What now? What next? Insights into Australia's tertiary education sector

In this episode Claire discusses the Productivity Commission's Interim Report on the National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development. She outlines where it fits with the other recent reviews of the VET sector, as well as discussing the report's findings and the interim recommendations and options it proposes for future VET funding. This report is a key part of the government&apos...

Belinda Robinson, Vice-President University Relations and Strategy at the University of Canberra, joins Claire on this episode of the podcast to discuss her time as Interim Vice Chancellor of the university. Belinda took the reins as the university, its staff and students were emerging from the drought, summer bushfires and a very destructive hailstorm - then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.  Belinda sh...

Claire is joined in this episode by Alex Chevrolle, Managing Director of Study Group Australia and New Zealand. During the show Alex mentions the EdTech platform insendi ( https://insendi.com ) which is part of Study Group's global operations and has assisted them and their university partners in moving rapidly online and keeping students engaged. ---------------------------------------- The...

On this episode of the podcast Claire is joined by Renata Aldana an international student living in Sydney. Renata describes why she chose Australia for her studies, what it's like being far away from her family during the COVID-19 pandemic and what it's meant to lose her job as businesses have been forced to close. If you're interested in finding out about Renata's photographi...

Claire is joined on this episode of the podcast by Katrina Higham, the Head of Training and Education at the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association. Katrina shares her insights and experience in shifting to online learning even when your courses must contain face-to-face practical components. She also offers details of the new microcredentials RCA is developing to help the hospitality sector...

Peter Giutronich is a leadership facilitator and mentor to organisations and CEOs across the education, banking and the mining sectors. In this episode of the podcast he shares practical suggestions for managing your team through the COVID-19 crisis and emerging with hope out the other side. Peter's also got some helpful insights and case studies for keeping connected during this period of is...

The Australian CEO of OpenLearning, Cherie Diaz, joins Claire on the podcast to share her experiences as a former educator and education administrator in taking face-to-face delivery models online. She also shares details of the new platform for micro-credentials (OpenCreds) developed by the team at OpenLearning. If you're interested in the OpenCreds framework you can find details at: https:/...

Maria Spies returns to the podcast to share her insights from her recent presentation to the  Reinventing VET for the Digital Age conference. Looking beyond the VET sector to how the coronavirus is impacting education and training across the globe, and the global outlook for education, you won't want to miss Maria's data driven insights. To access a copy of the slides which accompany her...

Firstly an apology - the audio quality in this episode is a little bit scratchy towards the beginning of the interview with Janelle BUT fortunately not from Janelle's end - so she's crystal clear! In this interview Claire discusses the international education sector with Janelle Chapman, Executive Director, TAFE Queensland International. Janelle is currently the Deputy Chair of the Inter...

Dr Don Zoellner, University Fellow at Charles Darwin University, discusses why we should be looking at the role of TAFE and the broader VET sector through the theories of 'delivering public value' and 'institutional logics'. That might sound like a dry topic for a podcast but let me assure it wasn't at all that kind of conversation. With a range of policymakers now identif...

Claire is joined on this episode by Emma Pollard from the Taronga Conservation Society (which operates both Taronga and Western Plains zoos and has its own enterprise RTO), Paul Saunders an expert on Training Packages to discuss the Sustainability Training Package, and Ailsa Lamont an expert in the international education sector who now runs her own business (Pomegranate Global) and is a co-founde...

Joining Claire on this episode of the podcast, industry specialist, Leon Drury from Manufacturing Skills Australia shares his insights into what's working and what's not when it comes to the VET sector meeting the needs of industry. --------------------------------- The What now? What next? podcast recognises Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as Australia's traditional cu...

Claire is joined by Celia Yeo, Senior International Development Advisor at Melbourne Polytechnic  https://www.melbournepolytechnic.edu.au Celia has a wealth of experience in international education and offers her insights into what's working and what the challenges are for Australian providers wanting to operate in the ASEAN region. She also shares examples of what's working including th...

In this week's episode, Claire is joined by Luke Sheehy from the Australian Technology Network and Conor King from the Innovative Research Universities to discuss the Australian higher education landscape. Thanks to the sponsors of the show: CareerFAQs ( https://www.careerfaqs.com.au ) Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky.social  Ch...

In this episode Claire reflects on what she learned from the recent ASEAN-Australian Education Dialogue and site visits to two Malaysian VET providers. You can find out more about the ASEAN-Australian Education Dialogue (AAED) at:  https://www.aseanaustraliadialogue.com The AAED digital panelists included representatives from: OpenLearning: https://www.openlearning.com Burst Learning:  https://www...

In this episode Claire speaks with two more VET experts on the simple changes ASQA could make to improve its regulatory approach. The conversation was recorded just before ASQA released its consultation paper on its new fee structure in a full-cost recovery environment. Judith Bowler heads up RTO Advance ( http://rtoadvance.com.au ) and Kerri Buttery leads VETNexus ( https://vetnexus.com.au ) If y...

In this episode Claire provides an update on where things are at in terms of the implementation of the recommendations of the Joyce Review. She also looks at the details of the Commonwealth government's recently announced 12-18 month review of ASQA https://ministers.employment.gov.au/cash/national-vocational-education-regulator-focus-training-excellence and examines the Victorian government&a...

In this episode Claire sits down with three leaders in the global EdTech sector - co-founder of HolonIQ, Maria Spies; President and COO of Human eSources, Ross Dickie; and founder of Learnspace and Edtech Tours, Svenia Busson. They discuss the impact EdTech is having on traditional models of education. Note in the podcast episode Claire introduces Ross as the founder of Human eSources - he is in f...

In this episode Claire shares her reflections on a week-long intensive program in the Indian EdTech sector. She's joined by Shaun (Seok Hoon) Noh a participant on the same program - who works at UK EdTech firm BoClips. In next week's episode you'll hear from other program participants working in the EdTech sector in Europe and North America, as well as from one of the co-founders of...

Former VET regulator, Simon Hitchick, and former Victorian public servant Maria Langwell join Claire to discuss the regulatory challenges facing the VET sector and what can be done to fix them. During the conversation there's a discussion about the recent Communique from Skills Ministers calling for changes to ASQA's regulatory approach. The statement is available at:  https://docs-jobs....

In this episode Claire is joined by Nicole Brigg, Pro-Vice Chancellor International, Macquarie University who shares her views on both the current issues shaping the international education sector as well as its future direction. Thank you to the sponsors of the show CareerFAQs (www.careerfaqs.com.au) Contact Claire: Connect with me on LinkedIn: Claire Field Follow me on Bluesky: @clairefield.bsky...

In this episode leading commentator Andrew Norton shares his views on what's currently happening in the tertiary education sector, as well as what should happen. He discusses what current reforms might mean for both students and providers, as well as the challenges for governments in getting funding settings right. Some of the reports mentioned in this episode include: Risks and rewards - whe...

This episode features a conversation with John Briggs - a consultant offering workshops, training, facilitation and providing specialist guidance around Indigenous engagement and inclusion. Find out more at: http://www.johnbriggs.net.au Also mentioned in this episode is a new book by Professor Marcia Langton: "Welcome To Country: An Introduction to Our First Peoples for Young Australians&quot...

In this episode Claire is joined by Rebecca Hall the head of International Education at Austrade to continue the discussion on international education. Rebecca outlines what the Austrade team sees happening both in Australia and the impact Australian institutions are having overseas (including in ed-tech). During the episode Rebecca mentions a number of activities Austrade is leading on behalf of...

In the first of a three-part discussion on international education - Kadi Taylor from Navitas discusses the trends she's seeing in the sector in terms of both current and future student enrolments, as well as some of the changes Navitas thinks would make the sector stronger. The Laurie Pearcey Opinion Piece mentioned in this episode is at: http://www.smh.com.au/national/asian-students-are-a-g...