What’s happened to TAFE and VET teachers? Putting vocational teaching back on the agenda in the emerging tertiary education environment.

A one day forum jointly sponsored by the Australian College of Educators (ACE) and the Australian Education Union (AEU). This forum will be focussing on the professional future for TAFE and VET teachers, who are particularly encouraged to attend.

Expectations of and support to TAFE and VET teachers have been continually diminished through the generalising of minimalist workplace training qualifications, the effects of VET sector funding policies and practices over the last decade and the withdrawal of state and territory government support for vocational teacher education programs.

Casualisation is further eroding the skills base of vocational education. This diminishing is felt no more acutely than in Australia's primary high quality provider of vocational education, our highly regarded TAFE institutions.

• How has this happened?
• What can we learn from overseas structures and practices or other sectors?
• What kinds of qualifications do VET and TAFE teachers need on entry and as they develop?
• What career supports are needed for maintaining industry currency and as teachers?

The quality and effectiveness of Australian vocational education is highly dependent on the capabilities of TAFE and VET teachers. Given the looming change to national regulatory and quality approaches to vocational education, this reality will be subject to unprecedented scrutiny.

Hear from both international and Australian education and industry experts:

• Professor Lorna Unwin, Professor of Vocational Education, University of London
• Associate Professor Leesa Wheelahan, LH Martin Institute for Higher Education Leadership and  Management, University Melbourne
• Ged Kearney, President, ACTU
• Professor Terri Seddon, Professor of Education, Monash University
• Dr John Buchanan, Director, Workplace Research Centre, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Sydney
• Hugh Guthrie, Principal Research Consultant, NCVER

Forum Objectives

To give voice to TAFE and VET teachers as a profession about the working conditions and support required for building quality professional practice in VET.

To commence dialogue and action around policy and funding priorities  required to significantly enhance the future capability and professional standing of vocational education as a means of strengthening this critical sector into the coming decades.

This conference is for TAFE and VET teachers, vocational teacher-educators, policy makers and researchers.

Please click here to download a PDF version of the flier.

Please click here to download a campus map of William Angliss.

Please click here for for a full conference agenda.

THIS EVENT IS SPONSORED BY