Description
Growth in mixed-sector institutions offering both vocational and higher education qualifications is expected to increase given recent and predicted policy changes. This issues paper focuses on the provision and management of higher education in TAFE institutes. Issues raised for discussion include the governance of mixed-sector institutions as well as ensuring access and maintaining progression to higher education without sectoral division in the institution. Implications arising from the Bradley review of higher education are canvassed and the authors are inviting discussion on a range of questions related to the nature of policies and practices influencing the provision of higher education in TAFE.Summary
About the research
Although the development of ‘mixed-sector’ institutions is relatively recent in Australia, this provision is expected to increase as the boundaries between vocational education and training (VET) and higher education become increasingly blurred. This has prompted the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) to commission Gavin Moodie and his colleagues to investigate the provision of higher education awards within technical and further education (TAFE) institutes.
As part of this investigation, this paper has been released with the intention of provoking discussion—readers are invited to respond directly to the authors by 1 June 2009.
The paper reviews how comparable vocational institutions in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and New Zealand provide short-cycle higher education as part of their designated roles. It also considers several implications arising from the Bradley Review of Australian Higher Education.
The research raises several issues about the emerging character of the interface between higher education and VET:
- Will new types of TAFE institutes emerge?
- Will there be new networked arrangements between VET and higher education providers?
- Will the strengths of the current systems be preserved?
It also argues that, to be consistent with international classifications, Australian diplomas and advanced diplomas should be considered higher education in level, although almost all are offered according to nationally prescribed VET requirements. Furthermore, the provision of diplomas and advanced diplomas in VET is under pressure at the same time as the boundaries between the sectors are becoming more fluid. It may be that the degree qualification increasingly replaces diplomas as the point of negotiation between the sectors.
Tom Karmel
Managing Director, NCVER
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