Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Workplace Relations

Inquiry into the Role of Institutes of TAFE
Submissions

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Submission 60

GREATER GREEN TRIANGLE RESPONSE TO INQUIRY INTO APPROPRIATE ROLE OF INSTITUTES OF TECHNICAL AND FURTHER EDUCATION

1 THE REGION AND THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATIONS

The Greater Green Triangle region covers 70,000 km square Incorporating the South West and Wimmera regions of Victoria and the south east of South Australia. It has a population of 225,000. The region incorporates abundant fertile lands, reliable rainfall, diverse agricultural and manufacturing industries and has a well-developed transport network of rail, road and port facilities.

The Greater Green Triangle Region Association (GGTRA) was established on 1 December 1994 as one of the first Commonwealth approved Regional Development Organisations (RDO). The membership of the RDO is made up of industry representatives, local government, development board representatives and the service providers.

 

2 GREATER GREEN TRIANGLE POST SECONDARY EDUCATION CONSORTIUM

The Consortium was established as a Committee of the GGTRA in March 1995 to pursue the following objectives:

• Maximise the efficient delivery of postsecondary education to the region, and more broadly;
• Maximise the capacity of Post secondary education to assist economic activity and Output from the region;
• Recognise synergies and develop complimentary arrangements resulting in
• . more efficient and effective program and course delivery; and
• Develop a common approach to issues affecting the delivery of post secondary education 'in the region.

The Consortium members are

• South East Institute of TAFE (Mt Gambier),
• South West Institute of TAFE (Warrnambool, Portland, Hamilton),
• Deakin University (which has a campus at Warrnambool),
• The University of Melbourne (colleges of Glenormiston and Longerenong), and
• WRIST (Wool and Rural Industry's Skill Training Centre at Hamilton).

 

3 REVIEWS INTO HIGHER EDUCATION AND TAFE

The Consortium has developed a regional submission to the West Inquiry Into Higher Education. The Consortium has now been invited to respond to the Inquiry Into the appropriate roles of Institutes of Technical and Further Education.

The terms of reference of the House of Representatives' Standing Committee on

employment. education and training is to enquire into and report on:

• The appropriate roles of Institutes of Technical and Further Education; and
• The extent to which those role should overlap with universities.

 

4 APPROPRIATE ROLES OF INSTITUTE OF TECHNICAL AND FURTHER EDUCATION

Current Roles

TAFE Institutes have three broad roles:

1. Pre-vocational training in Vocational Education and Training (VET);
2. Workplace re-skilling and re-training;
3. Community enrichment through VET.

The major area of operation is in the workplace re-skilling and retraining. TAFE programs are characterised by:

• Availability at source of need;
• Flexible access times;
• Relatively low cost;
• Designed to meet specific needs;
• Relatively short duration.

TAFE training is provided to a wide age group range, however the dominant students are mature-aged.

TAFE Institutes have not traditionally been research-focused. They have deliveredpractical skills to generate employment and business opportunities for participants.

The provision of TAFE teaching and training at the point of need provides for

• Acquisition of skills within communities and across a range of disciplines which otherwise may not be present.
• Reduction in the level of emigration of people from regions to seek training and skills up-grade,
• Support to business and employers in retaining and recruiting competitively skilled employees,
• Investment attraction through meeting a requirement of prospective investors in availability of skilled workers and ability to up-grade skills,
• Substantial economic activity in their own right through employment and expenditure in local economies,
• Transfer of technologies and methods.

 

5 APPROPRIATE ROLES OF THE INSTITUTES

The roles of TAFE Institutes as described above are both appropriate and defensible. Point of need training and re-skilling is critical to attraction and retention of business and industry and therefore employment opportunities for participants. The training must be provided in flexible learning modes and at flexible times to cater for the needs of the recipients. The training must be adaptable to the needs of specific communities and business and industry within a region or catchment. Generic training while appropriate in many areas (computer skills etc) is appropriate other training needs to be tailored, such as food handling in agricultural processing communities.

TAFE Institutes are and must continue to develop meaningful partnerships with other organisations and groups in their communities (including Universities) to enable collaboration, development of complimentary roles and initiatives and the tailoring of teaching and learning programs to meet identified requirements and needs.

The provision of short, sharp and focussed training and education is something TAFE

Institutes need to continue to focus on.

TAFE: Institutes need to continue to provide and facilitate:

• lifelong learning required to upgrade and maintain the skills of a competitive workforce
• stepping stones to link vocational education and training more closely to the needs of
• trade and industry
• workface development of relevant skills for the future work environment particularly
• facilitating the networking and clustering of industry and promoting the competitive
• advantages of regions
• Social and community development through the provision of general interest programs.

 

6 EXTENT TO WHICH THESE ROLES SHOULD OVERLAP WITH UNIVERSITIES

The roles of TAFE Institutes should riot (and do not) as a matter of course overlap with the roles of Universities.

Here I will talk of Universities in the context of regional campuses of larger Universities.

The universities generally provide a selection of generic degree courses for on and off campus students within and outside their region together with specialist courses which are relevant to locality of the expertise of the University Campus and their situation (geographic, regional production base. skills and experiences available). In addition, universities undertake substantial research-based activities which are not undertaken by TAFE Institutes.

The target markets of TAFE Institutes and Universities is quite distinct. The Universities cater for a large undergraduate market of students able and prepared to spend 3-5 years studying to achieve a degree- They also Provide and cater for post-graduate students. The -short courses and semester break activities of the Universities are generally related specifically to an area of particular expertise of the University ;and are not an encroachment into or overlap with the short course flavour of the TAFE Institutes.

TAFE Institutes cater for a different market and need. Although a growing number of TAFE students have a degree or certificate the training is focussed on short and specific upskilling which is vocational based and often tailored to local immediate training requirements. Also the average age of the TAFE students is substantially older, with the average age of students around 30- Many have no previous certificate or accredited based training or skills.

Both sectors have the capacity for export activity both through the export of knowledge and information and the attraction of foreign fee paying students. This does not create overlap as the markets are quite separate and distinct. The capacity for collaboration in these export areas is evident through sharing of intellectual knowledge, contacts and overheads of pursuing export initiatives.

The roles of the universities and TAFE Institutes should not be seen in isolation from each other. Opportunities arise for course articulation between TAFE Institutes and universities which Provides for different entry points to and exit points from courses. This is not an issue of overlap but rather the respective institutions bringing to the table their particular flavour and area of expertise which provides a better result for the student and a greater % opportunity for career advancement and development with the flexible entry and exit points.

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