Opportunity and Productivity: Towards a Tertiary Harmonisation Roadmap
Jobs and Skills Australia has released its Opportunity and Productivity: Towards a Tertiary Harmonisation Roadmap report which seeks to articulate the benefits of a more harmonised tertiary sector and provides recommendations on how to create a sustainable pathway forward in collaboration with key stakeholders.
Tertiary harmonisation is the strategic alignment of the Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training (VET) sectors. It involves the effective coordination and cooperation of key system actors, to enable learners to obtain the combination of knowledge, skills and their application needed to be successful in a changing labour market.
Tertiary harmonisation is not about merging or integrating VET and Higher Education. Each would remain a distinctive sector with important differences in their missions and their approaches to learning.
The report identifies the benefits of harmonisation as improving tertiary system effectiveness and growing access, particularly to people who have traditionally had difficulty accessing the tertiary education system. A more harmonised system would also facilitate tackling national challenges, helping to address skilled workforce shortages and improve productivity and labour market outcomes.
To support this alignment, the report outlines 19 key recommendations, across 3 categories:
Enabling the tertiary harmonisation roadmap. This includes foundational initiatives such as developing a governance framework to facilitate the development of a roadmap, including a potential role for the Australian Tertiary Education Commission. It emphasises the importance of the 2 sectors being on an equal footing.
Early priorities for the roadmap. These recommendations cover areas where work is already underway such as a credit transfer system and mechanisms to encourage innovative course design. It also includes recommendations relating to Commonwealth Supported Places funding for TAFEs and collaboration between VET and higher education providers on a systematic approach to enabling qualifications that are nationally recognised and portable.
Medium term horizon roadmap priorities. These recommendations consider longer term ambitions such as the development of JSA’s National Skills Taxonomy, Australian Qualification Framework reform; digital resources for students to help them navigate the system and the creation of a Tertiary Education National Data Asset.
In line with our legislated mandate, the report was informed by a tripartite approach to engagement and consultation. This approach included Jobs and Skills Australia holding a series of roundtables in all states and territories. These sessions gathered insights on the benefits, opportunities, and challenges of tertiary harmonisation in the Australian context. A diverse range of stakeholders participated, including universities, public and private VET providers, Jobs and Skills Councils (JSCs), state and territory and commonwealth governments, regulators, industries, and unions.
This report complements existing activities the government is undertaking to positively impact tertiary harmonisation, including:
the Australian Universities Accord, and the Inquiry into the Perceptions and Status of VET, both identifying the need for tertiary harmonisation.
the establishment of the Australian Tertiary Education Commission.
the 2024–25 Federal Budget Tertiary Harmonisation budget measure, with the Australian Government committing $27.7 million, including $15.9 million specifically for VET, to improve tertiary collaboration in response to the recommendations of the Accord VET Reform, including the recent Qualification Reform Design Group Final.
