The resignation of a senior academic reflects both the madness of economic rationalism and the self-serving motives of ordinary people, writes Henry Barnes. “It is well known that problem avoidance is an important part of problem solving. Instead of solving ...

Are TAFE colleges capable of becoming more market-oriented, asks John Mitchell. While there is much public commentary about the negative impact of market reform policies on TAFE colleges, one option for TAFE colleges is to accept the policy shift and ...

While training ministers prepared to consider operational models for national regulation of the VET system, at their meeting in Brisbane last week, their ministerial company was pushing its case for a place in the new arrangements. In a newsletter distributed ...

Government VET funding has failed to keep pace with inflation and student contact hours, and individuals and businesses are picking up an increasing proportion of the bill, according to a 10-year analysis of VET finances by the NSW Teachers Federation. ...

Queensland urged to boost regional TAFE courses The Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland has urged the state government to offer a wider range of courses on regional TAFE campuses. CCIQ says many students travel hundreds of kilometres to Brisbane, ...

Victoria’s rapid audits of international education providers have claimed their first scalp with the closure of a private Melbourne management college, the St George Institute of Professionals. The college surrendered its Australian Quality Training Framework registration last week following an ...

The Productivity Places Program has a few staunch friends. It’s well-liked in private training circles, where it’s been a big help getting colleges through the financial crisis. And Julia Gillard’s office has issued regular media releases extolling the program’s latest ...

Internationalisation is about all students, not just international ones, writes Sophie Arkoudis. The experience of international students in Australia has received bad press recently. The spotlight has been firmly trained on a perceived lack of English language proficiency, matters of ...

Having collected a couple of green stars in primary school, Joseph Gora understands the importance of peer recognition. When I was a snotty-nosed little upstart at primary school in the heady 60s, our assignments were graded by less-than-diligent teachers with ...

Technology is has the power to change higher education, but only the brave will venture there, says Paul Duldig In the wake of the Bradley and Cutler reviews, a great deal of debate has taken place about government policy and ...