Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Workplace Relations

Inquiry into the Role of Institutes of TAFE
Submissions

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Submission 12

Response to the Inquiry into appropriate roles of Institutes of Technical and Further Education by the Standing committee on employment, education and training, inquiring into and reporting on:

· the appropriate roles of Institutes of Technical and Further Education

· the extent to which those roles overlap with Universities

21 October 1997

 

Introduction

I submit this response to the Committee's Inquiry on an individual basis, from a

background of 17 years in the VET sector.

I would like to make some brief comments on the two issues of focus of the Committee:

Appropriate roles of Institutes of TAFE

TAFE institutes provide vocational education and training in a close partnership with the community, in the broadest context of the word - i.e. industry, organisations, small business and individuals. This is a very different function to that occupied by either the schools system or universities.

TAFE Institutes provide a range of specialist education and training needs within the community for which they are uniquely positioned and equipped to do. The range of skills and expertise represented by these services are not duplicated in the schools sector which lacks the vocational orientation and experience, nor does it blend comfortably with the university system with its more academic and research focus.

Specifically, the uniqueness of TAFE Institutes can be summarised by:

- the focus on entry-level vocational education and training;

- the provision of re-skilling and re-training of the existing workforce in response to changes brought about through technological development, changes to Australia's industry base, or greater mobility in the workforce;

- flexibility and responsiveness to the skills needs of Australian industry, and positioning to deliver consistent and standardised outcomes in Vocational Education and Training, though development and implementation of national competency standards and recognition/qualifications frameworks;

- ability to respond to the needs of particular interest groups, including the disadvantaged; and

- ability to work in partnership with Australian industry in development and provision of tailored and customised training to meet specific needs.

Extent to which those roles overlap with Universities

There is some overlap in provision within some of the fields of study addressed by TAFE Institutes. This overlap however, is more the exception than the rule, and is largely addressed through the continuing development of articulation arrangements between Institutions.

The great majority of TAFE provision is quite outside the experience and profile of university delivery, which lacks the largely vocational orientation and skills acquisition which underpins much of TAFE delivery.

There are several key issues which define the areas of divergence between TAFE and universities, and which outweigh by a significant margin any perceived overlap or areas of confluence:

• TAFE is a national system driven largely by national standards and curriculum. Universities have an individual identity and largely determine the form of their courses and activities.

• TAFE has strong linkages with industry bodies, particularly at the level of underpinning skills and knowledge which is so important to industry competitiveness.

• Universities remain aloof academically and importantly, in the perceptions of much of the student cohort which identifies with TAFE.

• The university focus on research, while important to the nation, remains removed from the direct links with industry which typify TAFE's relationship - despite more recent moves to have university research define a more applied focus.

• Universities remain independent bodies and within themselves, a large disparity exists in terms of perceptions and roles - quite unlike TAFE, which at least has a more homogenous pedigree (eg. witness the "group of eight" versus the rest).

• Universities do not generally appear to have close links with either their immediate community (other than perhaps the regional universities) or with local industry.

 

Thank you,

Trevor Gerdsen

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