Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations
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Submission 34
THE UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
SUBMISSION TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE FOR EMPLOYMENT
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
INQUIRY INTO:
THE APPROPRIATE ROLES OF INSTITUTES OF TECHNICAL AND FURTHER EDUCATION
THE EXTENT TO WHICH THOSE ROLES SHOULD OVERLAP WITH UNIVERSITIES
1997
1 Preamble
In recent years, TAFE has emerged as a major instrument of Government
policy at both State and Federal level. Increasingly, it has been viewed
as indispensable to the creation and extension of a trained, versatile
and innovative workforce. A significant rise in demand for education and
training has been caused in large measure by:
• a recognition that a highly skilled workforce is needed to increase
Australia's competitiveness in international markets;
• an increasing need for people to change jobs, even professions, several
times in their lifetime. The pace of technological change is such that
the very jobs for which students are being prepared will either disappear
or be substantially transformed. The economic climate of change and
uncertainty and technological innovation are increasing the importance
of individual flexibility and ability to learn on the job as a condition
of entering employment as well as remaining productive and employable.
Clearly, graduates need a core of professional, vocational or technical
skills as appropriate to their career choices and aspirations. Equally
clear is that a narrow specialist education, focused too exclusively on
a slender range of employment opportunities, will be disadvantageous to
graduates who may have to negotiate several career changes in their working
life. Vocational courses offered through TAFE will be increasingly concerned
with competencies that are more general than those which, for example,
characterised the traditional craft-based apprenticeships. Industry restructuring
involving changes to the nature and scope of work will have major effects
on TAFE vocational courses, including placing greater emphases on conceptual
learning, technological literacy and common skills across trades. Across-discipline
combinations of courses will be necessary, producing people trained in
multi-skill areas. Courses will be presented in industry groups rather
than in narrow occupations. I-earning to learn skills will also need to
be developed.
A significant challenge for educators and teachers in all sectors is
to equip people with broad-based skills which provide mobility and flexibility
in life, adjust capacity to new types of work organisation and enable
participation in a learning society. Thus the objectives for teaching
and learning for both the TAFE and higher education sectors appear to
be similar. Both individual and industry needs are leading to a stronger
convergence of general and vocational education.
Although these needs call attention to stronger collaboration between
the education sectors, this does not present a case for a single institutional
form of tertiary education. A key point made in the University of Adelaide's
submission to the West Review of Higher Education, Financing and Policy
is that "Australia, if it is to secure an economic future which will
allow it to maintain a relatively good position in what is an increasingly
global economy, is critically dependent on the rapid development of knowledge-intensive
industries as a nation, we need to invest in the creation of both knowledge
and a well and appropriately educated population. It is in this context
that the task of considering the design of the higher education system
needs to be placed."
The point to be emphasised is that, far from seeking to blur the distinction
between TAFE and Higher Education, our governments should be seeking to
encourage greater diversity in the provision of systematic post secondary
education and training. It needs to be recognised that students can properly
achieve tertiary awards by different means and at different levels of
accomplishment, and that different levels and kinds of tertiary study
have their own validity. Unless universities and institutions of technical
and further education work out carefully what the nature of their economy-service
courses should be, a major risk to the nation is the production of graduates
who are equipped with neither adequate practical/technical skills nor
a substantial understanding of the related theoretical disciplines.
2 TAFE and higher education
While not denying that there is overlap in the respective missions of
the sectors, there is a need for stronger recognition of the different
objectives of university and vocational education and training.
The principle domain of TAFE could be regarded as covering all of vocational
education, including a substantial area of overlap with general education.
TAFE encompasses four main areas: preparatory education and training for
early school leavers, initial vocational education and training, further
training subsequent to an initial qualification, and recreational or adult
education. TAFE graduates are expected to have a deep knowledge of a technical
speciality and demonstrate good communication skills as well as a logical
approach to problem analysis and decision-making.
The University of Adelaide's mission reflects what Adelaide holds to
be the principal purposes of a university:
The Mission of The University of Adelaide is to advance knowledge,
understanding and culture through scholarship, research, teaching and
community service of international distinction.
Key objectives include:
the education of appropriately qualified Australians to enable them
to make profound contribution to the intellectual, cultural, economic
and social development of local and national communities as well as
international regions. Of fundamental importance is that the teaching
programs provide an advanced liberal (or general) education for all
students. Emphasis on theory and higher-order skill development is the
speciality of higher education where graduates should have the ability
to use the major modes of inquiry relevant to a given discipline; be
able to demonstrate strong communication skills; be able to recognise
high quality professional practice; be able to conduct self-directed
learning and show an inclination towards lifelong learning;
the creation and advancement of knowledge. The activities of teaching
and research inform each other. Teaching includes both general or liberal
education and specialised theoretical and practical studies. The teachingand
research work of a university includes a range of the kinds of vocational
studies that depend on a significant body of theory for understanding
and practice. Universities offer a wide range of teaching programs at
undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The latter are particularly concerned
with the development of advanced knowledge and of skills in scholarship
and research. The ultimate aim is the creation of knowledge, the application
of which is to the betterment of communities in Australia and overseas.
If it can be concluded that there are some distinctive characteristics
of a university, what then is the optimum role for TAFE in the broader
sphere of post compulsory education provision and how does this role (or
roles) relate to the role of a university?
3 Roles of TAFE
Both State and Commonwealth Governments have made it clear that there
are two broad purposes which they expect TAFE to serve. These are firstly,
to contribute to economic growth through the development of vocational
skills. TAFE is seen as an appropriate vehicle to implement government
training and retraining policies because of its strong links with the
labour market. Secondly, TAFE is to contribute to social equity through
broadening access to educational and training opportunities to those sections
of the community deemed to be socially, economically or educationally
disadvantaged.
In serving those purposes, TAFE needs to continue to take a leading role
in the following programs:
1) Youth programs
TAFE's prime role is to continue to offer a range of vocational programs
to those young people who have chosen to leave school and enrol in TAFE
courses.
TAFE must continue to take a greater share of the responsibility for
conceiving overall strategies to improve the range of real educational
options post-Year 10. Several educational and labour market strategies
have been aimed at alleviating high youth unemployment. These options
now include full-time education, structured combinations of employment,
education and training, and opportunities for further education after
entering the labour market. As students become aware of a range of post-compulsory
education and training options provided through TAFE, and the mechanisms
for enhancing movement between the different providers of education
and training through recognition and credit transfer, more and more
school students may see TAFE as a viable option to tertiary education
at a university.
In efforts to provide comprehensive pathways to work and tertiary education,
TAFE should continue to collaborate with the Schools sector in the design,
delivery and resourcing of joint Schools/TAFE courses.
2) Trade training
A high proportion of TAFE students are in TAFE because of their labour
market circumstances. Examples include apprentices who are required
to attend TAFE under the conditions of their indenture.
Stronger links need to be developed between industry and TAFE colleges
so that local industry innovations, processes and best practices continue
to enrich, extend and improve courses taught by TAFE colleges. At the
same time these links are necessary in ensuring that TAFE colleges are
teaching techniques/processes which are appropriate to the level of
development of local industry. These may not always involve "state
of the art" machinery and processes.
However, equally important is the proactive role that vocational education
and training must play in the assessment of emerging skills required
by the evolving needs of industry in increasing international competitiveness.
The above factors highlight the importance of college staff monitoring
developments at the industry level, keeping up-to-date with changing
technology and being able to assist industry, where necessary, with
expertise in the analysis of training needs. Furthermore, TAFE will
be in great demand from industry to devise on-the-job training courses
and to assist with assessment.
3) Adult training and retraining programs
i) Displaced workers seeking new vocational directions
In addition to the development of programs which provide initial training
in various occupational areas, there is also a need to focus on the
needs of workers affected by changing work practices and new technology.
Retraining can involve updating of skills or complete retraining for
employees who are dislocated or retrenched.
ii) Well qualified school leavers including university graduates
seeking marketable skills
Many higher education graduates, particularly those with generalist
degrees, have difficulty in making the transition from education to
work. The movement of higher education students to TAFE courses is in
many ways a response to this difficulty. This does not necessarily mean
that university students are dissatisfied with higher education. These
students appear to be utilising the unique strengths of the two sectors
and using TAFE courses to change direction and/or acquire different,
specifically industry-related skills where emphasis is on access to
short, highly focused courses. For many students TAFE courses and university
study are distinct but meaningful components of their overall tertiary
education and training experience. A generic skill which is highly valued
is the desire to continue to learn. The frequency with which higher
education graduates access further formal courses of study may therefore
be interpreted as a highly positive outcome from higher education.
4) Equity and access programs
Although each of the post-secondary education sectors has an important
role to play in a comprehensive attack on educational disadvantage,
TAFE is seen as the sector which is most accessible in terms of entry
to education, and the most widespread in terms of the number of campuses
and their geographical spread. TAFE should continue to offer people
of different abilities, circumstances and needs a range of vocational
preparation programs via a range of modes and attendance patterns. TAFE
could take advantage of its wider geographical reach and function more
as a conduit and performance assessment system for entry into further
study. Additionally, the use of TAFE colleges to provide facilities
for the teaching of advanced education and university courses in locations
which arerelatively remote geographically would significantly enhance
social equity in relation to educational opportunities.
4 How do these roles relate to universities?
Pressure to provide the expertise necessary to sustain a sophisticated
-technological economy inevitably leads to the need for mobility of students
between institutions and sectors in terms of upgrading qualifications.
Multiple entry and exit points must serve the vocational and personal
aspirations of students and the expectations of the wider community, including
industry. Though sectoral boundaries should remain salient, the broader
environment should become much more fluid, receptive and encouraging to
inter-sectora1 movement.
It is necessary to ensure the balanced and co-ordinated development of
postsecondary education in Australia and to promote the diversifying of
opportunities. The activities of TAFE and the universities must therefore
be viewed and planned within a context of lifelong learning and of mechanisms
to encourage and facilitate recurrent education.
Credit transfer or recognition is one means of encouraging students to
pursue higher level qualifications. In accordance with the view that tertiary
education should provide a continuum of education and training opportunities,
articulation allows liberal credit thereby facilitating student progress
from one level of education to the next. At the University of Adelaide,
emphasis is on the articulation of TAFE courses in single vocational fields
with courses in the same fields offered by the University. Examples of
the vocational fields in which articulation of courses occur are business,
agribusiness, engineering, information science, and applied science including
agriculture and horticulture.
The University of Adelaide has recently seen some important developments
in bringing the various sectors of education closer together, with the
aim of improving the relevance and accessibility of educational offerings.
Some examples include:
• a recently completed Agricultural and Horticultural Training Pathways
Project with the involvement of the Faculty of Agricultural and Natural
Resource Sciences of the University of Adelaide, DETAFE, and the Agricultural
and Horticultural Training Council. The main aim of the project was
to provide an outline of current and possible future pathways between
existing DETAFE awards and University of Adelaide awards for selected
Agricultural and Horticultural industry sectors.
• a DEETYA funded project in 1996 developed articulation and integrated
pathways in rural and allied industries between Secondary Education,
Vocational education and Training and the University. This has involved
a total revision of the Diploma in Horse Husbandry and Management offered
in 1997. It is proving to be a very popular course strongly supported
by the equine industry. This is a joint effort by the University's Department
of Animal Science, Veterinary and Applied Science, Torrens Valley Institute
of TAFE and Cheltenham Horse Skills Centre.
• the Urrbrae Education Complex is being developed and involves the
relocation of Gilles Plains Campus of TAFE including the Brookway Park
Horticultural Centre. These will link with Urrbrae Agricultural High
School to share facilities for horticultural and animal sciences and
associated joint courses at the diploma level.
• Courses taught in the TAFE sector are usually at certificate or diploma
level. There is, therefore, some overlap since diploma as well as degree
level courses --in the same vocational field are being taught in the
higher education sectors. However, the scope for the development of
integrated programs is limited to areas where the type of overlap between
the curriculum of TAPE colleges and the University's courses is educationally
meaningful. The co-operative design of curricula is made possible for
courses in single vocational areas where there is a clear progression
from those courses at paraprofessional level in TAFE to those at professional
level in higher education.
Clearly, there are several benefits which result from the collaborative
activities described above:
• collaborative planning of curricula between higher education, TAFE,
and industry allows a "total industry" approach to the delivery
of education and training, where one facility provides programs which
range from Certificate level training to postgraduate research for an
industry;
• collaboration provides TAFE personnel with access to a research and
development environment which might not only improve the level of expertise
of TAFE college staff but enables the vocational education and training
sector to take advantage of the intellectual developments of the disciplines
for improved practice and curricula. Such a cross-sectoral response
facilitates access to highly specialised equipment by TAFE college staff
and students while also allowing colleges to focus on local industry
needs;
• articulation and co-operation with the Vocational Education and Training
sector provide appropriate pathways to university education so that
it is possible for the University to concentrate efforts on the later
years of the undergraduate program, Honours, Graduate and Postgraduate
education.
The demands for new and extra content in vocationally-related undergraduate
courses are insistent and difficult to balance. The provision of some
types of practical skill acquisition in the vocational education and training
sector, therefore, relieves higher education from some of these pressures.
5 Conclusion
The linkages now being created between TAFE and higher education will
help to break down the rigid structures that have developed over past
years. However, cross-sectoral developments such as these should not damage
the structure of tertiary education in Australia by altering the distinctive
characteristics of existing sectors. What we want to create in this country
is a diversified system with each institution contributing according to
its funded mission to the development of the whole system of employment,
education and training.
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