Archived News for Education Sector Professionals
The Federal Government has announced the formation of the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC), which will act as a standards setting body for the vocational education and training (VET) sector with an aim to improve quality and consistency of VET regulation throughout the country.
The Council will operate on a Commonwealth, state and territory level and will assisted ministers with responsibilities in the vocational education and training area by providing a uniform advice on national standards for the regulation of vocational education and training.
The key functions of the National Skills Standards Council are to:
- develop and maintain national standards for regulation of vocational education and training for approval by SCOTESE and provide advice to SCOTESE on development and implementation of the standards;
- provide information, through SCOTESE, to the regulators of vocational education and training on the implementation and interpretation of the national standards and on issues of quality standards generally in the vocational education and training sector;
- provide information to the vocational education and training sector on the national standards and any changes to the standards;
- provide advice to SCOTESE on the operation of the regulators of vocational education and training;
- endorse national training packages
Federal Government appoints reference group to measure university performance
The Federal Government has announced a new reference group to provide advice on the implementation of four higher education performance measurement instruments under the Australian Government’s $1.3 billion Advancing Quality in Higher Education initiative.
US University expansion on hold
Difficulties navigating the quagmire of educational bureaucratic red tape has been cited as the main contributing factor to KAPLAN, the education arm of the Washington Post, deciding to pull out from its plans to establish a university in Adelaide.
Expert panel to advise government on trade cadetship
The Federal Government has announced the formation of a panel of leading education and training experts that will advise the government on the National Trade Cadetship (NTC) and Indigenous Ranger Cadetship Initiatives.
NCVER finds record apprenticeship numbers
A report published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows that a record 460,000 apprentices and trainees are currently in training.
Royal Darwin secures teaching accreditation
Northern Territory’s Royal Darwin Hospital has been accredited at the same standard as a number of the country’s leading teaching hospitals.
Senator calls for youth allowance reform for regional students
Nationals Senator for New South Wales Fiona Nash has called on Federal Minister for Tertiary Education Chris Evans to introduce reform to youth allowance to ensure that people are properly determined to have worked enough to deem them independent.
Quality Assurance Agency praises UNSW
The Australian Quality Assurance Agency (AUQA) has published its final audit report of the University of New South Wales (UNSW), finding that the institution had improved substantially over the recent years.
WA training centre opens
The Western Australian Government has opened the South West Aboriginal Workforce Development Centre aimed at training and building the workforce opportunities for the 12,300 working age Aboriginals living in the state’s south-west.
NCVER finds record apprenticeship numbers
A report published by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows that a record 460,000 apprentices and trainees are currently in training.
Bligh calls for urgent education intervention
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has called for an emergency intervention by the Commonwealth to help the ‘ailing international education sector’ when the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meets.
OECD report calls for grassroots improvements in school evaluation
A new report from the OECD has found that the education reforms introduced by the Federal Government through the National Education Agreement have improved transparency and accountability of the school system, but significant work remains to generate improvements at the classroom level.
Go8 calls for applications for European Fellowships
The Group of Eight (Go8) has opened applications for its 2012 European Fellowships that will be open to early career researchers from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia, and, for the first time in the program’s history, Russia.
TEQSA commissioners appointed
Dr Carol Nicoll has been appointed Chief Commissioner of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). Dr Nicoll is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Learning and Teaching Council. She has held senior positions in the Commonwealth’s Education Department and was also the Australian Minister-Counsellor for Education, Science and Training in Europe.
Eighteen Australian universities make top 500 list
Shanghai’s Jiao Tong University has published its annual Academic Ranking of World Universities (AWRU), finding that American and British universities continue to dominate global rankings of tertiary education quality.
Deakin announces senior appointments
The Deakin University Council has announced the reappointment of Chancellor, Mr David Morgan, for a third term and three senior appointments to the University Executive.
ARC Laureate Fellowships awarded
Australian Laureate Fellowships worth over $44 million have been awarded to 17 Australian and overseas researchers.
UniSuper CEO named Fund Executive of the Year
UniSuper’s CEO, Terry McCredden, has been awarded the Fund Executive of the Year award after “demonstrating exceptional leadership in the areas of advice, investment management, risk management”.
Go8 responds to university uncapping bill
The Group of Eight universities have released a policy paper commenting on the Federal Government’s Higher Education Support Act Amendment (Demand-Driven System and Other Measures) Bill, currently before Parliament, which will uncap the supply of Commonwealth supported places (CSPs) in universities, as recommended by the Bradley Review.
Funding for SA defence industries training announced
Funding of $4.5 million has been awarded to the Defence Teaming Centre to create 2,300 new training places to boost skills and qualifications for South Australia's defence industries.
Reference Group to investigate viability of Tasmanian schools
A nine-member Reference Group has been established by the Tasmanian Government to investigate the viability of Tasmanian Government schools.