Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Workplace Relations

Inquiry into the Role of Institutes of TAFE
Submissions

This document has been scanned from the original printed submission. It may contain some errors

Submission 68

Victorian Association of Directors of TAFE lnstitutes Inc.

30 October 1997

Secretariat: 528 Little Lonsdale St.

P.O. Box 14039 MCMC

Melbourne 3000 Australia

Tel. 61 3 9606 0866 Fax. 61 3 9606 0957

Email. vicad@vicnet.net.au

VICAD:

The Victorian Association of Directors of TAFE Institutes Inc, commonly known as VICAD, was established in 1983 and comprises the Chief Executive Officers of all of Victoria's TAFE Institutes.

VICAD has the following objectives:

• develop policy on behalf of members which is relevant to educational and strategic directions at state and national levels
• undertake an effective advocacy role on behalf of TAFE Institutes with respect to association policy and the TAFE/training agenda in both state and national forums
• develop and maintain an information and marketing strategy which will enhance the influence of the association within post-secondary education, government, the media, industry and the community generally
• promote best practice in vocational education and training which will given TAFE Institutes a competitive edge

VICAD engages in the following activities:

management of the Australian TAFE Staff Exchange Consortium (ATSEQ which provides Australian TAFE teaching and non-teaching staff with opportunities to exchange, shadow or undertake interstate and international study tours. Australian members include the Victorian, NSW and South Australian TAFE systems, and individual TAFE Institutes in WA, ACT, NT and Tasmania. International members include education and training institutes in New Zealand, United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

formation and management of consortia and projects on behalf of the Victorian TAFE system for clients which include:

AusAID

Telstra

Australian National Training Authority

Office of Training and Further Education (Victoria)

eg Entry Level Competency Standards for VET Teachers/Trainers

eg Travelling Scholarships program

provision of input to state and national debate on VET issues

representation of practitioners on relevant committees and reviews

organisation of state, national and international conferences, forums, dinner lectures and study tours

TERMS OF REFERENCE:

This submission is intended to consolidate and substantiate those made by a number of Victorian TAFE Institutes in their submissions to the inquiry. It addresses the Inquiry's terms of reference, namely:

The appropriate roles of Institutes of Technical and Further Education

The extent to which these roles should overlap with universities

The Appropriate Roles of Institutes of Technical and Further Education

VICAD considers the choice of words in this term of reference to be significant. The expression "appropriate roles" of Institutes of Technical and Further Education implies a great deal about TAFE's charter and public image. It is certainly not an expression that would not generally be used in connection with other sectors of education.

On the one hand, it might be argued that "appropriate roles" suggests an uncertainty in the mind of government about what TAFE actually does or should be doing. On the other, it suggests an absence of vision by the government for the future public provision of vocational education in Australia.

VICAD would argue that this confusion stems form the fact that TAFE programs and services are publicly funded to respond to the education and training needs of government, industry, community and the individual person. The review might note that Institutes of TAFE are only empowered to initiate education and training courses on a "user pays" basis.

The "roles" of Institutes of TAFE are difficult to define because of their multiplicity and diversity, which is a direct consequence of their client responsiveness. VICAD would argue that the "appropriateness" of Institutes' roles is shaped by what might be called "exclusions".

Institutes of TAFE in Victoria are excluded by: - legislation in regard to the certification they may offer - limitations that apply to students undertaking post-compulsory education, and the policy platform of the government of the day with particular regard to the community service obligations it imposes.

Within this broad context, VICAD submits a number of definitive and conclusive statements in relation to the primary role, clientele and characteristics of Institutes of TAFE in Victoria.

Primary Role

The primary role of Institutes of TAFE is to provide:

pre-vocational and entry level vocational education and training

skill acquisition and customisation required by the corporate sector

workplace re-skilling as required by new and/or technological change

community access and enrichment

Clientele

TAFE students and customers differ from those engaged in other sectors of education in that they tend to be:

part-time rather than full-time

older rather than younger

employed or are directly seeking employment

vocationally-oriented rather than generalist in their educational goals

Characteristics

TAFE programs and services are characterised by:

rapid responsiveness to the needs of TAFE students, clients and staff

flexibility of operations and capacity to customise

common culture based on business principles

resource strength and access to current expertise

customer knowledge an understanding of the market place

quality procedures and measurement

business orientation with a view to financial viability and an adequate cash flow

capacity to compete with public and private providers at a local, national and international level

diversity of mission and focus

The extent to which these roles should overlap with Universities

VICAD's position is that the roles of TAFE Institutes must continue to differ from those of Universities, albeit with some overlap of course provision.

If the Government's goals of user choice and a competitive training market are to be fully realised, there must by definition be some overlap of course provision both within and between sectors.

The Inquiry might note that the overlap presently in effect is one-sided and uncompetitive, Universities have entered the vocational education and training market by offering middle level training in direct competition with TAFE. In one instance, a Victorian University has established a private training provider to compete with TAFE.

VICAD would strongly argue that in a genuinely competitive training market, Institutes of TAFE should be empowered to compete with Universities by offering undergraduate degree courses with a vocational focus. VICAD would also be interested in exploring further the "two plus two" model which operates successfully in United States' Community Colleges and Universities.

When undertaking pre-vocational or vocational education and training, students should have the choice of provider - University or Institute of TAFE - and be unrestricted in their capacity to undertake further studies and/or skills acquisition at either one or the other.

Related Recommendations

Submissions to the Inquiry by individual Institutes of TAFE have identified the distinct characteristics of the TAFE sector. Some submissions have also attempted to define the roles of Universities. Rather than repeat what has already been submitted, VICAD makes the point that the different roles and characteristics of Universities, TAFE Institutes and other sectors of education (including senior secondary education) should be highlighted as a matter of public record.

VICAD makes three recommendations designed to assist the TAFE system and Institutes in particular to maximise their benefit to the Australian economy.

VICAD recommends that the federal government:

1.Define and endorse the roles and core business of TAFE Institutes as distinct from other sectors of education and training so that potential students and clients can:

choose their provider based on published performance, provision of courses and services, and national accreditation

choose their course of study based on skills, qualifications, pathways and options, and community recognition in terms of employability and employer acceptance

2.Clearly brand and market the TAFE product to enable Institutes of TAFE to:

be clearly identifiable as the nation's leading public provider of vocational education and training (VET)

highlight their strengths and successes

3.Remove federal bureaucratic restrictions on the capacity of Institutes of TAFE to compete successfully in the training market to enable them to:

become employment agencies as well as training agencies

make business decisions unencumbered by politically inspired community service obligations

4.Encourage state governments to remove state bureaucratic restrictions for the same reasons; for instance, in Victoria students are unable to enrol as full-time students in year 12 courses at TAFE Institutes, which means they are prevented from exercising user choice.

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