Media Releases

Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall has unveiled the latest research into the experiences of students who defer university.

The Deferring a University Offer in Victoria report, which documents findings of the second year of a three-report longitudinal study, found that 63 per cent of deferring students were at university three years after completing Year 12.

Another 16 per cent were undertaking vocational training and 12 per cent were in full-time work.

"This is the only comprehensive long-term study of its kind in Australia," Mr Hall said.

"The report shows that outcomes for young people who defer an offer at university are generally positive.

"By the third year out of school, over three quarters of all deferrers are in education or training."

The report reveals a difference in patterns of deferral between metropolitan and regional students.

"Deferring students from regional areas are more likely to take up and remain in a university place," Mr Hall said.

"But young people from regional areas continue to defer places at university at twice the rate of their metropolitan counterparts."

Mr Hall said the Victorian Coalition Government was enhancing support for school students applying for university through the School University Liaison Officer program.

Nine liaison officers are working with universities and 254 low socio-economic status schools across regional and metropolitan Victoria, to raise student aspirations and boost participation in university education.

"Our liaison officers are helping students, teachers, parents and careers advisers to demystify university study, explaining the assistance that’s available such as special entry assistance schemes, scholarships and the like," Mr Hall said.

The Deferring a University Offer in Victoria report was based on research commissioned by the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria and Victoria’s 31 Local Learning and Employment Networks, and was funded by the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.

It includes responses from 1,921 young people who completed Year 12 in 2009 and then were identified as deferring their studies in the Government’s 2010 On Track survey.

"Young Victorians are a pretty capable bunch. That’s clear from the high participation rates of education, training and work that is evident among the young people surveyed in this report," Mr Hall said.

"The Coalition Government is committed to doing more to create opportunity for young people and, through research and hands-on support, we’ll continue to boost participation and ensure that training opportunities are tailored to student and industry needs."

Mr Hall thanked the contributors and the authors, Professor John Polesel and Dr Malgorzata Klatt, for their continued work and said he was looking forward to the final instalment, to be completed at the end of the year.

The full report can be found at

www.yacvic.org.au/news/424-2013-deferral-study-deferring-a-university-offer-in-victoria

 

Media contact: Ashley Gardiner 0427 560 438

 

 

 

 

Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall today announced the Victorian Coalition Government’s plan for providing Australian Sign Language (Auslan) courses in Victoria.  
 
The Victorian Auslan Training Consortium – led by Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE (NMIT) in partnership with the Victorian Deaf Society (VicDeaf) and La Trobe University – will begin offering Certificate II and  Diploma courses from July this year.  
 
Enrolments for these courses are now open through NMIT, with enrolments for Certificate III and IV courses to open in early 2014.  
 
Mr Hall said the Coalition Government was responding to concerns raised by the Victorian deaf and hard of hearing community about an inadequate supply of interpreters and translators.  
 
This followed a decision from the major Victorian provider of Auslan training, Kangan Institute, to cease offering the courses to new students from 2013.  
 
“This new approach to Auslan training was developed after extensive consultation with the deaf and hard of hearing community and following an independent review of Auslan training and delivery in Victoria,” Mr Hall said.  
 
“The training will be delivered in metropolitan and regional areas face-to-face and using communications technology, ensuring that all students have access to flexible and improved Auslan training.  
 
“In addition, new arrangements have been put in place to reduce the barriers that existed for professionals to study Auslan, making these courses more widely available for all Victorians.  
 
“The training provided by the Victorian Auslan Training Consortium will ensure that deaf and hard of hearing individuals, their workmates, families and friends will have access to subsidised training in the officially recognised sign language of Australia.”  
 
The Victorian Auslan Training Consortium will also engage in research that will help improve the approach to Auslan training and contribute to the development of new training resources.  
 
The Coalition Government will provide funding of $5.2 million over three and a half years to ensure that at least 700 enrolments are delivered over that time, with the contract rewarding the provider for further enrolments.  
 
Mr Hall said the funding would help many more people to gain Auslan qualifications and provide pathways into RMIT’s Diploma of Interpreting course.  
 
“The Coalition Government recognises that, without suitably skilled and qualified Auslan interpreters and translators, the deaf and hard of hearing members of our community will be adversely impacted economically and socially,” Mr Hall said.  
 
Auslan is the officially recognised sign language of deaf and hard of hearing people in Australia. It is a visual, spacial language, using hand movements, facial expressions and body language.  
  
Media contact: Ashley Gardiner 0427 560 438

Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall has called on adult education participants, educators and organisations to nominate for the 2013 Victorian Learn Local Awards.  

Each year the awards recognise the outstanding effort and achievement among the nearly 100,000 people that participate in adult and community education across the state.  

They also celebrate the contribution made by about 300 Learn Local organisations that offer entry-level and accredited training, which leads participants into jobs and further study.  

Mr Hall said the awards, which are presented by the government-appointed Adult, Community and Further Education Board, were able to shine a light on achievements that often went under the radar. 

“The Learn Local sector offers flexible, approachable and welcoming learning environments, providing an ideal setting for many people to return to their learning path, or to start afresh,” Mr Hall said.  

“Our Learn Local students and staff aren’t known for taking the time to acknowledge their own good work, or giving themselves a well-deserved ‘pat on the back’. 

“That is why the Victorian Learn Local Awards are so important. The awards give us all a wonderful opportunity to stand back and pay tribute to the inspirational efforts of students, staff and organisations from Lakes Entrance to Lilydale, Lorne to Lancefield.”  

Award categories for the 2013 Awards are:  
 
· Outstanding pre-accredited learner – recognising an entry-level student; 

 · Outstanding practitioner – recognising a training staff member; 

 · Outstanding pathway program – recognising success in helping students to progress to employment or further training; 

 · Excellence in creating local solutions – acknowledging success in addressing a local skill or learning need; and

 · Excellence in language, literacy and numeracy provision.  

There will also be two special acknowledgement awards this year. The Learn Local for Business award will recognise the commitment a business has to training its employees.  

The Learn Local Legend awards will acknowledge a training provider in each of the eight adult education regions, for outstanding work with students and for its contribution to its region.  

Mr Hall launched the 2013 awards today with staff and students of Jesuit Community College, operated by Jesuit Social Services.  

Media contact: Ashley Gardiner 0427 560 438

Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall today officially opened Australia’s only sawdoctor training facility, after a $250,000 upgrade.  

Timber Training Creswick, near Ballarat, is a specialist forestry industry training provider, offering qualifications and short courses to between 600 and 1,000 people annually.  

Training available covers forestry, harvesting, timber processing, truss and frame design and manufacture and timber merchandising.  

The not-for-profit company operates Australia’s only operating training sawmill facility, and has now extended the facility to be able to offer sawdoctoring apprenticeships.  

Mr Hall said sawdoctors and wood machinists were recognised skills shortage areas in Victoria, attracting the highest levels of government subsidies.  

“Investing in modern infrastructure like this National Sawdoctor Training Facility will stimulate interest in forestry industries and provide Victoria with the skilled workers we need to keep our state strong and prosperous,” Mr Hall said.  

Timber Training Creswick’s facility, which took three years to complete, includes a modern, commercial-scale sawmill, timber drying facilities and a planing mill.  

“Estimates suggest the new facility will be used to train up to 80 per cent of Australia’s sawdoctors over the next five years,” Mr Hall said.  

“I commend Timber Training Creswick for the contribution they have made by building this wonderful facility.”  

Timber Training Creswick Chief Executive Officer Rob Rule welcomed the announcement. 
 
“For the first time in Australia, a sawdoctor teaching facility has been located adjacent to a working sawmill, giving students the opportunity for practical application of the theory they’re learning,” Mr Rule said.  

A decline in residential building construction and a high Australian dollar has put pressure on the forest and timber products industry in recent years.  

However exports of sawn wood are expected to rise in the coming five years as consumption in Asian countries increases.  

Media contact: Ashley Gardiner 0427 560 438

The Victorian Coalition Government has today reached an in-principle agreement with principals, teachers and education support staff in Victorian government schools.

Premier Denis Napthine said that, whilst the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement was still to be ratified, he was pleased that an in-principle agreement had been reached.

"The Coalition Government is committed to driving Victoria’s school system to the top tier. Principals, teachers and support staff in our schools are vital in helping us make this happen," Dr Napthine said.

"I am delighted that, as part of the agreement, we have a commitment to further school reforms that lead to an improvement in the educational opportunities and outcomes for all young Victorians.

"The Coalition Government recognises the invaluable role teachers play in educating our children and we are pleased to negotiate this successful outcome."

The new agreement will provide government school employees with salary increases consistent with Government wages policy.

The offer includes twice-annual salary increases totalling:

• 3.0% in 2013
• 2.75% in 2014
• 2.75% in 2015

There is also a $1,000 sign-on bonus for all government school staff.

"We want to keep our best teachers here in Victoria, and this offer provides for a highly competitive salary structure," Dr Napthine said.

"The agreement provides financial incentives for teachers to perform at a high level, while also giving school principals the flexibility to better manage staff and resources."

 Minister for the Teaching Profession Peter Hall said progression through salary levels would no longer be automatic, with a more rigorous assessment of performance to be undertaken each year. Principals will be able to make appointments purely on merit.

"Over a four-year period, high-performing teachers who qualify for annual salary progression, coupled with the increase offered under Government wages policy, have the potential to earn significant wage increases," Mr Hall said.

"Our teachers will be better paid, parents can expect to see high performing teachers in classrooms and students will benefit from improved teacher quality."

The agreement will also for the first time encompass education support staff in Victorian government schools.

"An umbrella agreement makes sense, as it will enable principals to more effectively administer and consult with their entire workforce as one," Mr Hall said.

 

 

 

Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall has today announced the chairs of Victoria’s 14 TAFE institute boards.

The recommended chairs have been selected for their knowledge and experience, providing TAFE institutes with improved ability to compete and innovate in Victoria’s competitive vocational training market.

Mr Hall’s nominations for TAFE director positions have also been announced, with the remaining nominations to be made in the coming days, in consultation with current appointees.

Mr Hall said Victoria’s vocational training system had evolved over the past 20 years, from a government-run and funded model to a demand-driven system where funding follows the student.

"The Victorian Coalition Government has been working to refocus both operational and governance arrangements to ensure Victoria’s TAFE institutes are well equipped to face the challenges of an increasingly commercially competitive training market," Mr Hall said.

"This is in line with recommendations from the independent TAFE Reform Panel, which backed the Coalition Government’s plans to establish professional skills-based boards, remake TAFE institutes’ constitutions and establish stronger commercial and strategic planning guidelines."

Mr Hall said boards would now be made up of between nine and 15 individuals, with the chair appointed by the Governor in Council, on the Government’s recommendation.

"Legislation agreed to by the Parliament in 2010 and 2012 requires the introduction of new constitutions at each TAFE institute and part of this renewal process involves the appointment of new boards," Mr Hall said.

The chairs are:

Advance TAFE – Scott Rossetti

Bendigo TAFE – Margaret O’Rourke

Box Hill Institute – Suzanne Ewart

Chisholm Institute – Stephen Marks

GippsTAFE – John Mitchell

GOTAFE – Michael Tehan

Holmesglen Institute – Peter Lewinsky

Kangan Institute – Michael Brown

NMIT – John Gibbins

South West TAFE – Mike Weise

SuniTAFE – Leonie Burrows

The Gordon – Brian Williamson

William Angliss Institute – Michele Allan

Wodonga TAFE – Tony Brandt

Mr Hall said he was impressed with the credentials of the 14 chairs who would display strong leadership and pursue opportunities for further efficiency and innovation at their respective TAFE institutes.

Mr Hall also thanked outgoing chairs, many of whom are expected to be retained as TAFE board directors when the full membership of TAFE institute boards is announced in the coming weeks.

Mr Hall said these individuals had served for several terms in many cases and, because of their depth of experience, would provide much needed stability while TAFE institutes took the next steps towards refocusing vocational training in Victoria.

Amendments to the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 were passed in 2010, requiring skills-based TAFE board members with experience in management; finance; commerce or business; law; corporate governance; vocational education and training; adult, community and further education; or an industry in which training is provided by the institute.

The Victorian Coalition Government is investing a record $1.2 billion a year in vocational training. Innovation and structural reform at TAFE institutes will be supported through a $200 million investment.

 

Media contact: Ashley Gardiner 0427 560 438

 

 

ashley.gardiner@minstaff.vic.

Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall today launched a new digital literacy program to be delivered by Victoria’s Learn Local adult and community education providers.

The Intel Easy Steps program will provide a consistent approach to improving levels of digital literacy across the state, helping individuals to learn basic computer applications, such as email and word processing, internet search, multimedia, and basic social media skills.

This year, around 7,000 individuals are expected to enrol in digital literacy courses through the state’s network of about 300 Learn Local providers.

Mr Hall said digital literacy skills had become essential for individuals to be able to participate fully in today’s knowledge-based society.

“These skills improve how people connect in their everyday lives and they are increasingly a pre-requisite for doing our jobs,” Mr Hall said.

Based on data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, showing gaps in levels of computer ownership, internet usage and the web presence of businesses, the digital literacy shortfall in Victoria could be estimated at over one million people aged 15 years and over.

Following an extensive trial of digital literacy programs that would help address this shortfall, the Intel Easy Steps program was selected because of its flexibility and proven effectiveness.

The Intel Easy Steps program was designed for adults with little or no computer experience and offers a 20 hour pre-accredited course option, which will be adapted by Learn Local organisations to meet local needs.

“Unlike the majority of young people who are digital natives, the older generation, myself included, who did not grow up with computers understandably require assistance when engaging with technologies which are not second nature to us,” Mr Hall said.

Intel Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Kate Burleigh said more than one million people worldwide had undergone the training.

“This translates to a sense of self-sufficiency for each of these individuals, arming them with the skills necessary in our fast-paced world. We’re really looking forward to seeing this roll out in Victoria,” Ms
Burleigh said.

"It will provide a new resource for designated e-Mentors and e-Champions, who have been working with Learn Local organisations since 2008 in an effort to boost digital literacy across the state,” Mr Hall said.

“Supporting digital literacy in Learn Local settings through the Intel Easy Steps program provides a unique opportunity to make a difference to Victorians, who will be developing the skills necessary for participation in a modern economy,” Mr Hall said.

Mr Hall and Ms Burleigh launched the program today at Melbourne’s Centre for Adult Education.

There are around 300 Learn Local organisations across Victoria delivering training to more than 95,000 learners a year.

Media contact: Ashley Gardiner 0427 560 438

Victorians would gain access to an expanded, regionally-focused university under a proposition that Monash University’s Gippsland campus join with the University of Ballarat.

Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall said the proposition would improve the higher education options available in regional areas across the state.

"This proposition would make the expanded university a key provider of higher education in Victoria’s regional areas," Mr Hall said.

The University of Ballarat would add to its existing student cohort of 23,000 and expand both on-campus and distance education offerings.

"Students across the state would benefit, giving them access to a wider range of courses and to support services that are tailored to the needs of regional students." Mr Hall said.

The Gippsland Tertiary Education Plan, produced by an expert panel led by Professor Kwong Lee Dow, found expanded course offerings and greater flexibility in entry requirements at the Churchill university campus would benefit the Gippsland region.

If the proposition, proposed by the universities, is implemented, new courses at the Gippsland campus could include engineering, graphic design and multimedia, human movement and sports science, early childhood, metallurgy and health science.

In the Ballarat and Wimmera regions, new courses could include human resource management, criminal justice and criminology, bioscience, geomechanics, geohydrology and midwifery.

Mr Hall said the proposition offered further reassurance about the future of the university campus in Gippsland and for regional higher education provision in general.

"Monash University has made a significant contribution to the Gippsland region through its university campus over the past 20 years and the University of Ballarat will build on that foundation, bringing its special expertise in regional higher education provision," Mr Hall said.

Mr Hall said much work needed to be done if the proposition was to become a reality by early 2014.

The two universities need to complete their own due diligence processes, including undertaking consultations with staff, students and other stakeholders. Formal approvals from the State and Federal Governments would also be required.

"I see this as an exciting opportunity to improve the delivery of higher education to regional Victorians and I encourage everyone with an interest in the outcome to engage with the process positively to ensure the best outcome." Mr Hall said.

 

 

Media contact: Ashley Gardiner 0427 560 438

 

Certificates in General Education for Adults are available in every electorate across the state. In fact in last year's budget, the Coalition increased funding for such courses.

If Labor Party members cannot understand that amalgamation of regional TAFEs is not on the Government's agenda, perhaps a literacy course at their local neighbourhood house is in order.

Claims by Labor that forced regional TAFE mergers are on the agenda are absolutely wrong.

The Victorian Coalition Government has made it explicitly clear that there would be no forced mergers of TAFE institutes.

That is why the Government did not adopt that recommendation made by the TAFE Reform Panel.

Instead of undermining Victoria’s regional TAFEs like Labor, the Government is supporting them through a $200 million funding commitment to help TAFEs thrive in their local communities.

Labor has no credibility whatsoever on training issues. In their last budget in 2010, Labor set aside $855 million for training. By contrast, the Victorian Coalition Government budgeted over $1.2 billion.

The reforms are already working: in 2010 there were 426,905 students enrolled in Government-subsidised courses. Now there are 670,438.

In addition, it is Labor policy to direct any money over a $100 million surplus to TAFEs.

This ridiculous policy provides no certainty to the sector and provides another example of a party that will say anything to anyone for political gain.

 

Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall today called on all Victorians involved in vocational training to nominate for the 2013 Victorian Training Awards.

Mr Hall said the awards provided recognition for the amazing achievements of students, teachers, training providers and employers in equipping individuals for the Victorian workforce.

"More and more Victorians are enrolling in vocational training and building careers for themselves and we want to hear their stories," Mr Hall said.

"These awards recognise the talent that is being developed every day through our state’s vocational training system."

Nominations for the Victorian Training Awards are open until May 10 this year and finalists will be announced on June 21, ahead of the presentation dinner on 6 September.

Mr Hall said the Victorian vocational education and training system was evolving to best meet the needs of individual Victorians, and the state as a whole.

"The Victorian Coalition Government believes that a strong, sustainable vocational training sector is vital for our future prosperity," Mr Hall said.

Mr Hall said the Coalition Government’s Refocusing Vocational Training reforms had already resulted in an increase in students enrolled in vocational education and training.

"There are now 670,438 Government-funded enrolments across Victoria, compared to 426,905 in 2010," Mr Hall said.

Last year, training activity across TAFE, private and community providers rose by 22 per cent compared to 2011.

"We are keen to hear about their successes and achievements through the Victorian Training Awards," Mr Hall said.

Individuals can nominate for the training awards in six categories, with winners receiving a $10,000 fellowship and, in many categories, the opportunity to represent Victoria at the Australian Training Awards.

Individual award categories include:

• Victorian School-based Apprentice of the Year Award;
• Victorian Apprentice of the Year Award;
• Victorian Koorie Student of the Year Award;
• Victorian Trainee of the Year Award;
• Victorian Vocational Student of the Year Award; and
• Victorian Teacher/Trainer of the Year Award.

Categories for employers, training providers and schools include:

• Victorian VET Client Service/Support Excellence Award;
• Victorian Large Training Provider of the Year Award;
• Victorian Small Training Provider of the Year Award;
• Victorian VET in Schools Excellence Award;
• Victorian Employer of the Year Award;
• Victorian Small Employer of the Year Award;
• Victorian Industry Collaboration Award; and
• Victorian Employer Award for Apprentice Development.