The Federal government is seeking to increase the proportion of Australians with bachelor degrees and to increase the proportion of low SES students in higher education. This will focus attention on degree completion rates for all students, including non-traditional students who have previously been reported as having lower higher education…

The postsecondary education policymaking process in Australia, rather than being goal-oriented and rational, is a series of adjustments to existing policy dictated by political expediency, often over many years and changes of government and leading to decisions reflecting unstable origins. This committee's broad influences illustrate this process.…

This paper examines the relationship between constitutional courts and educational policy in Australia, the United States, and West Germany in an attempt to formulate a statement describing the relative impact of state and federal governments on educational policy in countries with a federal system of government. Much of the paper discusses the…

Australian experience since the late 1950s with coordinating agencies for higher education is reviewed, focusing on factors influencing the development and adaptation of these agencies, the establishment and transformation over time of the Australian Universities Commission, and recent developments in coordinating mechanisms at both commonwealth…

Tertiary education in Australia, organized in three sectors (universities, colleges of advanced education, and technical and further education) have three main levels of planning--institutional, state, and commonwealth. Financial planning in tertiary education is discussed including inputs and outputs, information systems, resource planning, and…

The "training reform agenda" refers to a package of reforms in vocational education that was accepted by Australian national, state, and territorial ministers. It has five main themes: nationally consistent competency-based training; national recognition of competence; open national training market; fair participation; and integrated…

Explores the background and context of the Australian federal government's new postcompulsory education and training policies. Examines the social, economic, and political context surrounding policy development and the "stitching together" of competing interests. The resulting policy directions, linking goals to equity issues, represent…

The Australian government, employer groups, and the trade union movement acknowledge a critical need to improve work force skills. Focus is on the notion of competencies and measurable learning outcomes. The driving force has been the linking of industry restructuring with occupational classification restructuring (award restructuring). The…

Education and training in Australia represent a significant sector of the economy, comprising some 7 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Public policy is fashioned to support three main sectors: schools, vocational education and training, and higher education. The mix of Commonwealth policy across these sectors is determined by distribution of…

The management of higher education in federal systems is discussed in two papers that resulted from a 10-day seminar in Australia. "The Changing Balance in Federal-State Responsibilities: Postsecondary Education in Australia and the United States" discusses the environmmnt of higher education, its overall structure, access and…

Designed to provide a better understanding of how Industry Training Advisory Bodies (ITABs) operate, a study showed whether current arrangements, incentives, and structures are conducive to ITABs always working in the best interests of their constituents: employers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with chief executive officers (CEOs) of…

A review of papers produced by the United States-Australia Education Policy Project identifies implications of Australia's educational policies and structures for U.S. educational policy in the areas of equality, diversity, professional development, and control or governance. In educational equality the author examines, first, fiscal equity,…

This overview paper highlights implications of keynote papers and discussion at the first National Issues Forum held by the Research Center for Vocational Education and Training (VET) in Australia. It discusses evidence that the school-to-work (STW) transition is a problem for an increasing number of young people and why. It outlines the…