policy & reform
campusreview.com.au
Together we stand?
Schools urged to ditch the VET/university dichotomy.
By Loren Smith
A
Murdoch University professor has criticised schools
for encouraging students to choose between a VET or
university pathway.
Barry Down, a VET and student engagement specialist, says this
dichotomy has become unrealistic.
“The reality is that society requires smart workers and citizens
with a broad range of capabilities (including practical and thinking
skills) more suited to the 21st century,” he said.
In the lead-up to the government’s review of the VET sector,
Down is urging policymakers to consider his point of view,
predicated on today’s job market and generational change.
“Secure and rewarding work is rapidly disappearing,” he said.
“Young people themselves want to be involved with real-world
tasks, problems and questions.”
Echoing the findings of a recent UNICEF survey of 14 to 16-year-
olds, Down said that teens regard much of the school curriculum
as irrelevant, and want more practical learning.
“Some progressive schools are already doing this. [For example]
at Big Picture Education Australia, students attend workplaces
two days a week where they pursue their interests, guided by an
expert mentor.”
Employers, too, want vocational employees with practical and
intellectual skills. Down described a conversation he had with
a kitchen cabinet maker: “He said he didn’t want an apprentice
chippie that cut things any longer ... He wanted an apprentice that
could design, create, draw and communicate for supplies in China
using technology.
“Most careers involve practical as well as intellectual elements.”
Yet he conceded that convincing schools of this is a “big task”.
“The university pathway is generally perceived as the gold
standard ... Schools need to do a lot more in terms of elevating the
status of VET,” he said. “The [VET] review is a wonderful opportunity
to do that ... in that schools could be urged to integrate [practical
and intellectual skills] more closely.”
Down thinks persuading parents won’t be as difficult.
“I talk to many parents. Their primary concern is to see their
child pursuing school in a way that satisfies their child’s needs
and interests.
“The VET sector has historically played a key role in supporting
second-chance learning opportunities and broader social
outcomes,” he added.
“It is important to recognise these core values to ensure that all
citizens, irrespective of their circumstances, have access to a well-
resourced education and training sector.”
Also responding to the review, Craig Robertson, chief executive
of TAFE Directors Australia (TDA), held a similar view to Down’s.
He endorsed recent comments made by former prime minister
John Howard: considering the future of work, tertiary education
has become ‘lopsided’, with too few students pursuing VET
qualifications and too many pursuing university ones.
Even universities agreed with Down’s proposition.
“VET providers and universities cannot be considered in silos ...
The IRU urges both political parties to ... look at the big picture of
tertiary education,” its executive director Conor King said.
Yet VET stakeholders, including TDA and the Australian Education
Union, are concerned that the review won’t be comprehensive due
to its short timeframe: submissions are due on 25 January, and the
final report will be delivered in March.
“Rushing a half-baked VET review through over Christmas
to report in March is a sign of a government that is panicking
to have something to say about vocational education in the
lead-up to the federal election,” AEU federal president Correna
Haythorpe said.
According to its terms of reference, the review “will focus on
how the Australian government’s investment in VET could be
more effective to provide Australians with the skills they need to be
successful throughout their working life”.
“It will also focus on ensuring Australian businesses,
including small and family businesses and businesses in rural
and regional areas, have the skills they need to support their
business growth.”
It will be led by Steven Joyce, the former New Zealand minister
for tertiary education, skills and employment. ■
11