Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Workplace Relations

Inquiry into the Role of Institutes of TAFE
Submissions

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Submission 99

CATHOLIC EDUCATION COMMISSION
NEW SOUTH WALES

PO Box A169, Sydney South 1295 11^th Floor, Polding House, 276 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Telephone: (02) 9287 1555 Fax: (02) 9264 6308

28 May 1998

Re Vocational Education For Year 11 and 12 Students Enrolled In NSW

Catholic Schools

The CEC, NSW has only just become aware of your Committee's inquiry into matters related to the delivery of Vocational Education.

In making comments the CEC,NSW, does so as the representative voice for 596 Catholic schools in NSW which enrol 220,000 students and employ some 16,000 teachers.

By way of background it is relevant to note that since the early 1990s the NSW Catholic Sector has built its participation in school-based Vocational Education to the point where:

i) 2,400 students from NSW Catholic schools participate in the JSSTAFE program (where students undertake part of their HSC study at TAFE).

ii) 4,097 students from NSW Catholic schools are enrolled in school delivered dual accredited (that is VETA3 and BOS accredited) courses ~r the HSC (where students undertake VET schools at the school site; these students also undertake workplacement with Industry).

iii) 682 teachers employed by Catholic schools have been trained or are in training to meet industry and VETAB standards for the delivery of dual accredited courses to students enrolled for the HSC.

iv) Many Catholic schools have invested or are investing in essential buildings, plant and equipment.

(v) Awareness programs dealing with the place of VET in the curriculum have been developed for parents, teachers, students and employers.

In this context it should be noted that between 1996 and 1997 Catholic sector Participation in school-based VET grew by 25%.

This rapid growth in Catholic school participation in VET has been supported by:

significant State Government financial support for the JSSTAFE program

essential Commonwealth financial support through ANTA with respect to school-based VET. This has amounted to some $1.3 minion dollars for both the 1997 and 1998 calendar years. Similar funding is anticipated for 1999 and 2000.

The CEC,NSW is concerned that the delivery of VET to students enrolled in Years 1l and 12 has now reached a critical point. Catholic schools are faced with increasing Commonwealth demands to:

a) Integrate with the Nationa1 Training Framework.

b) Achieve higher Australian Qualification Framework levels for their students.

c) Meet all Australian Recognition Framework requirements in order

that students from Catholic schools can achieve credit transfer to post school training and education.

d) Enrol significant numbers of New Apprentices in schools.

e) Setting of specific VET targets against which school performance will be measured

Catholic VET planners are concerned that the combined effects of these Commonwealth requirements may unintentionally move the delivery of VET beyond the capacity of many NSW Catholic schools. In this context it needs to be remembered that VET in Schools commenced in the early 1990s with the aim of providing entry level training only. That is, training which articulates to full VET credentials rather than the provision of full VET credentials.

Also, whilst Catholic schools engage with the Commonwealth agenda for VET in schools they are very mindful of the need to:

i) Ensure that NSW Catholic schools can achieve Registered Training Organisation status under VETAB,NSW.

Ensure that NSW Catholic schools can deliver the new HSC VET model which will emerge from the NSW HSC Review process.

Ensure that NSW Catholic schools can continue to work with TAFE, in the context of the newly amalgamated Department of Education and Training, NSW.

Given the above VET policy framework concerns the CEC,NSW, would be most interested to explore with you as Chair of the House of Representatives Standing Committee for Employment, Education and Training, the following issues:

i) The inter-relationship of the Commonwealth and State agendas for VET in schools;

ii) VET registration issues for NSW schools;

iii) VET resourcing issues for NSW schools;

iv) VET teacher development for NSW schools;

v) The interface between schools and TAFE, and in particular non-government schools and TAFE.

vi) Resource sharing between schools/TAFE/Industry.

vii) The relationship between general and Vocational Education at Years 11 and 12.

In order to explore these issues the CEC,NSW would be most interested in arranging a meeting which could, perhaps, take place the Commission's Office, 11th Floor, Polding House, 276 Pitt Street, Sydney.

It would be appreciated if you could indicate whether it may be possible for the CEC,NSW to explore VET in Schools with you and your Committee.

(Dr) Brian Croke

Executive Director

c.c. NCEC

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