This year’s advent of reporting on Total VET Activity (TVA) and the introduction of a Unique Student Identifier (USI) represent an inflection point for vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. Higher education and tertiary education expert, Professor Peter Shergold will discuss the big opportunities arising from big data today at the 24th National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference.
Co-hosted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), the University of Western Sydney (UWS) and TAFE NSW’s Western Sydney and South Western Sydney Institutes, this year’s conference focuses on research into youth, pathways and skills.
In his wide-ranging and provocative opening keynote address to 300 national and international delegates, Professor Shergold, Chancellor of UWS and Chair of the NCVER Board highlights the potential impact of this new data on public policy.
“NCVER has big data. Its statistical storehouse provides a strong foundation for evidence-based policy, stimulates creative research and informs a contestable public market for the provision of VET”, says Professor Shergold, Chancellor of UWS.
“TVA and USI can together be transformative, vastly increasing our understanding of how citizens exercise educational choice.”
‘We’re delighted Professor Shergold is giving today’s thought-provoking address which sets the scene for the conference”, says Dr Craig Fowler, NCVER’s Managing Director.
“Later this year, for the first time, we’ll publish data about privately-funded training activity, showing the extent and nature of this significant portion of the sector. Combined with the government-funded training data we already publish, we’ll soon have a clearer picture of the true size of Australia’s training system.”
Professor Shergold’s opening keynote address begins at 9.55am Tuesday 7 July, in the EA Building, UWS, Parramatta South campus.
The 24th National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference will run today and tomorrow at UWS, Parramatta South campus. The conference brings together researchers, training providers, policy-makers.
A copy of the program is available here: www.ncver.edu.au/nofrills2015.html
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