Plan to ensure long-term future for tertiary education in Gippsland

Mon 21 March 2011

The Minister for Higher Education and Skills Peter Hall today announced the establishment of an expert panel to develop a Tertiary Education Plan for Gippsland.

The plan follows Skills Victoria’s 2009 report advising on the development of the Victorian Tertiary Education Plan which confirmed there was an appreciable gap in participation and attainment levels between large parts of Melbourne and regional Victoria.

The latest available data revealed that the student university deferral rate in the Gippsland region was running at 17.1%, the second highest deferral rate of any region in Victoria, and well above the state average of just 9.8%.

Data also shows that just 26.4% of Gippsland students are opting for higher education, well below the Victorian average of 41.3%.

With Victoria forecast to need an extra 120,000 VET graduates by 2015 and have 47 per cent of 25 to 34 year-olds holding a bachelor degree by 2025, this initiative will help to ensure that Gippsland businesses and communities continue to thrive.

A highly distinguished panel chaired by Professor Kwong Lee Dow, and involving Dr Michele Allan and John Mitchell, will lead the development of the plan to increase tertiary access, participation and attainment throughout Gippsland:

• Professor Kwong Lee Dow is a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Melbourne and has played a leading role in developing approaches to curriculum, assessment and standards for both the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments.  He has been involved in tertiary education planning for both the previous and now the current State Government and is also heading an inquiry into tertiary student income support at the request of the Federal Government.
• Dr Allan is president of the board at William Angliss Institute and chair of Go Grains Health and Nutrition Limited and is also director of a number of organisations including Food Standards Australia. She has held senior positions with Patties Foods Limited, Amcor Limited, Tasmanian Bioinformatics Centre of Excellence, Bonlac Foods, Kraft Foods Limited and ICI Dulux.
• John Mitchell is well-known to many Gippsland residents. He has a strong business/governance background in local government, water, sewerage and resource management and community governance. He has extensive experience in dealing with large industries (oil/gas/power generation and timber/paper sectors), small/medium enterprises, community groups, environmental and education organisations and regulatory authorities.

The panel will call for submissions from educational providers and other relevant organisations before formulating recommendations to take to the Minister.

Mr Hall welcomed the support of Gippsland’s major tertiary education providers for this planning exercise.

“It’s fantastic that Monash University, Central Gippsland Institute of TAFE and East Gippsland TAFE are committed to this initiative which aims to increase the opportunities for delivering higher education in Gippsland,” Mr Hall said.

“This planning exercise will also provide an opportunity for other tertiary providers to strengthen their participation in the Gippsland region, including Gippsland’s community colleges, adult education providers, Apprenticeships Group Australia, Ballarat University, Deakin University and Chisholm Institute of TAFE.”

The consultation process will ensure the views of all tertiary providers and relevant organisations are well considered and it is hoped that other providers will see opportunities to enter the Gippsland market.

The expert panel will report to the Minister by 12 September 2011.

The panel has broad terms of reference and will consult extensively with education and training providers, local government and industry bodies across the region.
Terms of Reference

The expert panel will advise on a Tertiary Education Plan to boost tertiary participation and attainment to meet the future industry and educational needs of the Gippsland region.

Through this Plan, the Expert Panel will:

• Provide baseline information on:
  • the future economic development plans for the region and related skill requirements
  • the current skills profile and educational attainment of the Gippsland population
  • current tertiary education provision throughout the region
• Advise on the factors that impact on tertiary participation and attainment throughout the region.
• Recommend strategies to increase tertiary education opportunities, with reference to:
  • institutional and partnership models to increase access to tertiary education
  • strategies to maximise utilisation of existing public education infrastructure to expand access to tertiary opportunities;
  • strategies to maximise access to and utilisation of specialist equipment across the region;
  • strategies to leverage investments in broadband to expand the use of technology in teaching and learning; 
  • policy, regulatory and funding implications of proposals.

The review process

The Expert Panel will:

• make recommendations and provide advice to the government on the provision of and facilitating access to tertiary education throughout Gippsland
• build on existing mapping of current educational attainment and skill levels. It will also draw on emerging regional economic development plans and existing strategies of the major education and training providers in formulating its recommendations
• utilise and reference provision models developed in other regional areas of Victoria, as well as interstate and international experiences and will consult, amongst others, with:
• • universities and TAFEs
  • school principals and councils
  • ACE and private vocational providers operating throughout Gippsland
  • Local Learning and Employment Networks
  • other higher education institutions
  • the Gippsland Local Government Network
  • Gippsland Trades and Labour Council
  • peak employer bodies
  • Regional Development Australia – Gippsland
  • Gippsland Regional Skills Council