Enrolments in the government-backed Fee-Free TAFE initiative exceeded 214,000 in the first six months, nearly 35,000 more than anticipated. The federal government announced a 12-month skills agreement providing $550.1m in 2023, including $493.3m for fee-free TAFE places, which state and ...
More »RTO network gets $300m to support ADF technical trades skills
Thousands of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel will have greater access to technical trades training through a five-year $300m contract to support and expand the development of technical skills nationwide. Wodonga TAFE led the successful bid for the Joint Technical ...
More »‘Fee-free’ TAFE not exactly what was agreed on: opinion
The Australian Government (AG) finalised Agreements with all States and Territories (S&T) for initial delivery of 180,000 fee-free TAFE and vocational education places from January 2023. These are jointly funded as first part of a commitment to 480,000 places over ...
More »Why we need personalised competency-based education in universities: opinion
The centuries-old learning approach that western higher education is defined by has measured progress, success and value of learning as functions of time (credit hours) and space (on-campus). The rise of hybrid work, the growth of automation, sluggish workforce development ...
More »Regions must be a priority for Jobs and Skills Summit, or national economy pays the price: opinion
Tried to hire a tradie lately? Or book a GP appointment? Or get an Uber at peak hour? Spare a thought for regional communities. While our capital cities struggle through the worst skills shortage in recent memory, regional Australia is ...
More »Are students choosing TAFE over universities?
University degrees have become increasingly less popular for prospective students according to the latest census data, which showed a 109,000 drop in full-time enrolments in the year to May. According to the ABS, there has been a 23.6 per cent ...
More »Will a new government undo knotted problems in the stalled reform of the VET National Agreement and the Australian Qualifications Framework? Opinion
Introduction, problem and purpose Australia has a new national government. All participants in the higher education (HE) and research sectors and the vocational education and training (VET) sector will build fresh relations with the new government, including all state and ...
More »New course created to improve frontline workers’ responses to sexual violence survivors
A new RMIT vocational course aims to educate students to better recognise and respond adequately to victim-survivors of sexual violence and harm. The Course in Recognising and Responding to Sexual Violence is targeted at practitioners, support workers, service users and ...
More »Expert says teachers’ learning is ‘critical’ in the VET sector – podcast
In a rapidly changing society, ongoing learning is important for vocational training teachers; one way for them to keep learning is through the workplace. In her new book, Supporting the Workplace Learning of Vocational and Further Education Teachers: Mentoring and ...
More »Outreach program needed to re-engage disadvantaged learners impacted by COVID – opinion
Community Colleges Australia (CCA) is proposing a national outreach program to re-engage disadvantaged and vulnerable learners who have left training because of COVID-19 concerns. Adult and community education (ACE) providers over-perform in reaching disadvantaged groups, but have experienced a significant drop ...
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