A stronger connection between vocational training and traditional tertiary pathways in education remains a focus.
A recent panel discussion has reignited the importance of a more seamless and efficient pathway for tertiary education.
Speaking at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia event earlier this month, Education Minister Tony Buti said a harmonisation of the Vocational Education and Training and university pathways would benefit the sector amid a decline of public trust in academic institutions.
“There is no doubt our universities have had a challenge in the last few years retaining their social licence, and the University Accord Review has highlighted that,” he said.
“While the federal government is the main player as far as funding in the university sector and higher education, we in Western Australia are very keen to be involved because of the necessary correlation between higher education and economic opportunity.
“It’s an important collaboration between the federal government and state government, and one thing is clear: we need to unlock pathways to and within post-school education, and one of the ways we can do that is by harmonising the VET and higher education sectors.”
Dr Buti said the federal government-commissioned University Accord Review, released in 2024, was a catalyst for necessary reform in the sector.
According to the review, a more seamless tertiary education system that includes better connection between VET and universities would benefit students with skills aligned with future industry needs.
“Both the VET and higher education sectors ... are incredibly important to developing the workforce we need and ensuring we have the skills needed for our society and for our economy going forward,” Dr Buti said.
“For far too long they’ve run in parallel.”
Universities’ declining social licence was also referenced in the Education and Employment Legislation Committee’s report tabled in the Senate last December.
In the report, Senator David Pocock said there needed to be a better formula for how public universities were funded.
“We need to account for the increasing direct and indirect costs of research,” he said.
“We need to be clearer about the purpose of our universities for the public good and be willing to pay them to deliver that.
“This will allow universities to reduce their over-reliance on international students, to focus on student experience, to support more first-in-family students, to adapt their offerings to a changing world and ultimately, to recapture their social licence.”
Speaking as a panelist at the CEDA event, The University of Western Australia deputy vice-chancellor Guy Littlefair said while harmonisation already existed, a more integrated approach was needed.
“The word that I would prefer to use is integration, because to me harmony is how we can work well together,” he said on the panel.
“I think we do work well together, and there are some great models.
“I think the challenge is how to integrate the two systems in a way that’s much more seamless.”
Professor Littlefair referenced the dual-sector model in universities on the east coast, where institutions offer both vocational training and traditional academic degrees.
“We have an Australian qualifications framework, we have AQF levels,” he said.
“In general terms, I don’t think we use the AQF in the way it was designed for.
“It is to recognise that students reach a certain standard, and that standard should therefore allow them to gain entry into other programs and other providers, whether that’s TAFE or, indeed, universities.
“I think we need to come together, co-create something that is quite special.”
North Metropolitan TAFE managing director Michelle Hoad agreed with the aim to make the higher education pathway easier.
“Part of this agenda is about regions and underrepresented groups, and how we work collectively more effectively to provide access to others who may not have otherwise had access,” Ms Hoad said during the panel discussion.
“TAFE in WA has about 130,000 students, 30,000 students at my college in the city, but we’ve got around 130,000 throughout WA, and obviously a dispersed and diverse set of campuses across WA.
“So that’s a footprint that we can enable in partnership with our universities.”
