VET & TAFE
campusreview.com.au
Future
in TAFE
hands?
Plans to fund sub-bachelor
qualifications at universities have
put the viability of TAFEs in doubt.
Craig Robertson interviewed
by Loren Smith
F
ollowing a brief budget uplift, it’s been a tumultuous time for
the vocational education sector. TAFE enrolment numbers
have plummeted in NSW and Victoria, causing TAFE NSW
to announce plans to self-accredit. To make matters worse, the
government’s National Innovation and Science Agenda neglected
to even mention vocational education.
Now, the TAFE sector fears it will be further diminished,
due to the government’s plan to fund sub-bachelor university
qualifications, like certificates and diplomas.
The government outlined its rationale in the explanatory
memorandum to the bill:
[It] contains measures that will rebalance
the costs of higher education between taxpayers
and students, expand student choice and
opportunity, increase quality and transparency,
and improve the sustainability of the Higher
Education Loan Program.
In a submission to the Senate Education and Employment
Committee, TAFE Directors Australia (TDA) wrote:
Such expansion would accelerate the
shift of students, who normally would have
attended TAFEs, to universities, which appears
to have been the case with demand-driven CSP
(Commonwealth-supported places) for bachelor
enrolments in universities.
22
TDA chief executive Craig Robertson explained to Campus
Review why he thinks the government’s move will imperil TAFEs
across the country.
CR: What impact would the government’s proposal to fund CSP
places for sub-bachelor degrees have on the TAFE sector?
CR: We acknowledge that it would be difficult to estimate that at
this point in time, but if we look at the trend that has occurred for
demand-driven bachelor level courses, we would expect there
would continue to be a direct stream of students into the university
sector who would normally go to a TAFE.
Is there any evidence to suggest that would lead to funding cuts to
the TAFE sector?
Well, the TAFE sector is primarily funded by students, and so as
students move away [from TAFE], there is less funding that is
available to the TAFEs, and this is what fundamentally would start
to compromise their viability.
Has the government provided a rationale for the proposal?
The way that we interpret the policy is that it is seeking to provide
universities with a more structured pathway for an individual who
may not be prepared for a bachelor-level university course, to be
prepared for what they call an associate degree. However, this
doesn’t align with their second expectation out of this measure:
that the university course needs to be industry aligned. So it seems
that there are two conflicting objectives.
Can you tell me about the current TAFE landscape in terms of
enrolment numbers and funding?
What we know out of work that Peter Noonan has published is that
the majority of TAFEs around Australia have had a decline in their
funding, not only on per student terms but in global terms, and
that’s what is impacting their long-term viability.
Given that some universities are offering TAFE-style courses in
association with industry partners, do you see universities as a
possible threat to TAFE?
We wouldn’t see universities as a threat. The comment that we’re
making to the government is: you are duplicating investment for
the same outcome.
As the CEO of TAFE Directors Australia, what would you like to see
for the future of TAFE?
I would like to see that TAFEs are a key component of an
integrated tertiary education sector, where those students who
want more of an applied learning approach can get this through
the TAFE network, and that these options are just as attractive as
university places.
Another thing is that we have a strong interest in the
government’s announcement about reviewing the Australian
Quality Framework, and we strongly support the review and we
would look forward to working closely with the government
on that.
We think a review of the Australian Quality Framework would
allow some of these funding inequities to be addressed. ■
Craig Robertson is chief executive of TAFE Directors Australia.