Agenda

Day One - Monday 21 November

DAY ONE | DAY TWO

8.30 Registration and Coffee

9.00 Opening Remarks from the Chair
Robyn Pinel, Manager, Centre for VET, Sunshine Coast TAFE

9.10 Keynote Opening Address: Developing New Scenarios for The Next National Workforce Development Strategy

Skills Australia’s second National Workforce Development Strategy will be published at the end of 2012. A set of possible scenarios for Australia’s future to 2025 are currently being developed, and these in turn will influence economic modelling of the supply and demand for skills to 2025. Scenarios are alternative visions of the potential future, and provide a means to make decisions that take account of uncertainty.

The focal question for the scenario development is ‘What are the key factors driving the demand for and supply of skills in the Australian labour market to 2025?’ Skills Australia has identified a number of important drivers of change influencing the supply and demand for skills: economic and financial trends and globalisation; social, demographic and cultural trends; labour force, industrial and workplace trends; governance and public policy; science, technology and innovation; and sustainability.

Earlier this year Skills Australia jointly hosted an expert Scenario Development Forum as the first stage in the development of the new scenarios. This paper will present key findings from the forum and provide insights into the set of scenarios that are emerging from the research.

Robin Shreeve, CEO, Skills Australia

9.50 Have We Got the Right Vocational Models to Meet Workforce Needs?
Pam Caven, Director Policy and Stakeholder Engagement, National Secretariat, TAFE Directors Australia

10.30 Morning Tea

NATIONAL DELIVERY OF AUSTRALIAN VET REGULATION

11.00 Keynote Address: A New Regulatory Horizon - Lifting the Quality Bar

• Rationale for establishing a national regulator for VET regulation
• Legislation
• ASQAs regulatory powers
• Risk assessment of RTOs

Chris Robinson, Acting Chief Commissioner, Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)

11.40 Delivering VET Courses Offshore

According to the National Quality Council, in 2009 there were 105 private and 37 public Australian VET providers involved in delivering programs to about 73, 300 students offshore in 68 countries (compared with 232,000 enrolments onshore). Transnational education is a significant activity in the VET sector and has been for many years. It has been a steep learning curve and few have traversed without stumbling along the way. Have we learnt from our mistakes? What are the considerations? They cut across academic integrity, financial viability, legislative compliance, fit with organisational strategy, and influence on reputation and brand. The process is demanding and ongoing. Why bother? What are the benefits to the organisation? Is there one ideal model? What are the processes that should be taken to mitigate risk? What information is required? What research? If we are serious about getting involved, how can we be more proactive? More strategic?

This presentation will look at which questions should be asked, and what processes should be in place to ensure productive and rewarding outcomes for all stakeholders.

Anna Parkin, Director, TAFE South Australia International

12.20 Networking Lunch

1.20 The Recruitment of International Students in the Current Financial Market
This presentation will cover a range of strategies that education providers may focus on to meet changes in the current competitive environment arising from the strong Australian dollar, visa regulatory issues and removal of the nexus between international students and skilled migration opportunities. These include initiatives such as;

• Expanding offshore/ onshore recruitment channels through TNE Partnerships including VE diplomas developing cross sectoral feeder channels within education institutions such as integrated VE/HE diplomas
• Consideration of pricing and scholarship strategies adding value for international students in Australia through Work Integrated learning and job placement services
• Strengthening Australia as a study destination through Dual Qualifications offered in partnership with international institutions in the USA, UK and Europe

Andrew Holloway, Vice President International, Victoria University, Melbourne Australia

2.00 Case Study: Their Business is Our Business

• Skilling and training solutions for VET-Industry collaboration
• Relationship management – Broadening the view of industry partnerships
• Customer value proposition – The Business Model Generator
• SCIT challenges and successes engaging with industry – A story from our experience
• Maintaining quality outcomes

Robyn Pinel, Manager, Centre for VET, Sunshine Coast TAFE

2.40 Afternoon Tea

3.10 Case Study: Profiting from 3-Dimensional Engagement between Industry, VET and Universities

The Integrated Articulation and Credit Transfer Project has resulted in the innovative application of a 3-dimensional focus on articulation to what has historically been a 2-dimensional focus. Structured articulation pathways and linkages between the three key stakeholders – industry, VET and HE are a significant
factor in developing education and training solutions in line with Australian industry and economic needs. The project has produced a range of practical and informative resources to clarify the benefits of this 3-dimensional approach to articulation and credit transfer.

Di Paez, Project Manager, Integrated Articulation and Credit Transfer, DEEWR-Diversity and Structural Adjustment Project, University of Southern Queensland

3.50 Panel Discussion:
The Role of Foundation Skills in VET to Ensure Transferable Skills and Adaptive Learning

• Incorporating critical thinking, innovation and creativity into training when industry is requiring very specific skills
• Expanding the skill set
• Meeting the long-term needs of the economy- Looking ahead to the skills requirements of the future
• Career sustainability-Future-proofing careers

Robyn Pinel, Manager, Centre for VET, Sunshine Coast TAFE
Lyn Hannah, Manager Teaching and Learning – Faculty of Technical and Trades Innovation, Victoria University
Frances Coppolillo, Associate Director, Faculty of Further Education, Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE

4.40 Closing Remarks from the Chair

4.50 Networking Drinks

Day Two – Tuesday 22 November

DAY ONE | DAY TWO

8.30 Registration and Coffee

9.00 Opening Remarks from the Chair

9.10 Panel Discussion: How Does VET Retain Its Identity Within Multi-Sector Arrangements?
Adrian Marron, Chief Executive Officer, Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT)
Di Paez, Project Manager, Integrated Articulation and Credit Transfer, DEEWR-Diversity and Structural Adjustment Project, University of Southern Queensland
Peter Matthews, Director, Dual Sector Collaboration Project, University of Ballarat

10.10 Case Study: The Practice Firm - A Practical Learning Approach in the Workplace
This case study will explore the outcomes, challenges and successes of a multi-disciplinary project involving the design and construction of a fully functioning ‘Practice Firm’. This initiative brought together students from across a range of courses to work on a real-life project which is supported by industry. The project provides a 'real-workplace' learning environment for students, instead of the more commonly used simulated workplace environment.

Leoni Russell, Educational Advisor – Curriculum Innovation Unit, Victoria University
Lyn Hannah, Manager Teaching and Learning – Faculty of Technical and Trades Innovation, Victoria University

10.50 Morning Tea

11.20 Case Study: New Merger Models in Tertiary Education: Canberra A Work in Progress
Adrian Marron, Chief Executive Officer, Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT)

12.00 Case Study: International Academy of Law Enforcement and Security-West Coast Institute of Training Demonstrates How it has Established Itself as A Regional Leader in Police Training by Building Specialist Relationships and VET Offerings

• The concept of IALES (rationale)
• The relationship between members of the Joondalup Learning Precinct (Edith Cowan University, WA Police Academy and West Coast Institute of Training)
• The IALES Portfolio and capability statement
• IALES on the international circuit

Paul Hartley, Academy Director, International Academy of Law Enforcement and Security, West Coast Institute of Training

12.40 Stretch and Bathroom Break

12.50 Have We Got the Right People, in the Right Place, Focused on the Right Priorities to Respond to New Challenges and Opportunities in the VET Sector?

• The capabilities of staff, particularly managers, within the new operating context

TBA

1.30 Networking Lunch

2.30 Case Study: Who are the Clients and Stakeholders? What are Their Needs? Engineering Technician Education in Australia
When developing education and training programs, providers are expected to meet industry needs. Identifying stakeholders’ needs can be a costly, difficult, and time-consuming process which is why it is often neglected or only given superficial consideration. The presentation will use the outcomes of a number of research projects undertaken in 2010 and 2011 to explore the following issues;

• Workforce needs
• The characteristics of AQF Level 6 VET and HE engineering programs
• Student and employer perspectives
• The roles of industry organisations
• Stakeholder engagement to develop graduate outcomes for a program
• Issues and opportunities

Professor David Dowling, Faculty of Engineering and Surveying, University of Southern Queensland

3.10 International VET Sector Students - Global Competitors and the Study-Migration Pathway

From 2005 to 2009 Australia experienced extraordinary international student demand for VET sector courses - A process driven by the liberalisation of the study-migration pathway. In the past two years migration options have contracted, leading to a plummeting of international student demand. This paper defines the recent Australian policy developments, including the responses of current and recent VET sector students. It assesses study-migration trends in Australia's key competitor countries (the UK, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA). Within a context where international students have become highly strategic education and migration 'consumers', the paper assesses future global and national enrolment demand.

Professor Lesleyanne Hawthorne, Associate Dean International, University of Melbourne

3.50 Closing Remarks from the Chair and Close of Summit