Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations
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Submission 20
Association of TAFE Institutes
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION
AND TRAINING
INQUIRY INTO THE APPROPRIATE ROLES OF INSTITUTES OF TECHNICAL AND FURTHER
EDUCATION
22 October 1997
PREAMBLE
This submission is made by the Association of TAFE Institutes to the
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Education and
Training, in response to the national inquiry into the appropriate roles
of Institutes of Technical and Further Education (TAFE). In particular,
consideration will be given to:
- the appropriate roles of institutes of technical and further education;
and
- the extent to which those roles should overlap with universities.
The Association is well placed to comment on these issues from the TAFE
perspective. By way of introduction, this Association is the peak employer
body for the TAFE industry in Victoria and we have as our members all
of Victoria's TAFE Institutes and the three Multisector Universities.
Our Mission is to facilitate an environment in which our Members can deliver
world class vocational education and training (VET) and the extent to
which this has been achieved is reflected by the standing of Victoria's
TAFE Institutes as being the most efficient and cost effective in the
country. The Association also takes an active liaison role on behalf of
its Members with Government departments and Ministers on key issues.
We have represented Victorian TAFE in a number of recent inquiries and
initiatives, at both state and Federal level including the West Review
into Higher Education Financing and Policy, the Victorian Ministerial
Review into the Provision of TAFE in the Melbourne Metropolitan Area and
the Victorian State Training Board's 'Vision for the State Training System'.
The Association's Executive Committee has undertaken considerable work
in developing its own Vision for the Delivery of VET in Victoria, which
includes consideration of the key objectives for the efficient and equitable
delivery of vocational education and training, and a proposed model for
the delivery of VET in Victoria.
Throughout all of these inquiries/reviews, the Association has stressed
that the nature and needs of the system must be the driving force for
change, and not an arbitrarily decided factor which has been deemed necessary
to meet the fiscal demands of Government.
We see ourselves not as critics of reform, but as partners in reform,
and the Association would welcome the opportunity to work with governments,
both State and Federal, in pursuit of the continuous improvement of the
public provision of VET.
ExEcUTIVE SUMMARY
The appropriate roles of Institutes of TAFE
- TAFE Institutes Australia-wide (and particularly in Victoria) are
delivering their products in an increasingly competitive environment.
They continue to meet the challenge of competition by responsively and
flexibly meeting their customers' needs.
- TAFE's key role is to deliver public access, customer focussed, applied
vocational courses, with the aim of enhancing the employment skills
of all TAFE students.
- TAFE has a role in contributing to the economic prosperity of Australia
by creating a responsive and contemporary training system designed to
ensure Australian industry has access to the skills needed to enhance
its competitiveness.
- TAFE fulfils an important 'socialequity' role by providing affordable
learning opportunities and employment opportunities to countless ordinary
Australians, many of whom may not have completed their secondary schooling.
- TAFE, and more broadly VET, possess intrinsic characteristics, valued
by its customers, and which distinguish it from other learning mediums.
It is imperative that these fine qualities of TAFE are preserved.
- TAFE has an integral role in supporting the educational and training
needs of regional communities and industries. TAFE Institutes must exercise
their functions with the necessary degree of commercial independence
to permit them to carry out their roles in an autonomous fashion, free
of direct government influence or restrictions on their business activities.
Victoria has a comparatively devolved network TAFE Institutes in relation
to other Australian states, but we believe that this autonomy should
now be taken to the next level.
- The roles of the TAFE sector and traditional universities should be
structured so as to complement one another in a manner which best meets
their respective client needs.
- The diversity in the student profile of TAFE demands a diversity in
delivery. There is a valid place in the training market for different
'models' of provider to meet the totality of customer need, as exemplified
by the existing multi-sector institutions in Victoria, by discrete TAFE
Institutes, by private providers and by industry specialist providers.
- An effective interface between VET and higher education is vitally
important for both sectors to meet the needs of the Australian and global
education market. It is our view that in Victoria, effective articulation
arrangements and alliances between VET and higher education should continue
to be fostered and developed.
- TAFE's role is not that of a 'junior partner' to universities, and
it is by no means 'inferior'. Research shows that student articulation
from universities to TAFE far exceeds articulation from TAFE to university.
While pathways are important in meeting some client needs, they do not
constitute TAFE's core business, and in fact, only a very smart proportion
of the total TAFE student population subsequently transfer to university.
- There are clear differences between TAFE Institutes and traditional
universities, including differences in the end products, the manner
and cost of delivery, the target customer groups and the skills required
of the educators.
- It is recommended that caution be exercised when contemplating TAFE
vocational associate degrees. There is a compelling argument for TAFE
to focus on, and continue to excel in the areas in which they have traditionally
done wel.l. The needs of Australian industry should be the prime concern
for TAFE.
PART 1: THE APPROPRIATE ROLES OF INSTITUTES OF TECHNICAL AND FURTHER
EDUCATION
BACKGROUND
The Standing Committee's inquiry centres on the role of Institutes of
Technical and Further Education (TAFE) and that role vis a vis universities.
Expressly excluded are other providers in the vocational education and
training (VET) market, including for example, private providers. In all
states, private providers are playing an increasingly significant role
in the provision of VET services. In Victoria, the Government has set
a target of 20% of training priorities to be allocated through competitive
tender by the year 2000. This goal is well on the way to being realised,
with the Government recently announcing that in 1998, 17.3% of total state
training effort will be open to competitive tender. TAFE Institutes Australia
wide (and in particular in Victoria) are meeting the challenge of competition
by structuring the delivery of their services in a way which best meets
the needs of the customers, while striving to achieve the operations objectives
of their stakeholders/owners. We do not believe that the role of TAFE
ought be examined in isolation of these factors.
THE ROLE OF TAFE
TAFE is primarily concerned with the public provision of vocational education
and training. It is that part of the education sector which is most often
called upon to respond to the economic rise and fall and the subsequent
shifts in demands of the labour market in Australia.
TAFE's key role is to deliver through public access, customer focussed,
applied vocational courses. The emphasis by TAFE is on skilling, and enhancing
the employability of its graduates.
TAFE programs are often seen as the realm of young trade apprentices,
yet in actual fact more than 48% of TAFE graduates are aged 25 or over,1
and on1y 5.8% are students undertaking apprenticeships in the recognised
trades.2 TAFE has progressed far beyond the 'traditional trades'
and now offers a wide variety of courses, across a broad range of industries.
TAFE's INDusTRY Focus
TAFE's role, and its importance to the prosperity of Australia and its
citizens, is necessarily broad.
TAFE makes a vital contribution to the economic prosperity of Australia
by guaranteeing a responsive and contemporary training system which ensures
Australian industry has access to the skills needed to equip it to compete
globally.
TAFE has always enjoyed a close relationship with industry. In Victoria,
industry participation on TAFE institute Councils, the State Training
Board and Industry Training Advisory Boards has contributed to a TAFE
sector which is responsive to industry needs and to the labour market.
Notwithstanding this nexus, the Association's recent paper 'A Vision
for the Delivery of VET in Victoria' advocates a new industry/VET
provider interface which we have named the 'VET Business Forum'. One of
the key thrusts behind the forum is to create an environment in which
the 'captains of industry' (represented by small to medium enterprises
as well as big business) talk directly and with knowledge and authority
on the training needs of the State, with training providers. Generally
speaking, we believe that the Forum will facilitate a freer and clearer
exchange of information between all of the parties who have an interest
in training, with the express objective to achieve a flexible and responsive
training system.
TAFE's Social EQuity ROLE
A far greater role for TAFE is the part a publicly funded discrete TAFE
sector has played in opening the doors of opportunity to many Australians
who, without TAFE, would have been captive to a menial existence shrouded
with educational poverty. TAFE has provided the life chance for whole
generations of Australians, many of whom may not have completed their
secondary schooling, much less aspired to a university education. NCVER
statistics show that 54% of VET clients in Victoria in 1996 had not completed
their secondary school education.3 Yet through TAFE they have
discovered their capabilities and come to know the reward of personal
educational success. Through access to public education, they have been
able to throw off the shackles of servitude, illiteracy and ignorance,
and continue to aspire to even greater heights through lifelong learning.
With the labour market moving decisively in favour of highly skilled
workers, affordable access to education must be provided for those without
skills, to provide them with a range of adaptable skills and a commitment
to lifelong learning. We must ensure that any deficiency in educational
provision does not add to the growing social malaise of the community.
The social threats of a de-funded or poor quality TAFE sector should
also be considered. A recent UNICEF report, 'The Progress of Nations
1997' shows that of participating industrialised nations, Australia
has the ninth highest level of unemployment amongst 15-24 year olds at
16%, ranking below countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States,
New Zealand and Germany.4 The seriousness of Australia's youth
unemployment problem, and its connection with youth suicide and other
social crises remain of paramount importance for all Governments.
THE INTRINSIC CHARACTERISTICS OF TAFE
The Association has long held the view that there are many fine, inherent
qualities which TAFE, and more broadly, VET, offers the community. There
are undoubtedly features of the VET sector which have played a significant
role in the development of Australia's skill base and there can be no
argument that VET does not have an equally significant role to play in
the future.
The Association recently commissioned the National Centre for Vocational
Education Research (NCVER) to undertake a research project to identify
naturally occurring qualities present in TAFE and vocational education
and training generally, which are of value to our clients. The project
involved interviews with representatives from urban and non-urban Victoria,
from a range of public and private providers, enterprises within industry,
policy makers, unions, and employer and industry groups.
The report has identified some of the key characteristics of TAFE/VEI
in Victoria which we believe are useful to articulate the future role
for TAFE in Australia.
- VET/TAFE is flexible
VET is regarded as being flexible in terms of delivery mode, content
and structure. For example, a TAFE Institute as part of its standard package
of products might structure a course based on a combination of correspondence
programs with short on-campus intensive sessions. Alternatively, it could
deliver on-site training to industry on very short notice at a time which
minimises any disruption to the client's production schedules. Victoria's
TAFE institutes operate 51 weeks of the year and several operate seven
days a week, all coupled with the fact that VET providers will go to the
client, rather than requiring the client to come to them.
- VET/TAFE is applied and practical
This feature is especially appreciated by those already in the workplace.
VET is perceived as placing a greater emphasis on the practical and less
on the historical perspectives which lie behind the development of applied
thought. There is a danger that some of the practical nature of VET programs
may be lost if VET provision is integrated into other discrete sectors
of education.
It was also raised by interviewees that VET providers provide targeted
programs at the level required by the client, rather than relying upon
off the shelf prepackaged programmes at an 'intermediate' or 'advanced'
level. VET is responsive to industry, rather than being curriculum outcome
driven.
. VET/TAFE is competitive
The VET sector in Victoria is actively competing intemally within Victoria,
as well as externally interstate stare and internationally. In recent
years, changes in government policy have resulted in competitive tendering
between public and private providers for public funds. Because of its
history of autonomous institutes and their increasing commercial independence,
Victoria's TAFE system is well placed to respond to the introduction of
principles of User Choice where public funds are allocated to the chosen
provider of the employer or trainee. As such it stands as a credible benchmark
for other state systems.
- VET/TAFE is capable of reacting to local needs
The research found that an important strength of the VET system is the
opendoor policy, which means it is receptive to suggestions or requests
from companies both small and large. This characteristic is closely related
to the flexibility feature described above.
- VET/TAFE is less institutionalized and bureaucratic than other parts
of the education system.
This is an important distinction. Possibly because of the size and complexity
of higher education, universities tend necessarily to be more rigid in
their structure and operations. Conversely, because of the nature of VET
provision, TAFE is afforded an environment which is more compatible to
creative tailoring of its products.
It is imperative for the future of quality vocational education and training
in Australia that these characteristics of VET which are valued by its
clients are preserved, and that the effects of any proposed changes to
the way in which VET is delivered are taken into account, particularly
where such change may adversely affect the intrinsic characteristics of
VET.
TAFE IN REGIONAL AREAS
TAFE is vitally important to rural and remote areas. The benefits to
the community of a vibrant and relevant vocational education and training
institute cannot be overstated. In regional areas, centres which are able
to attract students from beyond their immediate catchment area add significantly
to the economic welfare of their region. Local communities and governments,
both State and Federal, actively encourage industry to decentralise. The
inclusion of educational centres of excellence in this strategy is as
critical to the development of the State and the social well being of
society as any other industry, perhaps arguably more so.
TAFE has a clear role in industry/business development in a region, as
well as regional community development. This is sound justification for
continued government support.
TAFE INSTITUE AUTONOMY
It is essential to the effectiveness of TAFE that Institutes are able
to carry out their roles with autonomy. Victoria leads the other Australian
states in this regard. Since 1993, the role of TAFE Institute Councils
has changed from being advisory boards with limited statutory responsibility
to governing bodies with legal and administrative responsibilities akin
to company boards. Institute Councils are now empowered with a level of
operational independence consistent with the Government's demand of all
statutory authorities, for public accountability and fiscal responsibility.
Victoria operates the most devolved network of TAFE Institutes in Australia
and this is seen by many as the most significant contributor to the outcome
of 'value for money' training in Victoria.
However, TAFE Institutes must be able to maximise their business opportunities
and to manage their day to day activities in an efficient manner, free
of direct government influence. Private providers are able to operate
in this market against the same imperatives of quality and purpose as
public providers with less government intervention.
Institutes are faced with an inability to offset the decline of public
funding of vocational education and training against the corresponding
influence of open competition, in part because of the operational constraints
imposed through government policy, particularly in matters such as fees
and charges, but also because of government policy relating to the acceptance
of full fee paying students and the numerous audit and reporting requirements.
Institutes must have the managerial latitude to be innovative and responsive
to their clients' needs and to have the flexibility to make the necessary
short to medium term business decisions.
It is hoped that TAFE Institutes Australia wide will enjoy a level of
organisational autonomy in their business operations.
PART 2: THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE ROLES OF TAFE SHOULD OVERLAP WITH UNIVERSITIES
INTRODUCTION
Each sector has different core business objectives, and caters to different
student types, and therefore, it is the Association's view that the roles
of the TAFE sector and traditional universities should not overlap, but
should complement one another in such a way to best meet the needs of
their clients. Complementary arrangements between the sectors already
include articulation arrangements and joint business ventures. By acknowledging
that the market place in which the core business of each sector is different
yet compatible, both sectors will be better placed to focus on excellence
when discharging their public obligations.
TAFE STUDENT PROFILE
The diversity of the student profile in TAFE is one of TAFE's intrinsic
characteristics. This diversity is manifested in such criteria as age,
prior education, nationality and the reasons for students undertaking
courses.
1995 Graduate Destination data for Victoria compiled by the Australian
Bureau of Statistics shows -
- 21% of TAFE graduates are aged between 25 and 34; 18% are aged between
35 and 44; and 8% are aged between 45 and 54.
- 23% of TAFE graduates undertook TAFE studies as part of current job
requirements, or to gain extra skills for the job, 36% in order to obtain
a job (or for own business), 11% to try for a different career and 10%
for interest or personal development.
- 5% of TAFE graduates had a prior bachelor degree qualification, while
33% had some other post-school qualification and 62% had no post school
qualifications.5
It is this diversity in student profile which demands a diversity
in delivery, and therefore makes a homogenised system for VET delivery
all the more inappropriate. In Victoria's case for example, while there
is a valid place in the training market for existing multisector institutions
such as Swinburne University of Technology, RMIT University and Victoria
University, there is an equally valid place for discrete TAFE Institutes,
private providers and industry specialist providers. When endeavouring
to strike a balance between integrated universities such as the three
mentioned above andTAFE Institutes, we must be cognisant that this will
not be a static outcome. This is because of the continual need
to respond to a diverse and changing market profile.
ARTICULATED BETWEEN TAFE AND UNIVERSITIES
The Association strongly supports the notion of an effective interface
between VET and higher education, and has long maintained that TAFE Institutes
should continue to foster co-operative alliances and partnerships with
any number of players in the training market, including universities,
schools and other VET providers, so that they can maximise their business
opportunities as well as meet student articulation needs. We could cite
many fine examples in Victoria of effective and co-operative relationships
between TAFE Institutes and universities.
Discussion of articulation between higher education and VET has traditionally
focussed on students moving from TAFE to universities. It is incorrect
to assume that this practice is the norm, as the data shows that the movement
between sectors is concentrated in the reverse direction. TAFE's role
is not that of a 'junior partner' to universities and it is by no means
'inferior'. Recent research has shown that student articulation into TAFE
from previous higher education backgrounds is more common than assumed,
and in fact, pathways analyses have shown that levels of articulation
out of universities into TAFE far exceeds articulation into universities
from TAFE.6
Data shows between 1990 and 1992, approximately one in five (or approximately
35,000) new TAFE students in Victoria enrolling at Associate Diploma and
Advanced Certificate level had previously studied in a university, half
of those as graduates.7 Another source estimates that in 1995,
some 45,000 students with bachelor or postgraduate degrees were undertaking
a TAFE vocational program, while at the same time, 20,000 students with
a TAFE award enrolled in university.8 These statistics make
the description of the higher education to VET pathway as some sort of
'reverse articulation' even more questionable.
It should also be pointed out that while pathways are important in meeting
client needs, there is a view that they do not constitute TAFE's core
business. TAFE's core business clearly relates to training for industry
and meeting industry's express training requirements. It is a fallacy
to assume that TAFE provides some sort of 'second best' option. Very few
students use TAFE as a vehicle for university entrance, and it has been
suggested that in Victoria in 1996, only 1.6% of the total TAFE student
population subsequently transferred to university.9
Finally, there is also the question of how far the 'benefits' of multi-sectorial
provision can be extended in an open and increasingly competitive training
market. For example, how will a student at one of the 700 registered private
providers in Victoria benefit from the existence of multi-sector Institutes?
The answer surely lies in the approach adopted by the Australian Vice
Chancellors'Committee (AVCC) to address this very issue.10
In addition to examining articulation arrangements between universities
and TAFE Institutes, the AVCC has established a reference group to examine
articulation arrangements between universities and private providers.
The Association agrees that this is the best way to meet any articulation
aspirations of students, rather than a formal amalgamation of the sectors.
TAFE vs UNIVERSITY ROLES
While we believe there is a valid place in the training market for a
small number of multisector institutions, it is the Association's view
that a diversity of structural models in the market is the best means
to meet the totality of customer needs. just as the TAFE sector has its
own intrinsic characteristics which are equally valid for its own goals,
purpose and culture, so too does the higher education sector.
When comparing a traditional university with a TAFE Institute, it is
apparent that there are differences in their end products, differences
in the manner and cost of delivery, differences in the target customer
groups, and differences in the skiffs required of the educators. Plainly
speaking, they do things differently to satisfy different market needs.
Vocational education and training is certainly compatible with higher
education, however the emphasis in VET is on providing practical skills
to graduates to enhance their employmentprospects. lt promotes a practical
education more so than an accademic grounding.
TAFE (and VET generally) prides itself on its flexibility and responsiveness
- a result in part due to a well developed system of multiple entry and
exit points for students. Students in TAFE obtain recognition and credit
for completion of modules as opposed to completion of an entire course.
Students can undertake the specific parts of a course that are relevant
to them, receive appropriate recognition and credit transfer to other
institutes thereby enabling them to return to further studies and undertake
other modules at a later time.
THE ROLE OF TAFE IN OFFERING DEGREE COURSES
The issue of whether TAFE Institutes should confer Associate Degrees
in vocational subjects has enjoyed recent media attention and debate,
and views on the subject are mixed. The Association recommends caution
be exercised where contemplating TAFE vocational associate degrees. There
is a compelling argument for TAFE to focus on, and continue to excel in
the areas in which they have traditionally done well.
The clear message coming from many sectors of industry within Australia
is that they want the workforce to be competent in the skills required
for production. This is not the same scenario as that of, for example,
overseas students who indicate a preference for courses which confer a
degree. The needs of Australian industry should be the primary concern
for TAFE, for the long term economic benefits of the country.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1995 Graduate Outcomes: Technical
and Further Education Australia, AGPS, 1995
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Education and Training in Australia,
AGPS, 1996
Australian Vice Chancellors Committee, Media Release, 'Universities Agree
to Examine Articulation Arrangements with Private Sector Providers of
Vocational Courses, 22 July 1997
Golding, B 'Intersectional Articulation and Quality Assurance' Journal
of Tertiary Education Administration, Vol 17 No 1, May 1995
Maslen, G'TAFE Given Hard Sell in Bid to Woo Students Who've Missed
Out on Uni', Campus Review, Jan 15-21 1997
Ministerial Review Committee, 'Options Pager', Ministerial Review
on the Provision of TAFE in the Melbourne Metrot)olitan Area', August
1997
National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Australian Vocational
Education and Training Statistics, NCVER, 1996
UNICEF, The Progress of Nations, 1997
1Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1995 Graduate Outcomes:
Technical and Further Education Australia, 1995, p I4
2Australian Bureau of Statistics, Educationand Training
in Australia, 1996, p162
3 National Centre for Vocational Education Research, Australian
Vocational Education and Training Statistics 199-6, p2O
4 UNICEF, The Progress of Nations, 1997
5 Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1995 Graduate Outcomes,
Technical and Further Education, Australia, 1995
6 Golding, B 'Intersectional Articulation and Quality Assurance'
Journal of Terti!QLEdU01:= AdministratLQU, Vol 17, No 1, May 1995,
p29
7 Goldina, B 'Intersectional Articulation and Quality Assurance'
Journal of Tertia[y Education Administration, Vol 17, No 1, May
1995, p29
8 Maslen, G 'TAFE Given Hard Sell in Bid to Woo Students Who've
Missed Out on Uni', Campus Review, Jan 15-21-1997.
9 Ministerial ReviewCommittee,'OptionsPaper',Ministerial Review
on the Provision of TAFE in the Melbourne Metropolitan Area, August 1997
10 AVCC, Media Release 'Universities Agree to Examine Articulation
with Private Sector Providers of Vocational Courses' 22 July 1997
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