Chapter 4 continued
The organisation of ace provision in the states and territories
New South Wales
The relationship between government and adult and community education
in New South Wales is provided for under The Board of Adult and Community
Education Act 1990. [1] A statutory
board, comprising 13 members, was established in 1991 to:
- promote the provision of adult and community education in NSW
- allocate government funds to ACE providers
- advise the Minister of needs and trends in ACE. [2]
The Board is located within the New South Wales Department of Training
and Education Co-ordination and is supported by a small secretariat, ACE
Services. Nine Regional Councils facilitate coordination across the State.
From July 1997, these will be consist of nine to ten people, `three providers
or representatives of providers, three community members and three agencies
that have strong connections with the ACE sector'. [3]
The Board does not itself directly provide ACE but rather supports main
providers by:
- allocating both ongoing and one-off specific purpose funds to main
providers within eight established funding BACE Programs
- representing the interests of the ACE sector at National and State
Government and professional forums in addition to providing advice to
the NSW Minister
- developing and implementing initiatives, either independently or in
conjunction with other ACE sector representatives which will assist
all main providers in NSW
- undertaking research and developmental projects which will assist
in the understanding of the NSW ACE sector, its challenges and opportunities,
and its place within the broader Adult Education and Training sector
- supporting regional councils of ACE which then provide valuable support
to rural main providers. [4]
The ACE sector in NSW has grown significantly in the last five years
with an increase in participation rates generally of 28 per cent and an
increase in literacy enrolments of 73 per cent. [5]
Enrolments currently total just under 300,000 for the year. [6]
Participation rates across New South Wales are between six and seven per
cent. Recent research indicates that in areas where there is access to
an ACE centre, where incomes are high (over $50,000) and where the population
is dense, participation rates conform with the state overall participation.
[7] That many sectors of the community
are still not participating presents one of the challenges acknowledged
by the government.
In 1995 there were 6 million student contact hours in Board supported
ACE programs across NSW. [8] Fifty per
cent of these hours were in vocational courses. [9]
However, a much smaller proportion (approximately 8 per cent) were in
accredited courses. [10] While this
is a relatively small proportion, the degree to which the sector has embraced
VET is evident in the fact that 60 out of the 75 main providers are now
registered as eligible training providers for nationally accredited courses.
[11] The State Training Profile clearly
acknowledges and includes ACE. ACE is also `included in all decisions
affecting vocational and educational training and the sector is represented
on all key policy and decision making bodies'. [12]
New South Wales was the first state to develop a policy on adult and
community education, the focus of which is summed up in the policy document's
title, Recognising the Value of Lifelong Learning for All. The
policy provides a framework for the development of the ACE sector and
sets strategic directions for the Board of Adult and Community Education.
The strategic directions for 19961998, as summarised by the Board in its
submission to the Committee, are as follows:
- maximising educational opportunities through the effective integration
of adult and community education into post-compulsory vocational education
and training;
- diversifying participation in adult and community education
- strengthening links with industry, in particular the small business
sector;
- ensuring that quality assurance systems provide the basis for guaranteeing
quality and excellence in adult and community education;
- supporting the increased use of technologies for adult and community
education program management and delivery;
- promoting the value of adult and community education to government,
the community and industry. [13]
Recognising the Value of Lifelong Learning for All describes the
government's commitment to maintaining and promoting ACE provision which
is equitable, effective, responsive to community and industry learning
needs, efficient in expanding provision to meet these needs, and complementary
to education provided by the other sectors. [14]
It outlines a diverse range of strategies, the implementation of which
the government will support in order to achieve these goals. The policy
was developed in consultation with the Council of NSW Adult and Community
Education Organisations. [15]
A distinctive feature of the ACE sector in New South Wales is that most
of the organisations are large with professional infrastructures supporting
them.
State funds to ACE in NSW have doubled in the last five years. In 1996/97,
the Board received slightly over $8 million from the State government
for ACE Program funding. The Board also receives funding through ANTA.
In 1996 this amounted to $4 million dollars. [16]
In addition to these funds, it receives approximately one million dollars
through BVET for language and literacy. [17]
Funds from ANTA to support the development of VET have included `funds
for the registration of providers, curriculum development including accredited
tutor training and an adult and community education management certificate,
flexible delivery projects, equity projects, a quality delivery strategy,
professional development and research'. [18]
Most funding for non-accredited courses is from user pays. Grants from
the Board contribute to infrastructure costs. The proportion of total
funding represented by these grants varies from centre to centre. For
large centres they may represent only a small percentage. For smaller
centres it can be over half. [19]
With changes to federal policy, many providers who were involved in delivering
labour market programs such as LEAP, have had considerable rEducations
in funding. [20]
Data collection has improved in recent years. In 1995, following the
implementation of the Australian Vocational Educational Training Management
Information Statistical Standard (AVETMISS), all main providers provided
data to this standard for the first time. [21]
It is acknowledged that the collection of data imposes considerable strain
on the ACE sector and that this is of considerable concern to some providers.
Some progress has been made towards cross sectoral collaboration. Better
linkages have been developed between ACE and other education sectors such
as TAFE and schools. These usually involve shared use of facilities and
resources and range from the use by ACE providers of school facilities
in the evenings to the construction of a joint Adult and Community Education/TAFE
campus at Quirindi in rural NSW. [22]
`The development of the first Adult and Community Education/TAFE Joint
Strategic Plan 19931995 and the planned strategies for 19961998 provide
a Statewide framework which has led to significant achievements'. [23]
These include the development of pathways for students moving between
ACE and TAFE through credit transfer arrangements. The Board is also supporting
an initiative in the New England/North West Region in which ACE providers,
TAFE teachers are working in conjunction with the Open Access Centre to
develop joint flexible learning pathways. [24]
Developments in ACE in NSW, as elsewhere, are occurring in a changing
political environment. The change in focus from training initiatives to
employment initiatives is particularly relevant in this context and represents
a challenge, recognised by the sector, to position itself so as to be
able to maintain the impetus for growth that has characterised developments
in recent years.
Footnotes
[1] Submission no 81, vol 6, p 20 (New South
Wales Government)
[2] Overview of the NSW Board of Adult and Community
Education tabled by Director of Adult and Community Services at the public
hearing in Sydney on 7 February 1997
[3] Transcript of evidence, Sydney, p
497 (Ms Thomas)
[4] Overview of the NSW Board of ACE
[5] Transcript of Evidence, Sydney, p
488, (Ms Thomas)
[6] Overview of the NSW Board of ACE
[7] Transcript of evidence, Sydney, p
487 (Ms Thomas)
[8] Transcript of Evidence, Sydney, p
488 (Ms Thomas)
[9] Submission no 81, vol 6, p 26 (NSW Government)
[10] Transcript of evidence, Sydney,
p 488 (Ms Thomas)
[11] Transcript of Evidence, Sydney,
P 488 (Ms Thomas)
[12] Submission no 81, vol 6, p 23 (NSW Government)
[13] Submission no 81, vol 6, p 22 (NSW Government)
[14] NSW Board of Adult and Community Education,
Recognising the Value of Lifelong Learning for All, 1996, p4
[15] NSW Board of ACE. Recognising the Value
of Lifelong Learning for All, p 3
[16] Overview of the NSW Board of Adult and
Community Education tabled by Director of Adult and Community Services
at the public hearing in Sydney on 7 February 1997
[17] Transcript of Evidence, Sydney,
p 492 (Ms Thomas)
[18] Submission no 81, vol 6, p 23 (NSW Government)
[19] Transcript of Evidence, Sydney,
p 494 (Ms Thomas)
[20] Transcript of evidence, Sydney,
p 495, 500 (Ms Thomas)
[21] Submission no 81, vol 6, p 23 (NSW Government)
[22] Submission no 81, vol 6, p 27 (NSW Government)
[23] Submission no 81, vol 6, p 24 (NSW Government)
[24] Submission no 81, vol 6, pp 28-29 (NSW
Government)