RESEARCH PAPER SERIES, 2020–21   Updated 7 January 2021

Tertiary education: a quick guide to key internet links

Hazel Ferguson

Social Policy Section

This Quick Guide provides key internet links to information about:

• general tertiary education resources

• higher education

• vocational education and training

• international students

• adult and community education and

• international organisations.

1 General resources

• The Australian Qualifications Framework is the national policy for regulated qualifications in Australian education and training. It incorporates the qualifications from each education and training sector into a single comprehensive national qualifications framework.

• Study Assist has information on Australian Government financial assistance available to tertiary education students.

• The Australian Taxation Office provides statistics for the Higher education Loan Program (HELP) loans available to tertiary students, covering amount of outstanding debt, number of people with debts, size of outstanding debt, and time to repay. Updated Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt statistics—2019–20 provides an overview of this data.

Key organisations

• The National Careers Institute provides career information and resources, including about post-school study options, for all ages and career stages.

• The Australasian Education Directory provides a comprehensive searchable listing of educational organisations.

Statistics

• Australian Bureau of Statistics—Education and Training Statistics website

2 Higher education

• The Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) has responsibility for higher education policy and programs.

• The Higher Education Support Act 2003 provides the legislative framework for funding higher education institutions and providing loans to students.

• The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA), operating under the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011, is the national regulator for higher education.

• Course Seeker provides searchable courses, institutions and admissions information.

Key organisations

• Universities Australia is the national representative body for Australian universities, and provides a profile of each university and links to university websites.

• There are four sub-groups of Australian universities:

– the Group of Eight is a coalition of established universities, intensive in research and comprehensive in general and professional education

– the Australian Technology Network is an alliance of five universities with strong links to industry

– the Innovative Research Universities is a group of seven comprehensive universities with a research focus and

– the Regional Universities Network is a group of seven universities with headquarters in regional Australia.

• Independent higher education providers are represented by Independent Higher Education Australia and the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia.

• The National Tertiary Education Union represents employees in the tertiary education sector.

• The National Union of Students is the national representative body for university students.

• The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations aims to protect and further the interests of postgraduate students.

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students are also represented by the Union of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students at undergraduate level, and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Postgraduate Association at postgraduate level.

• The Council of International Students Australia is the national peak student representative organisation for international students in tertiary education in Australia.

Statistics

• The Australian Government’s Higher Education Statistics Collection, administered by DESE, includes current and time series data on higher education students and staff.

• DESE also publishes summary data on university undergraduate applications, offers and acceptances, and the Finance Publication series, which provides information on university finances.

• TEQSA publishes an annual statistics report on registered higher education providers, which includes universities and non-university higher education providers. Information about providers, students, and courses is provided.

• The Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching website has information about the student experience and graduate employment outcomes from surveys of students, graduates and employers.

• Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank cut-off scores are available for some states: New South Wales including the Australian Capital Territory (Main round cut-offs), Victoria (Selection data), South Australia and Western Australia.

3 Vocational education and training

• Responsibility for vocational education and training (VET) is shared between the Australian Government and state and territory governments. DESE has responsibility for Australian Government VET policy and programs.

• The annual Report on Government Services, published by the Productivity Commission, provides an overview of the VET system, key statistics and funding information.

• The Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations (IGA), agreed to by the Council of Australian Governments, provides for the Australian Government’s National Skills and Workforce Development Specific Purpose Payment.

• The National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development (NASWD), formulated as part of the IGA, defines the objectives, outcomes, outputs and performance measures and the roles and responsibilities that guide the Australian and the state and territory governments in the delivery of services across the skills and workforce development sector.

• The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet’s Performance Reporting Dashboard—Skills provides an annual report on governments' progress against the agreed objectives and outcomes of the NASWD.

• VET Student Loans for students in eligible VET courses are provided under the VET Student Loans Act 2016, and Trade Support Loans for apprentices are provided under the Trade Support Loans Act 2014.

• The Australian Skills Quality Authority, operating under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011, is the national regulator for VET.

• training.gov.au is the official national register of information on training packages, qualifications, courses, units of competency and Registered Training Organisations.

• Australian Apprenticeships provides information on the Australian Government’s programs to support apprenticeships and traineeships.

• My Skills has a range of information about training options and providers, and includes statistics on student enrolments and outcomes.

Key organisations

• The National Skills Commission, operating under the National Skills Commissioner Act 2020, is responsible for providing information about skill needs and labour markets, as well as VET system performance, efficient pricing, returns on investment, and access.

• The Australian Industry and Skills Committee is the industry-led body that provides advice on the implementation of national VET policies, including approval of training packages.

• The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) is the national body responsible for research and statistics on the Australian VET sector.

• TAFE Directors Australia is the national representative body for Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes and university VET divisions, and provides links to TAFE Institutes.

• Independent VET providers are represented by the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia, which also represents independent higher education providers.

• The Australian Education Union is the major union representing TAFE teachers.

Statistics

• NCVER is the major collector and publisher of statistics on the VET system. A dashboard is available summarising the latest VET statistics.

• The annual Report on Government Services, published by the Productivity Commission, provides an overview of the VET system, key statistics, and funding information.

• DESE publishes VET Student Loans Statistics. Historical statistics for VET FEE-HELP, which preceded VET Student Loans, are also available.

State and territory government websites

Australian Capital Territory

• Skills Canberra

• Canberra Institute of Technology

• ACT Qualifications Register

New South Wales

• Training Services NSW

• Smart and Skilled

• TAFE NSW

• NSW Skills Board

Northern Territory

• Vocational Education and Training

• Industry Skills Advisory Council Northern Territory

Queensland

• Department of Employment, Small Business and Training

• Queensland Skills Gateway

• Queensland Training Information Service (information on apprenticeships and traineeships approved for delivery in Queensland)

• TAFE Queensland

• Queensland Training Ombudsman

South Australia

• Vocational education and training

• Department for Innovation and Skills

• Training and Skills Commission

• TAFE SA

• Office of the Training Advocate

Tasmania

• Department of State Growth: Workforce Development and Training and Skills Tasmania

• TasTAFE

Victoria

• Department of Education and Training: TAFE and Training

• Victorian Skills Gateway (including information about the TAFE network in Victoria)

• Office of the Victorian Skills Commissioner

• Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority

Western Australia

• Department of Training and Workforce Development

• Jobs and Skills WA (including information about the TAFE network in Western Australia)

• Training Accreditation Council Western Australia

4 International students in Australia

• DESE has responsibility for international education policy. See the International Education Online website for details.

• The Department of Home Affairs administers student visas.

• Austrade works with the international education sector on market development.

• studyinaustralia.gov.au is the Australian Government website for international students.

• The Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) lists all providers registered to offer courses to people studying in Australia on student visas and the courses offered.

• The Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) and its associated legislative framework regulates the education and training sector’s involvement with students on student visas studying in Australia.

Statistics

• International Education Online’s website reports on overseas enrolments in all education sectors as well as a variety of other data and research relating to international students.

• The Department of Home Affairs publishes a range of student visa statistics.

• Austrade provides international education data and analysis.

5 Adult and community education

• Adult Learning Australia is the national peak body for the adult and community education sector.

6 International organisations

• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)—Education:

– Higher Education Policy

– Vocational Education and Training and Adult Learning

– OECD Centre for Skills

– National Skills Strategies

• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)—Education:

– higher education

– technical and VET

Statistics

• Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators provides comparative data on the education systems of member and partner countries of the OECD. The latest edition is 2020. OECD tertiary education data is also available via OECD data and OECD stat.

• The UNESCO Institute for Statistics provides a range of education and literacy data.

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