“The Independent Education Union welcomes the initiatives outlined by the Opposition Education spokesperson Stephen Smith in relation to vocational education” said IEUA Federal Secretary Lynne Rolley.
“It is disappointing that this area, like many others in education, has been the subject of countless inquiries over more than a decade and yet there has not been any substantial commitment or progress on critical elements” she said.
“While society, including employers, have talked about the need to support and encourage student skill development in areas such as team work, entrepeneurship , problem solving and communication , what has instead dominated the Federal government’s agenda is a back to basics mantra and more and more testing”
Over 13 years ago in an inquiry into Vocational Education in Schools the IEU then called for appropriate resourcing frameworks and a single umbrella credential with accreditation for school courses.
“The Labor announcement is a step in the right direction and is something that the education community can look to build on. And it is nothing short of neglect that the current Federal Government has not appropriately attended to this issue for over a decade” said Ms Rolley.
The Common and Agreed National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-first Century, endorsed in April 1999 by MCEETYA, contained a range of references to elements of vocational education and training (VET) in schools and linkages between education and the training sector. The preamble to these goals indicates that
“The achievement of these common and agreed national goals entails a commitment to collaboration for the purposes : of further strengthening schools as learning communities where teachers, students and their families work in partnership with business, industry and the wider community.”
The delivery of VET in schools is a national priority. It requires the following from a Federal Government:
- a long term, costed plan for vocational education that ensures effective forward planning
- additional funding to be specifically committed to provide for workload and training support of vocational education teachers, Vocational Education Coordinators, and Careers Education Coordinators
- provision of wider, beyond the classroom, learning opportunities
- support in making transitions/developing pathways
- programs to ensure that teachers are equipped with up-to-date knowledge and skills including an element for access to industry experience.
“The IEUA believes that our students deserve improved resources to ensure that they have every opportunity as they enter the workforce. This announcement moves us in the right direction but there is still much to be done” said Ms Rolley
Contact details
Lynne Rolley
Federal Secretary
Ph: 03 9254 1830
Fax: 03 9254 1835
ieu@ieu.org.au