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Systematic not simple apprenticeships
There is no quick fix to the skills shortage, says John Mitchell. The recent floods in Queensland have led to…
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TAFE earns compensation
Providers deserve payments for community service activities, says John Mitchell. Observers may be surprised by some of the recommendations in…
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TAFE gets inside industry
TAFE staff are relocating to industry workplaces, John Mitchell finds. At the start of 2010, a report by Skills Australia…
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NBN critical for regional vocational education
What justifies educational technology asks John Mitchell. The major flexible learning program in Australian VET, the Australian Flexible Learning Program,…
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Reversing non-completions
Are reasons for non-completions worth examining, asks John Mitchell. The discussion paper recently released by Skills Australia, Creating a future…
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Regional practitioner networks
Is a broadband the only type of network needed in regional Australia, asks John Mitchell. The national broadband network is…
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Awarding outstanding practitioners
Do great practitioners in VET receive sufficient national recognition, asks John Mitchell. Which individuals and teams in VET are making…
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The answer is skills but the questions keep changing
In this period of economic crisis, should the government abandon its encouragement of high level skills? And should it intervene…
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Small packages for big skills
Why cumbersome training packages need radical surgery not band-aids. By John Mitchell. New ideas are often destabilising and uncomfortable, so…
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Ingredients for partnerships
Are lasting provider-enterprise partnerships based on low prices or mutual respect? The following story was told at a recent…
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Replacing training packages
Imagine the benefits if training packages were simplified. The recent OECD report on VET in Australia bluntly called for…
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Grandparent role for providers
Training providers who service the needs of enterprises might take a back seat if a model being driven in the…
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Authentic, sustainable leadership
Is there a future for the brilliant, solo, transformative - and mostly male - VET leader? As the VET…
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Aspirations replace frustrations
There is widespread belief that the Bradley review of higher education will encourage universities to compete in the market for…
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Creative, confident and coherent VU
How can a dual-sector university access its genius and gems? When Elizabeth Harman took up the position of vice-chancellor…
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National training system disconnected
Are there alternatives to training packages for remote indigenous communities? Many VET leaders are preoccupied with two looming challenges: preparing…
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Quality concerns escalate
Many providers committed to delivering quality training are concerned about the future direction of VET. Their concerns were brought to…
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It’s all about needs, aspirations and pathways, not mythology
Why are TAFE providers offering more and more degree programs? The issue of TAFE providers offering degrees gained national…
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Industry passion for TAFE
At the recent ACPET annual conference in Hobart, a respected keynote speaker from Tasmania declared his lack of passion for…
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