THE monolithic NSW TAFE system will deliver higher education qualifications from next year, starting with a few niche degrees in high-demand areas.
But its main focus will be on working with universities to develop pathways into higher education via associate degrees, particularly in areas identified for high-growth employment prospects.
Pam Christie, head of TAFE NSW, said TAFE would harness its wide footprint particularly in regional areas to increase the number of students with higher education qualifications, in line with the Bradley targets.
"We are working with universities to directly target low-socioeconomic students across all communities," Ms Christie said.
The NSW TAFE system encompasses 130 campuses in 10 TAFE institutes, with more than 500,000 enrolments each year. Significantly, it has 35,000 students enrolled in rural and regional areas, and almost 6 per cent of its enrolments are indigenous people.
Ms Christie said given its size and scope, she was confident TAFE NSW could have a dramatic influence on improving participation and completion rates in the state.
"We believe we can expand higher education participation through a partnership approach with universities, as well as building our own capability," Ms Christie said.
Even if there is a change in federal government, Ms Christie said she was confident the momentum in universities to embrace the social inclusion agenda would not be affected.
But Leesa Wheelahan, a vocational and training policy expert with the L. H. Martin Institute at the University of Melbourne, said while the commitment from universities might remain unchanged, the means to continue their work would be undermined by the Coalition's promise to cut the pivotal Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program by 70 per cent, or $227 million from the $325m program during the next three years.
"We just don't know how high a priority equity will be for a Coalition government, and universities tend to respond to government," Dr Wheelahan said.
Academic quality of TAFE NSW higher education programs will be overseen by Shirley Alexander, deputy vice-chancellor (teaching, learning and equity) at the University of Technology, Sydney, who has been appointed head of the academic board for TAFE NSW Higher Education. Responding to recent commentary that TAFE's lack of research focus rendered it an inappropriate place to offer higher education qualifications, Professor Alexander said quality assurance was one of the "most important issues the academic board will be dealing with".
"We will move straight into implementing academic standards, as they are developed," she said.
"People often talk about standards in terms of the inputs: teachers, libraries and so on.
"But it should focus more on the type of experience students have and the outcomes of the degree: what do they know and how do they compare, both against other institutions in Australia and internationally."
Sydney Institute has already had a bachelor of interior design accredited and has plans to develop several other degrees associated with its in-demand Design Centre Enmore. These include bachelor degrees in 3-D art and animation; and jewellery and object design.
A bachelor of early childhood education and care is on the cards for Western Sydney Institute.
