Posted on

Vocational Education and Training (VET) Reform Roadmap

In 2019, the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed on a vision for vocational education and training (VET) to position the sector as responsive, dynamic and trusted. To deliver on this vision, COAG tasked Skills Council with developing a VET Reform Roadmap (the Roadmap). Skills Council has asked senior officials in all jurisdictions to work together to develop a Roadmap for consideration by Ministers and endorsement by COAG by the middle of 2020. Skills officials have developed a consultation draft of the Roadmap. This draft is a working document of the Skills Senior Officials’ Network; it has not been reviewed or endorsed by governments or COAG.

Posted on

NZ reforms vocational education and training sector

NZ reforms vocational education and training sector

The Education Amendment Bill has been passed which includes establishing workforce development councils and centres of vocational excellence introducing a new focus for the government on trades and vocational education. Under the bill the New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology will bring together all 16 polytechnics and institutes of technology to provide, arrange and support vocational education and training across the country.

Read more here:  https://www.nzherald.co.nz/north-island/news/article.cfm?c_id=1503932&objectid=12310214

Posted on

Funding for vocational education and training (VET) at a 10 year low

Mitchell Institute releases new report and sounds VET funding alarm
The Mitchell Institute recently shared the results of the Australian Investment in Education: Vocational Education and Training Report, showing that Vocational Education and Training (VET) funding has reached its lowest level in more than a decade, 
leaving Australia at risk of failing to provide high-quality training for an estimated 45% of new jobs in need of VET qualifications.  
Read more here: https://thesector.com.au/2020/01/06/mitchell-institute-releases-new-report-and-sounds-vet-funding-alarm/
Posted on

Independent advisory panel established in VET shake up – will ECEC benefit?

A panel of experts has been established to provide independent strategic advice to the Federal Government on key reforms flowing from the Joyce Review ‘Expert Review of Australia’s VET System’, released in April 2019, Federal Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash has announced. 

Ms Cash noted this was another step in the Government’s action in relation to the Joyce Review, having committed more than $525 million to the Delivering Skills for Today and Tomorrow package, to support more Australians to gain the skills employers are looking for.

The Honourable Steven Joyce will chair the Expert Panel, joined by Peter Noonan, Professor of Tertiary Education Policy at Victoria University’s Mitchell Institute, and Dr Vanessa Guthrie.

Together, Ms Cash said, the three Panel members bring “a wealth of expertise and experience” to the task of advising the Government on the implementation of the skills package, and on its future reform trajectory.

“The Delivering Skills for Today and Tomorrow package will help provide businesses with a pipeline of qualified workers they need to grow and prosper.” The Assistant Minister for Vocational Education, Training and Apprenticeships the Hon. Steve Irons MP said.

He added that through these reforms, the Government hopes to deliver “a vocational education sector that provides workforce skills and relevant, up-to-date qualifications that are well-matched to the evolving opportunities and challenges of Australia’s modern economy”.

Emphasising the need to establish a “modern and flexible VET sector”, Mr Irons said the Government was “committed to a VET system that delivers positive opportunities and outcomes for all Australians, regardless of geographic, social or personal circumstances.”

For more information about the Morrison Government’s Skills Package visit the website, here.

SOURCEAAAP:https://thesector.com.au/2019/08/27/independent-advisory-panel-established-in-vet-shake-up-will-ecec-benefit/

Posted on

China releases white paper on vocational education and training in Xinjiang

BEIJING, Aug. 16 (Xinhua) — China released a white paper on vocational education and training in Xinjiang Friday.

There are six chapters in the white paper: urgent needs for education and training, law-based education and training, content of education and training, protection of trainees’ basic rights, remarkable results in education and training, and experience in countering extremism.

The white paper, published by the State Council Information Office, said that terrorism and extremism are the common enemies of humanity, and the fight against terrorism and extremism is the shared responsibility of the international community.

It is a fundamental task of any responsible government, acting on basic principles, to remove the malignant tumor of terrorism and extremism that threatens people’s lives and security, to safeguard people’s dignity and value, to protect their rights to life, health and development, and to ensure they enjoy a peaceful and harmonious social environment, according to the white paper.

Over the years, to ensure public safety and wellbeing, the international community has spared no effort and made tremendous sacrifices in preventing and combating terrorism and extremism. Many countries and regions, in light of their own conditions, have developed effective measures and drawn valuable lessons from these efforts.

The white paper stated that Xinjiang is a key battlefield in the fight against terrorism and extremism in China. For some time Xinjiang has been plagued by terrorism and religious extremism, which pose a serious threat to the lives of the people in the region.

Addressing both the symptoms and root causes and integrating preventative measures and a forceful response, Xinjiang has established vocational education and training centers in accordance with the law to prevent the breeding and spread of terrorism and religious extremism, effectively curbing the frequent terrorist incidents and protecting the rights to life, health, and development of the people of all ethnic groups, the white paper said, adding that worthwhile results have been achieved.

SOURCEAAP:http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2019-08/16/c_138313353.htm

Posted on

Benefit of vocational education comes down to gender

Latest News

With the Morrison government extolling the virtue of vocational education and training (VET), the benefit of diplomas over degrees differs based on gender, according to a new report.

Published by the Grattan Institute, the report found that for students with a lower Australian Tertiary Admissions Rank (ATAR), VET courses can get them employed faster and higher earnings over their career, but not if they are a woman.

The report compared VET courses to their university equivalent and demonstrated that if a male student with a low ATAR chooses a VET course similar to a university degree, for example engineering rather than science, their lifetime median earnings would be higher. Similarly, a Diploma in Commerce instead of a Bachelor of Commerce, would leave the students better off financially over the course of their lifetime.

For women, however, the data showed different results. Tertiary courses popular among women, such as education and nursing, have better career-long outcomes when women enrol in a Bachelor program.

In science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, women who study the tertiary equivalent of a VET diploma will earn more. For men, a Bachelor of Engineering will lead to less earnings over the course of their career than a Diploma of Engineering. The amount earned also differed for the same degrees between women and men. Men who studied a Bachelor of Engineering will have a median earning of $2.07 million over their lifetime, while women who studied the same course would have a meaning earning of $1.42 million over their career.

The report authors note that for students with lower ATARs, they are less likely to complete university, leading to lower employment outcomes, and that students with higher ATARs will be more likely to attain higher paying jobs after graduating university.

SOURCEAAP:https://www.manmonthly.com.au/Benefit+of+vocational+education+comes+down+to+gender