for their whole working life
|
TO
Initial training supplemented by regular skills upgrading underpinned
by philosophy of life-long learning, which may be undertaken across
a range of educational sectors
|
|
State based systems for recognising qualifications, registering
training providers, and accrediting training courses with limited
portability
|
National recognition of qualifications and registration of training
providers complemented by national accreditation of programs
|
|
Time based systems of training in the trades
|
Competency based training
|
|
Supply driven "market" dominated by public TAFE Institutes
|
More diverse and competitive, industry driven, training market
with increasing numbers of private training providers
|
| Limited range of (usually classroom centred) delivery
modes |
Increasing delivery of programs "at your time,
at your place", making use of the rapid advances in communication
technologies which have been occurring |
|
Resource allocation largely through bureaucratic processes
|
Increased use of market type ("user choice")mechanisms
in allocating resources
|
|
Rigid mechanisms for selection into programs based on formal qualifications
|
Flexible selection processes based on recognition of prior learning.
|
Whilst promoting these changes, Governments have continued to require
that TAFE Institutes provide education for a diverse range of students
and specialised support for those with particular needs.
Universities have been subject to a similar range of pressures. These
have included
- continuing demands from Government, the community and users of higher
education services for greater accountability and better performance;
- globalisation of higher education, with more direct competition between
Australian institutions and overseas providers;
- a working environment being reshaped by the rapid developments in
information and communications technologies;
- the need for development of new approaches to teaching and research
which apply these technologies while maintaining current service levels;
- increasing infrastructure costs associated with these developments;
- the need to contain costs and develop economies of scale while still
preserving the quality of the educational offerings, and sustaining
the advances made in increasing participation in higher education;
- balancing the traditional roles of teaching, scholarship and research
with private entrepreneurial activities.
Both TAFE Institutes and Universities have been required to adapt to
these new challenges in an environment where funding has been constrained.
This has required increased efficiency in the use of resources whilst
maintaining program quality, and prompted more strategic alliances and
collaboration with intra- and inter-sectoral organisations. Both sectors
have also been encouraged to continue to export their services.
3 The Appropriate Roles of Institutes of Technical and Further
Education
Australia has already made a substantial investment in TAFE Institutes,
both in terms of buildings and equipment, and the extensive range of partnerships
Institutes have built up with industry to ensure that training programs
are relevant to its needs. The preceding analysis shows that if Australia
is to develop the skills required to compete effectively in the globalised
economy of the twenty first century, it needs to maximise the value of
that investment. This implies that the role of TAFE Institutes in the
future should be to provide:
- initial skills training for tradespersons, technicians and para- professionals;
- custom designed programs for skills upgrading in industry;
- opportunities for individuals, whatever their qualifications, to obtain
additional work-related skills;
- programs through which "educationally disadvantaged" groups
gain access to post-secondary education;
- personal enrichment programs;
- increased educational export opportunities.
Governments have already decided, however, that in this new competitive
environment, greater use should be made of market mechanisms in the allocation
of public funds to training, and that the training "market"
should be opened to greater number of private training organisations.
The Council of Vocational Education, Employment and Training Ministers
is applying "user choice" principles to a wide range of vocational
education and training programs, commencing with apprenticeships and traineeships
in 1998.
The number of registered private training organisations has grown rapidly
in the last few years- there are now more than 700 in Victoria alone,
compared with 63 in 1992. It is possible, that, with the further development
of communications and multi-media technologies, TAFE Institutes will also
be exposed to competition from a range of non-educational providers who
will develop the capability to deliver customised education and training
packages to a range of clients eg through the Internet.
These recent policy initiatives, coupled with the shifts in the underlying
philosophy and organisation of the TAFE sector outlined above, require
a paradigm shift in the way TAFE Institutes design and deliver programs.
Programs in the future will need to:
- be demand rather than supply driven;
- reflect "just in time" competency-based training rather
than a "linear hierarchy of skills";
- incorporate multiple entry and exit points rather than fixed entry
and exit points.
Working within this paradigm shift, TAFE Institutes in the future will
need to be
- able to provide a flexible learning environment and to increase access
to VET through the media by using broad band educational and multi media
offerings and the use of the Internet;
- able to present an international perspective in all education and
training experiences;
- committed to providing and supporting lifelong vocational learning;
- able to integrate Vocational Education and Training offerings into
the other education sectors;
- facilitators and brokers of education and training activity
- capable of facilitating pathways between initial vocational education
to research levels of higher education
- able to customise and accredit education and training.
In addition TAFE Institutes will need to
- provide an education and training learning environment which encourages
leadership and innovation and supports students' social, creative and
community development;
- provide ongoing public access to learning resources and facilities;
- employ staff who have a new range of skills for workplace training,
assessment and certification;
- enter into a wide range of flexible cooperative arrangements with
other TAFE Institutes, industry groups and individual enterprises, both
in Australia and overseas.
4. Relationships between TAFE Institutes and Universities
For much of the twentieth century, TAFE institutes and universities developed
along independent and parallel lines, with little intersection between
them. In the 1990s, however, in response to government and community demands
for demonstrated improvements in the efficiency of resource use in both
sectors, and for the breaking down of rigidities in the selection processes
of universities, there has been increased cooperation between the two
sectors.
4.1 Articulation and Credit Transfer
The most visible sign of this progress has been the growth in the number
of arrangements for articulation and credit transfer between TAFE and
university courses. RMIT has itself pioneered some of these arrangements.
In 1991, the University amended its pre-existing policy on articulation
and credit transfer, setting a target that 10 percent of its higher education
commencements would be by preferential entry from VET associate diploma
students. As shown in Table 2, this target has been substantially exceeded
in each of the past three years. Simultaneously the number of formal credit
transfer arrangements between RMIT TAFE course and undergraduate programs
has increased from 43 in 1993 to 81 this year. The focus of developments
in articulation and credit transfer in the 1990s has been on promoting
pathways for TAFE students into higher education, but the work of Golding
cited above has demonstrated that the movement of students in the opposite
direction is five times more common than upward tertiary transfer and
needs to be more effectively recognised and facilitated.
TABLE 2 :RMIT ARTICULATION POLICY -TARGETS AND
ACTUAL COMMENCING EFTSU 1993-97
|
Year
|
Target
|
Actual
|
|
1993
|
367
|
362
|
|
1994
|
383
|
376
|
|
1995
|
482
|
580
|
|
1996
|
467
|
557
|
|
1997
|
447
|
525
|
4.2 Cooperation in the Delivery of Programs
RMIT has also negotiated a number of partnerships with TAFE institutes
to co-operate in the delivery of specific programs. For example
- In 1993, an arrangement was made between RMIT's Faculty of Business
and the East Gippsland Institute of TAFE whereby staff from that TAFE
Institute are appointed by RMIT to teach subjects in RMIT's degree program
to local students whose VCE scores satisfied RMIT selection requirements;
- In 1995, RMIT signed an affiliation agreement with William Angliss
Institute to cooperate in the delivery of training and research programs
for the tourism and hospitality industries;
- In 1995, RMIT signed an affiliation agreement with the Melbourne College
of Textiles to
cooperate in the delivery of programs and to share facilities. This
built on links which had developed over several years;
- In 1996, the Faculty of Nursing commenced delivery of its Bachelor
of Nursing program on the Bairnsdale site of the East Gippsland Institute
of TAFE.
There is considerable scope for increasing the number of these arrangements
with benefits to both universities and TAFE institutes, their students
and industry clients. But as Gregor Ramsay and Don Brewster point out
in their discussion paper for the AVCC , "In any coming together
of universities and TAFE there is no point in endeavouring to distinguish
between universities as a group and TAFE as a sector or system. There
is validity in distinguishing between universities (some will be
better suited to a TAFE interface than others); and between TAFE
institutions (some will be more in tune to working with a university than
others). An institution by institution approach is needed.."
4.3 The Design and Awarding of Degrees
Whilst RMIT believes this observation to be generally valid, an exception
needs to be made in relation to the proposal that some TAFE Institutes
might in time be allowed to award their own degrees. RMIT does not support
this. This would distract TAFE Institutes from their core business. It
is unlikely that any TAFE institute would in the short term possess the
infrastructure necessary to develop and accredit degrees. Given the substantial
capacity already present in the Australian university system for this
purpose, there would be a risk of duplication of activity and hence misallocation
of resources if such a proposal were pursued. Moreover, the critical nexus
between research and teaching in universities would not be present in
TAFE Institutes. Familiarity with the latest research findings in a specific
discipline is fundamental to the academic staff member's ability to develop
in students the skills and capabilities relevant to the current theory
and practice of that discipline.
This is not to deny that there may be circumstances where resources might
be saved and programs more effectively delivered by using the resources
of TAFE Institutes to deliver specific components of degree programs.
The accreditation of those programs should, however, be the responsibility
of the university partner to that arrangement. There is also clear capacity
for universities and TAFE institutes to further develop joint awards which
simultaneously give students a sound theoretical grounding in a discipline
and develop in them practical skills of immediate use in the workplace
on graduation.
In this context it is essential to address the issue of the balance of
educational provision and opportunities between VET and higher education
and the question of improving the attractiveness of the VET sector to
potential university entrants. These matters have been of concern to governments
in recent years. Various initiatives have been tried, but they have been
unsuccessful in changing the position. The main reasons for this are that
VET programs are too narrow, do not broaden the participants sufficiently,
and have inadequate theoretical context for their essential practical
emphasis. At present the TAFE sector is perceived as providing a less
prestigious form of education to the universities and so is less attractive
to students. In addition, competitive tendering for some VET courses has
resulted in lowering of the quality of programs, through the lowest cost
options rather than the highest quality proposals being accepted. The
fact that the VET sector is largely funded by the States, and is administered
as a national system with national standards but localised responsibilities
for provision, also creates barriers to participation and cooperation
between the sectors. There is a clear need for institutions and governments
to continue to work to overcome these barriers, implying a need to explore
as wide a range of joint VET and higher education arrangements as possible.
4.4 The Role of TAFE in Research
The principles set out above also apply in relation to the role TAFE
Institutes might play in research. There will probably always be circumstance
where, for a variety of reasons, individuals and groups in TAFE Institutes
may have developed capabilities which can contribute effectively to the
solution of particular 'real-world' research problems. RMIT TAFE staff
in specific disciplines (eg polymer technology, aerospace technology and
design) have formed a critical part of the resource base for important
applied research initiatives (such as the Polymer Technology Centre).
These capabilities need to be effectively harnessed for the benefit of
the nation. But, the same reasons which make it sensible to concentrate
the accreditation and awarding of degrees in the university sector apply
to research: it is unlikely that TAFE Institutes would in general possess
the infrastructure necessary to support a wider general research effort.
Building the capacity in TAFE Institutes would divert government resources
away from the already inadequate infrastructure provisions in the universities.
Instead universities and TAFE Institutes should be encouraged to forge
particular research partnerships to better exploit their special and complementary
strengths.
4.5 The RMIT Model : Integrating VET and Higher Education
RMIT is well placed to comment on the integration of activities between
TAFE institutes and universities. From 1971, RMIT delivered a large range
of TAFE and degree programs from within separate academic divisions of
its organisation. Increasingly however it became evident that if the university
were to effectively meet the needs of its clients for seamless access
to the whole range of its programs, the separate TAFE and Higher Education
Divisions needed to be integrated into a single academic structure. This
integrated structure was put in place on 1 January 1996. It built on a
range of earlier initiatives to increase cooperation between the sectors.
As well as the credit transfer arrangements noted above, these have included
efforts to jointly develop and deliver programs in areas such as polymer
technology/engineering, aerospace and design, and some sharing of facilities.
Already numerous positive benefits have arisen from this restructure.
In the Faculty of Engineering , for example, a single CAD facility, based
on the TAFE sector's CAD operation, now services the needs of both sectors;
sharing of laboratories has improved the utilisation of physical facilities
and equipment; a two year TAFE program which can articulate into the third
year of the degree program has been developed for introduction in 1999;
joint planning has resulted into the development of a dual award program
in chemical engineering and electrical control; a TAFE module in foundry
skills is to be taught in metallurgy. In the Faculty of Art Design and
Communication, advances have included the development of TAFE courses
in photography to complement the strength of the higher education sector,
whilst higher education has developed new offerings in multimedia to build
on TAFE's strengths in that area. In a recent review of the progress of
the integration project by Mr Peter Kirby, a consultant appointed jointly
by the Victorian Minister for Tertiary Education and Training and the
Vice- Chancellor of RMIT, Faculties reported considerable improvement
in the scope and effectiveness of their marketing as a result of their
integration.
RMIT's ability to reap the full benefits of integration of its TAFE and
Higher Education programs has been constrained to some extent by the different
approaches used by Commonwealth and State coordinating authorities to
academic planning through their profiles processes, and to the funding
of equipment and capital works. As Mr Kirby concluded
" it is the administration of and regulation by Commonwealth and
State governments and their agencies which present the biggest obstacles
to improving efficiency. The requirement to maintain two systems for recurrent
and capital expenditure, capital assets, student records and performance
monitoring prevent much rationalisation of administration and increase
overheads."
This is particularly important in relation to capital planning. The same
review noted that the greatest benefits from the integration exercise
had been gained when staff from the two sectors were co-located - as in
the case of the Faculty of Business and RMIT's aerospace facility at Fishermens'
Bend. The capacity to co-locate other cognate areas will require a common
and more flexible approach to capital planning by the relevant State and
Commonwealth authorities. RMIT believes that, in its case, RMIT should
own all its higher education and TAFE facilities and to be able to develop
and use them as an integrated whole. This would
- facilitate long term strategic facilities and resource planning and
management;
- resolve potential problems where land and buildings are presently
owned by different parties;
- facilitate the increased involvement of industry in providing support
for infrastructure by enabling the University to approach joint partnerships
and developments with some certainty of funding;
- enable the University to prioritise areas of investment which best
support the implementation of its teaching and learning strategy eg.
infrastructure to support flexible delivery;
- provide the opportunity to fund necessary buildings through corporate
borrowings; and
- enable the optimal improvement and maintenance of current capital
assets.
Another area in which a common approach is needed relates to industrial
relations .Different constraints on the nature of work and award rates
impact on the extent of integration of staff activity between the sectors.
Because of State Government policy, RMIT is unable to offer voluntary
departure packages to its VET teaching employees. This creates major difficulties
for the University in that it is unable to treat all its employees in
a consistent manner.
It is clear that RMIT's experience with integration of its TAFE and Higher
Education thus far cannot be taken as a blueprint for all cooperative
endeavour by TAFE Institutes and universities. What it does highlight,
however, is the need for Commonwealth and State coordinating and funding
authorities to take a very flexible approach to fostering cooperation
between institutions whose history and cultures are likely to vary so
much. The focus should be on the outcome which cooperation is seeking
to achieve rather than on the preservation of policies and approaches
designed for a different and now outdated set of circumstances.
5. Conclusions and Recommendations
5.1 The Roles of TAFE Institutes
1. The Roles of TAFE Institutes will continue to be much the same as
has progressively evolved over the past ten to fifteen years viz. to make
a major contribution to
providing initial skills training for tradespersons, technicians and
para-professionals;
providing custom designed programs for skills upgrading in industry;
providing opportunities for individuals whatever their qualifications
to obtain additional
work related skills;
providing programs to assist "educationally disadvantaged"
groups gain access to post secondary education;
exporting education.
2. Because of the changed environment in which TAFE Institutes will need
to operate in the future they will need to be
able to provide a flexible learning environment and to increase access
to VET through the media by using broad band educational and multi media
offerings and the use of the Internet;
able to present an international perspective in all education and training
experiences;
committed to providing and supporting lifelong vocational learning;
able to integrate Vocational Education and Training offerings into the
other education sectors;
facilitators and brokers of education and training activity;
capable of facilitating pathways between initial vocational education
to research levels of higher education;
able to customise and accredit education and training.
In addition TAFE Institutes will need to
provide an education and training learning environment which encourages
leadership and innovation and supports students' social, creative and
community development;
provide ongoing public access to learning resources and facilities;
employ staff who have a new range of skills for workplace training,
assessment and certification;
enter into a wide range of flexible cooperative arrangements with other
TAFE Institutes, industry groups and individual enterprises, both in Australia
and overseas.
5.2 Relationships Between TAFE Institutes and Universities
3. There should be greater cooperation between TAFE Institutes in the
area of program design and delivery, articulation and sharing of resources.
4. No single model of cooperation between TAFE Institutes and Universities
is likely to be able to cover the diversity of circumstances, challenges
and opportunities facing institutions.
5. To preserve the integrity of both the Vocational Education and Training
and Higher Education sectors, TAFE Institutes should not be allowed to
award degrees in their own right. However there should be maximum cooperation
between the institutions in the design and delivery of programs, including
joint awards as appropriate.
6. The role of TAFE Institutes in research should be limited to cooperative
arrangements with universities which facilitiate the effective exploitation
of their complementary strengths.
7. The RMIT model of integrating the design and delivery of TAFE and
Higher Education program into a single seamless structure is one of a
number of potentially effective models of joint cooperation between TAFE
institutes and Universities.
8 Governments need to embody maximum flexibility in their policies and
procedures for matters as diverse as capital planing and management, the
management of staff resources and reporting to ensure maximum benefits
are achieved from cooperation.
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