Standing Committee on Employment, Education
and Workplace Relations
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Submission 81.1
Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee
(A.C.N. 008 502 930)
6April 1998
Inquiry into the role of TAFEs
At the invitation of Dr Nelson, when the AVCC appeared before the Committee
on 2 April 1998, I am taking the opportunity to set down suggestions on
two matters mentioned during the hearing, namely:
(i) the need for improved statistical data on the VET sector, and
(ii) a proposal to test the feasibility of facilitating movement between
VET and higher education sectors through the development of what is known
in the UK as a Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS).
On (i), I hope that the Committee will support the view that current
VET data collections do not allow for informed public policy to be developed,
in the absence of:
a collection by the National Council on Vocational Education and Research
(NCVER) of statistics on the numbers of students entering VET from a higher
education background, and also the current unreliability of NCVER statistics
on the number of VET students enrolled in private provider (as opposed
to TAFE) courses
a provision, in current DEETYA statistical data collections, for disaggregation
of groups of TAFE students entering university with complete or incomplete
TAFE qualifications.
On (ii), I commend to the Committee the AVCC's proposal, in its 1998
Budget submission, for a feasibility study to be carried out on the operation
in Australia of a CATS scheme. The essential element of CATS is the development
by the post- secondary sectors of comparable measures of student effort
(such as credit points) and student achievement (such as grades). Such
measures can make possible a seamless yost-secondary education environment
for students seeking to maximise educational and training opportunities
by moving between the sectors.
Please let me know if you require further detail on either or both of
these matters.
Stuart Hamilton
Executive Director
One Geils Court Telephone (61) 06 285 8200
DEAKIN ACT 2600 Fax (61) 06 285 8211
GPO Box 1142, E-Mail: general@avcc.edu.au
Canberra, ACT 2601
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