IVETA ANNUAL CONFERENCE AUGUST 2016 A DIFFERENT TERTIARY EDUCATION EXPERIENCE Fiji National University

RESEARCH QUESTION?? What can be done to overcome the known barriers to higher education participation in Australia? (1) What can be done to meet the identified needs of industry to develop ‘work ready’ graduates with practical ‘hands-on’ skills and higher order thinking skills? (2) (1)participation of rural and regional students was 18.1 per cent (compared with 25.4 per cent) (DEEWR 2008) in Bradley, D, Noonan, P, Nugent, H & Scales, B 2008, Review of Australian higher education: final report [Bradley review], DEEWR, Canberra, viewed 14 Jun (2) Develop ‘flagship’ undergrad programs and short courses through VET/higher education partnerships’ in Agrifoods Australia 2013 Environmental Scan.

THE KNOWN BARRIERS Learning must be relevant to industry if graduates are to gain good employment Local communities with poor further education participation rates

THE KNOWN BARRIERS Entry requirements may disadvantage students with a good chance of success Costs to attend university, especially for rural and remote relocating, are prohibitive

THE KNOWN STAKEHOLDERS Students Industry Federal Government State Government Staff Education and Training Institutions Parents

ARE STUDENTS TAKING ACTION TO REMEDY THE BARRIERS FOR THEMSELVES AND INDUSTRY? THE VET ERA Equipping Australia’s workforce for the future digital economy Andrew Reeson, Claire Mason, Todd Sanderson, Alexandra Bratanova and Stefan Hajkowicz Report for TAFE Queensland June 2016 p. 29

WHAT DID THE PROJECT DO DIFFERENTLY? Federal funding was made available under Structural Adjustment Funding Time and effort was valued in establishing relationships at many levels between the two organisations Active engagement of industry through personal visits by team members and attendance at industry events

WHAT DID THE PROJECT DO DIFFERENTLY? Team members went to where the prospective students were likely to be. The project was ‘shouted from the rooftops’. Set up relationships between all kinds of staff at the two institutions. CQU identified student administration and ICT as the major issues. So did this project.

HORIZONTAL ALIGNMENT EMBEDDED UNITS OF COMPETENCE WITH ACHIEVEMENT POINTS Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 ADMISSION School Leaver 48CP Block Advanced Standing Cert IVDiploma Bachelor of Health Practice/ Bachelor of Community Services ACHIEVEMENT POINTS

CONCURRENT TRAINING PACKAGE UNITS OF COMPETENCE WITH HIGHER EDUCATION UNITS Core University Units Core VET Units

WHAT DID THE UNIVERSITY DO DIFFERENTLY? As identified by Moodie et al, they were deliberately designed degrees, rather than vertical articulation degrees (3) (3) Moodie et al, 2012: Shaken Not Stirred: NCVER. Adelaide

WHERE TO FROM HERE? In a dynamic policy environment a number of models could emerge. These two products used very different models: A)Embed vocational training package qualifications in the degree so that achievement points can become aspiration of students enabling employment

WHERE TO FROM HERE? In a dynamic policy environment a number of models could emerge. B) Concurrently provide vocational training package qualifications explicitly to students and align with content of higher education content so final VET units are still being undertaken in Year 3.

LEARNINGS On an anecdotal note, my observation is that the will of the academics involved is the single most important factor. This relates to the culture of the Faculty. This anecdotal observation is reinforced in “A half-open door: pathways for VET award holders in Australian universities”. Watson, L. Hagel, P. Chesters, J. “A half-open door: pathways for VET award holders into Australian universities”. NCVER 2013

CONCLUSION In Trimester 1, 2014, 70 students enrolled across the two industry areas: Community Service/Health and Agrifoods Continued demand is still evidenced. A variety of reviews are being undertaken to inform stakeholders

CONCLUSION Whilst reviews are not finalised, a preliminary, mid-point internal review in the VET organisation concluded: Do you think there is further scope to work on collaborative projects?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST CONTACT DETAILS: Anne Bowden Phone: