TAFE NSW

• This is the first broad review of higher education since the 2008 Bradley Review.
• If the government’s aspirations are met, it could mean the most significant changes to Australian higher education in a generation.
• The interim report covers many different issues, from student fees to governance, teaching, international students, student wellbeing and research.

What does ‘alignment’ and ‘collaboration’ mean here?

• When politicians and education commentators talk about the university and vocational sectors collaborating more, this can mean many different things.
• This can include creating pathways between vocational and higher education, including how prior study in each is recognised.

Why is this important?

• As the report notes, “many students move between the higher education and vocational education sectors during their lifetime”.
• Vocational education can be an entry pathway into higher education.
• Or people will complement their higher education with job-specific skills from vocational education.

Changing educational landscape worldwide

• Just before the pandemic, global enrolments in higher education and higher vocational education were estimated at more than 200 million people.
• Overall, it is estimated global higher education and upper vocational education has grown by more than 50% in the past 20 years.
• It is argued this growth is driven by the expansion of higher education in developing countries, particularly India.

What is being proposed?

• Rules can be a challenge here, especially where vocational courses are industry specific.
• The government is yet to fully respond to a 2019 review of the Australian Qualifications Framework, which remains an important piece of the puzzle.
• Read more:
  The National Skills Agreement needs time in the policy spotlight and it must include these 3 things

‘Must adapt’

• As the report notes:
  The tertiary sector must adapt to facilitate growth in lifelong learning.
• The tertiary sector must adapt to facilitate growth in lifelong learning.

• Earlier this week, the federal government announced the first group of courses it is supporting in a microcredential pilot program.
• Microcredentials have been around in vocational circles for several years but are starting to be offered more widely by universities.

What are microcredentials?

• They focus on updating or gaining new skills in a short time frame, typically ranging from a few weeks to a semester of study.
• They are viewed as a way to meet industry and employee needs quickly and address critical skills gaps.
• For example, the pilot program includes a microcredential on phonics for teachers to develop their skills in literacy teaching.

The benefits of short-term study

• They offer a way to update and progress your career without the long-term commitment and expense of a traditional graduate qualification.
• You can also mix and match education and training to form a more bespoke study plan.
• So it is no surprise microcredentials are gaining a lot of attention in the higher education sector.

1. What do you want out of further education?

• Microcredentials can feel more like vocational education and training – highly targeted to cover precise competencies in a specific setting.
• This means they are rarely designed to develop broader capabilities and frameworks of professional practice you can normally expect from a degree program.

2. What specific skill is on offer?

• If your career plan does call for an improvement of specific skills, there are some important questions you should ask yourself before you enrol in a microcredential course.
• The first is simply “does this course offer a skill I actually need?” Unlike the vocational system (such as TAFE), universities’ microcredential catalogue is still relatively small.

3. Am I suited to this type of study?

• In the hustle and bustle of a microcredential course, it is often assumed participants will be well prepared to manage their own learning.
• Because they are so short, microcredentials generally focus very strongly on the content itself.

4. How will I use this in my job or profession?

• A science teacher who learns some physics content, for example, may need to alter their wider assessment strategies to incorporate what they learned.
• A physiotherapist with a new treatment technique may need to decide how to explain it to the clients they work with.
• Part of the trade-off with microcredentials is they can throw this translation work back to the course participant.

Choose wisely

• A microcredential, however, is a different educational proposition to a traditional degree course.
• So it is important the consumer chooses wisely.

• Rio Tintos partnership with South Metropolitan TAFE (SM TAFE) and the Western Australian State Government has been globally recognised at the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics 2020 Awards of Excellence.
• The partnership won Gold in the Partnership with Industry category for its work in developing and deploying the first nationally recognised vocational qualifications in automation.
• The World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics is an international network of colleges and national and regional associations of colleges.
• Terry Durant, Managing Director of South Metropolitan TAFE, said, South Metropolitan TAFE is honoured to win this award.