Universities have responded to falling IT enrolments in a range of innovative ways, reports Jeremy Gilling. Among those who are cautiously optimistic that Australian universities are starting to witness an upswing in ICT enrolments are Michael Blumenstein and Paul Bailes. ...
More »Monthly Archives: September 2008
Reviewing IT in higher education
The higher education review has been told of a massive gap between supply and demand for ICT graduates, says Beverley Head. There are around 176,000 information and communications technology (ICT) professionals and 42,000 managers currently employed in Australia, according to ...
More »Body consciousness kicks in early
Young children are picking up a potentially dangerous message that fat is bad and muscle is good before they have even started school, a study of Australian preschoolers has revealed. Little girls are becoming weight conscious and boys want more ...
More »Living in competing knowledge systems
The national apology, as a capstone event in indigenous relations and the history of the nation, has been translated into what is known as the ‘closing the gap’ agenda. Within the strategic dimension of this challenging endeavor, education is a ...
More »Industry passion for TAFE
At the recent ACPET annual conference in Hobart, a respected keynote speaker from Tasmania declared his lack of passion for the TAFE brand and organisation. While TAFE is soon to be dissolved on the Apple Isle, across the Tasman there ...
More »No legislation, but jobs on offer regardless
The Tasmanian Greens last week described as “surreal” a TAFE Tasmania letter issued to staff that informed them of “possible assignments” to the Tasmanian polytechnic which is due to commence in January. Legislation to establish the Tasmania Tomorrow plan, which ...
More »Gathering Moss: ACPET replaces chair
There is a changing of the guard at the Australian Council for Private Education and Training which has replaced its chair of four years, Julie Moss. Larry Davies, CEO of Directions, a West Australian organisation which specialises in providing career ...
More »ATCs kick on – and so do the politics
The future of three of the 24 controversial Australian technical colleges (ATCs) was revealed early last week, with colleges in western Sydney, northern Adelaide and the NSW mid-north coast town of Port Macquarie to survive as vocationally focused non-government senior ...
More »Guaranteeing training
Do employers need to be forced to train their staff? Andy Smith says it’s happening, just in different ways. One of the ongoing criticisms of employers is their seeming unwillingness to invest in the skills of their workers by providing ...
More »The master apprentice
Mature age apprentices: are they an economic necessity, a societal need or both, asks Stephen Billett. As governments and industry struggle with the implications of skill shortages, an ageing workforce and the looming reduction of new workplace entrants, mature age ...
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