Our Universities: Backing Australia's Future - Varieties of Learning: the Interface between Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training

20 Notwithstanding their different missions, there are strong inter-relationships between the sectors. At the broadest level, the size of the higher education sector can impact on the size of the VET sector and its student profile. This section focuses on student movement between the sectors, credit transfer, areas of “common” service and areas of collaboration.

a. student movement between the sectors

21 Data limitations preclude development of a comprehensive picture of student movement between VET and higher education. However, some limited analysis is possible using higher education and VET data sets.

22 The Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) higher education statistics collection provides details of commencing students at bachelor level or below, by basis of admission to current course. In 2001, 15 300 commencing undergraduates out of a total of 220 000 (7 per cent) were admitted on the basis of their TAFE studies, complete or incomplete. This proportion has grown from 3.9 per cent in 1993 (Table 2).

Table 2: Students commencing bachelor degrees (or below) admitted on the basis of prior TAFE study in Australia, 1993 to 2001

23 Table 3 shows that 39 per cent of all TAFE graduates who completed a qualification in 2000 had enrolled in further studies by 30 May 2001, with 23 per cent of those students enrolled in a university course. Graduates with associate diploma, diploma and advanced diploma qualifications who enrolled in further study were far more likely than other TAFE graduates to attend university (National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Submission 314).

24 A survey of 1 100 international students finishing courses of study in Australia in 1999 showed that 41 per cent of the VET students surveyed planned to enrol in a higher education course at some time from 2000 to 2006 (Smith et al., 2002, unpublished data).

25 Estimates of the number of students with a university background enrolling in TAFE are not precise, as admission to most TAFE courses is not conditional on prior educational achievement and around 30 per cent of VET clients do not divulge this information. However, in 2001, 83 900 VET clients (4.8 per cent of the total) had a degree or postgraduate diploma as their highest prior qualification. This compares with 43 700 (3.4 per cent) in 1995 (Table 4).

Table 4: Clients in VET programmes with degree or postgraduate diploma as highest prior qualification, 1995-2001

Source: NCVER Australian Vocational Education and Training Statistics in Detail 1995–2001.

26 Golding and Vallence (1999) suggested that university to VET movement is more indicative of changes which have been occurring to individuals rather than to changed VET or university policy or provision:

27 University graduates in TAFE are more likely to enrol at ‘lower’ award levels, while students who did not complete university are more likely to enrol in higher-level VET awards, suggesting they may be using the VET award as a substitute for an incomplete university qualification (NBEET 1995).

b. credit transfer

28 Credit transfer involves recognition of prior study, by means of linking individual components of existing awards. It may be in the form of block credit (stages or years of a course), specified credit (modules in VET explicitly recognised as equivalent to units in higher education) or unspecified credit (in the form of course credit points or similar).

29 In July 1995, the Australian Vice-Chancellors' Committee (AVCC) established the Australian Credit Transfer Agency as an incorporated company with Commonwealth funding of $600 000, to provide advice to enquirers on the national recognition of prior credentialed learning or an assessment of prior learning. The Agency was also to provide policy advice on credit transfer and recognition of prior learning and the development (in collaboration with OZJAC, the Australian Courses and Careers Database operated by the Curriculum Corporation) of a national credit transfer database. It was discontinued at the end of 1996 because it was to operate on a cost recovery basis and lack of demand meant that it was not commercially viable.

30 There remains no national system of credit transfer between VET and the higher education sector. However, there are moves towards cross-sectoral credit and Recognition of Prior Learning agreements. The Australian Qualifications Framework National Policy Guidelines on Cross Sector Qualification Linkages include a guide to credit levels between diploma and bachelor qualifications in the same fields (AQFAB, 2002). The guidelines acknowledge that different outcomes may result from differing requirements of individual awards. AQFAB is to commission a research project in 2002 to survey current recognition of prior learning policy and practice within and across the sectors and to develop a set of common principles for recognition of prior learning to augment national cross-sectoral policy development.

31 The AVCC and ANTA have developed, with 35 participating universities, national credit transfer arrangements for holders of TAFE qualifications in thirteen broad fields of study. Information on these arrangements is available on a website which presents information on the universities that offer credit for TAFE studies and the fields of study in which they offer it <http://www.avcc.edu.au/content.asp?page=/policies_programs/teaching_learning/credit_transfer/scheme/index.htm>.

The website states that, subject to gaining admission to the relevant university’s undergraduate course and meeting a number of other requirements, students with a TAFE Diploma (formerly Associate Diploma) or a Certificate IV (Nursing only) may obtain a minimum of:

32 The AVCC has not formally monitored or evaluated these arrangements in terms of student awareness, extent of use or ease of passage through the system, and it may be that the process of obtaining credit under these arrangements is more streamlined in relation to VET providers that have close relationships with particular universities, whether through geographic proximity or other connection. Nonetheless, the ANTA/AVCC national scheme arguably represents a step forward in terms of standardisation of credit transfer and cooperation between the sectors.

33 Some States have developed this concept further. For example, the South Australian Department of Education, Training and Employment recently released a listing of credit transfer and articulation arrangements between South Australian TAFE (as a sector) and each of the South Australian universities, to facilitate movement of students in both directions (Department of Education, Training and Employment, 2002). In its submission to the Review, the University of South Australia notes that it has in place formal credit transfer arrangements with TAFE SA in all UniSA academic divisions, covering 80 programmes (Submission 109).

34 Most universities have policies on credit transfer which outline availability of credit or advanced standing to students for prior study providing they gain admission to a higher education course. Universities often have general policies on maximum credit, while the specifics of the credit transfer arrangements are dealt with at faculty or school level (Doughney, 2000). This is normally done on a case-by-case basis, with the student negotiating with the institution to determine the amount of credit to be granted.

35 Some universities have developed formal arrangements with particular VET institutions, whereby credit is standardised for students undertaking particular courses (ANTA/AVCC, 2000). Formal arrangements may be at the level of the faculty/school, which enters into an arrangement with their counterpart in the VET institution or institution to institution, where two institutions agree to facilitate student movement from one to the other, or at the system level.

36 Growth in the number of private providers of VET is leading to an expansion of credit transfer arrangements between this segment of the VET sector and the higher education sector. In addition, links are being established with commercial training providers operating outside of the formal VET sector. In its submission to the Review, the Queensland University of Technology notes that its Faculty of Information Technology has undertaken some work in crediting vendor certificates towards its award courses. For example, students who have completed the Microsoft certification course are eligible to receive credit. The University notes that:

credit transfer in practice

37 Data on the extent of recognition of prior study are available from both VET and higher education data sources. A submission to the Review from the NCVER noted that “over half (52 %) of the 9,500 respondents who, since completing their VET course, enrolled in advanced diplomas, undergraduate diplomas or bachelor degrees (or higher) with one of Australia's universities, applied and received some recognition of prior learning” (Submission 314, p.13) (Table 5).

Table 5: TAFE graduates enrolled in universities since completing VET course by level of university qualification being studied and recognition for prior learning, 2001

38 DEST higher education data show that in 2001, 5 181 students commencing bachelor degrees (or below) received some exemptions as a result of their TAFE studies. Over the period 1993 to 2001, growth in the number of students receiving exemptions (85 per cent) far exceeded growth in total commencing students (38 per cent). Growth in numbers receiving exemptions for TAFE studies was 98 per cent. (Table 6).

Table 6: Students commencing bachelor degrees (or below) by exemption status and means of exemption, 1993 to 2001

39 The level of exemptions tends to be small: over three quarters of those students who received an exemption as a result of prior TAFE studies received it for a third of their course or less (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Students commencing bachelor degrees (or below) who received exemptions as a result of prior TAFE studies in Australia by amount of exemption received, 2001

40 Evidence of the credit transfer experiences of students with a higher education background undertaking VET courses is limited. A survey of TAFE students with a university background in South Australia showed that 14 per cent of graduates had received credit for prior studies, but in most cases the prior study was irrelevant to the proposed study (NCVER in House of Representatives, 1998). Given that many students with a higher education background enrol in lower level courses, overlap with higher education and therefore credit transfer may be of less consideration. In addition, credit transfer is less likely to be relevant to students who enrol in VET modules to acquire particular vocational skills than to those aiming to obtain a qualification.

41 Recognition is likely to be more important to university non-completers. The limited data available confirm problems in credit transfer and recognition of prior learning for this group (House of Representatives, 1998). There appear to be few recognition arrangements for either group in place in the most popular university to VET pathways, and the nature of university to VET transition and increasing diversity of both sectors make it difficult to set up formal, recognised pathways. The different education and assessment arrangements in VET and university also present problems in assessing a student’s prior university studies for equivalence with VET just as it does for assessment of a VET student’s prior studies for equivalence with higher education. Such work is expensive and time consuming, and may not be warranted by the level of student demand (Golding and Vallence, 1999; ANTA/AVCC, 2000). If there is a perceived need to improve recognition arrangements for students with a higher education background in VET, the focus should be on the most popular pathways used by students (Golding and Vallence, 1999).

c. areas of “common” service

42 The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) was introduced in 1995 to bring all post-compulsory education and training qualifications into one national system of qualifications and to facilitate development of flexible pathways which assist people to move more easily between education and training sectors. It sets out guidelines for twelve qualification levels from senior secondary school certificate through to doctorate, and assigns a sector status to each qualification.

43 The AQF defines bachelor degree, graduate certificate, graduate diploma, masters degree and doctoral degree as higher education qualifications, and Certificate-level courses as VET qualifications. Diplomas and advanced diplomas are dual sector, which means courses may be offered by either sector and accredited through their respective accreditation processes. In higher education, self-accrediting higher education institutions determine the content of qualifications and accredit their own courses, predominantly, but not necessarily, to AQF requirements. Private providers establish courses and have them accredited by State accreditation authorities, generally according to AQF requirements. In VET, qualifications are established through nationally endorsed Training Packages accredited by State accreditation authorities and developed by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) and other bodies, according to AQF requirements.

44 The AQF does not prohibit providers from one sector from offering a qualification assigned to the other, provided they can meet accreditation and other requirements. Where a university wishes to issue VET qualifications it must register as an RTO under the Australian Quality Training Framework, and a number of universities have done so within their commercial arms (see section on ‘VET courses in higher education’). Similarly, a VET provider can apply for accreditation of a higher education course by State and Territory authorities, which have established processes for accreditation of higher education courses to be delivered by non university providers. In each case, the course must match the criteria and expected outcomes of the relevant sector.

45 The Victorian Government recently announced that it will allow Victorian TAFE institutes to offer degrees in niche areas such as viticulture, aquaculture, information technology and biotechnology, on a fee-for-service basis. This will not be supported by any loan or HECS–type arrangements.

dual sector qualifications - diploma-level courses in VET and higher education

46 In 2001, there were 202 400 students in VET courses at AQF diploma-level¹ and above (Table 7), 11.5 per cent of total VET students.

¹ Includes courses which lead to award of AQF diploma and the categories “diploma” and “associate diploma” under the old RATE system.

Source: NCVER (supplementary data provided to Review), DETYA (2001), DEST (2002).

(a) These are students in publicly-funded VET, not course enrolments. Students can be enrolled in more than one course. NCVER classification is for “diplomas and above” and covers diplomas and advanced diplomas. VET data over this time period are indicative due to re classification of qualification codes, and inclusion of non-TAFE providers from 1995.
(b) Includes advanced diplomas and diplomas.

47 Student numbers at diploma-level and above grew by 73 per cent between 1991 and 2001, slightly below growth in numbers in other VET courses (79 per cent - NCVER supplementary data provided to Review). Most of the growth at diploma-level and above took place in the early 1990s. Since 1995, growth has been relatively slow compared with other VET courses; numbers have increased by 14 per cent compared with 42 per cent for other VET courses (NCVER, Submission 314). The NCVER submission notes that, while numbers in diploma courses declined from 164 100 in 1995 to 152 300 in 2001, the number of students in AQF advanced diploma courses tripled, from 13 100 in 1995 to 47 700 in 2001 (Submission 314, p.2).

48 NCVER data paint a picture of students in courses at diploma-level and above which differs markedly from other VET students in a number of aspects. In 2001, 43 per cent of advanced diploma students and 37 per cent of diploma students were in their twenties, compared with 25 per cent for other VET students. Students who undertake courses at diploma level or above tend to come from higher socio-economic backgrounds, to be more likely to have completed Year 12 and to have some form of post-secondary education. There are proportionally fewer Indigenous students in diploma-level and above courses than in courses at lower AQF levels (NCVER, Submission 314).

49 In its submission to the Review, the NCVER notes that, on average, “students in AQF diploma and above courses undertook over 430 hours of training each, more than twice as many hours as other VET students (less than 190 hours)” (Submission 314, p.11).

50 The most popular fields of study for students undertaking AQF diploma-level and above qualifications in 2001 were

Courses in these four fields of study accounted for almost three-quarters of students (74 per cent) (NCVER, Submission 314, pp.11–12).

51 In higher education, enrolments in diploma-level courses have declined dramatically since the early 1990s, from 55 000 in 1991 to 9 500 in 2001. One possible reason may be that diploma courses in teaching and nursing have been replaced by bachelor-degree courses.

bachelor degrees in VET

52 In 2001 there were 960 VET students in AQF bachelor degrees (NCVER, Submission 314). While only universities and a small number of other institutions have the authority to self-accredit degrees, TAFE and other providers may offer degrees if State/Territory legislation permits and after undergoing the agreed higher education accreditation process. Some Australian TAFE institutes offer a limited number of degree programmes in the areas of forensic science, hotel management, fashion design, visual arts and the performing arts.

graduate certificates and diplomas in VET

53 In 2001, 1 040 VET students were enrolled in AQF graduate certificates and 390 in AQF graduate diplomas (NCVER, Submission 314). These qualifications are defined by the AQF as higher education awards.

VET courses in higher education

54 Universities have moved into VET in both the local and the international market, and offer certificate-level courses, diplomas, advanced diplomas and vocational degrees in traditional VET areas. A number of universities within their commercial arms have become Registered Training Organisations, for example, DeakinPrime, Insearch (UTS) and UNE Partnerships. As RTOs, some university commercial arms compete with TAFE and other VET providers for publicly provided VET funds, including traineeship funds (TAFE Directors Australia, Submission 322).

d. areas of collaboration – articulation/joint courses

55 There are many kinds of courses involving some degree of collaboration between TAFE and university. The articulation model generally involves a sequential pathway between qualifications in VET and higher education, allowing students to progress from one qualification to the next, and offering multiple entry and exit points. The model involves students undertaking the VET qualification(s) first and then moving on to complete the higher education levels to obtain the degree (ANTA/AVCC, 2000). Common designs are 2+2 years, 2+1 years and 1+2 years, where a VET qualification articulates into a bachelor degree.

56 Joint courses involve the participating institutions collaborating in development of a new course (Shoemaker et al., 2000). The components of the course are taught, assessed and accredited by the respective institutions, with credit transfer built in. Courses may be nested, with exit points along the way with a subsidiary qualification, or concurrent, where students are enrolled simultaneously in both institutions. Concurrent awards may be in complementary areas of study (such as hospitality and tourism) or in the same area of study, in which case students can complete two awards in less time than the total of the two separate awards. Students must satisfy the selection criteria for the degree component before they are granted access to the programme. These types of arrangements obviously require closer integration between participating institutions than credit transfer or articulation of a VET diploma into a university degree.

57 There is no national database on articulated or joint courses. Some examples of innovative course structures are set out below.

Examples of innovative VET–university course structures

Billy Blue School of Graphic Arts and Swinburne University of Technology

Students who graduate with Billy Blue’s two year Advanced Diploma of Graphic Art have the opportunity to enter the third year of the Bachelor of Design (Graphic Design) awarded by Swinburne University’s National School of Design. Requirements for articulation into the third year include completion of a Bridging Project designed to “help students make a successful transition from the skills based nature of the Advanced Diploma to the more academically based structure of the third year” and to “develop the research and presentation skills necessary for the third year”.

Source: advice from Swinburne University of Technology
<http://www.billyblue.com.au/graphics/new.html>

Joint award with multiple entry and exit points

The Bachelor of Health Sciences (Paramedic) offered by Victoria University is structured as follows:

Semester 1 Certificate IV in Health Science (Patient Transport Attendant)· Year 1 Diploma of Health Science (Emergency Care)
Year 2 Advanced Diploma of Health Science (Paramedic)
Year 3 Bachelor of Health Science – Paramedic.

Students can choose to complete the degree through full-time study, or exit with a qualification at the end of the first semester, first year or second year and commence their careers. Students who choose to exit early can complete their studies part-time.

Source: advice from Victoria University
Shoemaker et al., 2000, p.41

Bachelor of Housing (UWS), TAFE NSW and industry

The Bachelor of Housing is offered by the University of Western Sydney in collaboration with TAFE NSW-Western Sydney Institute and developed in consultation with the Housing Industry Association. Students study two years full-time in each institution and can gain a Certificate for Building Studies (Residential) and diplomas in building studies and quantity surveying from TAFE, and a Bachelor of Housing via flexible delivery from UWS, which recognises workplace and prior learning.

Source: advice from University of Western Sydney
TAFE Directors Australia, submission 322, p.11–12

Murdoch University and Central and Challenger TAFEs

A Bachelor of Technology (Environmental Technology) undergraduate course at Murdoch University is only available to students who have completed an approved articulation course from either Central TAFE or Challenger TAFE, with an overall grade average of 65 per cent or better. The bachelor degree takes 18 months to complete full-time after completion of the two year diploma at TAFE. There are similar examples in engineering, chemistry and biotechnology.

Source: advice from Murdoch University
<http://handbook.murdoch.edu.au>

Bachelor of Business (eCommerce) – Swinburne University

This course is a joint initiative of the TAFE division's School of Business and eCommerce and Lilydale Higher Education’s Centre for eBusiness and Communication. Students have two options—an Advanced Diploma or a three year Bachelor of Business (eCommerce).

Source: advice from Swinburne University of Technology

e. dual sector universities

58 Dual sector universities represent one model of institutional collaboration between the sectors. These institutions include a TAFE and a higher education division and co exist within one institution with one overarching university council to manage the overall affairs of the institution, with separate boards responsible for higher education and TAFE programmes. Their internal administrative, governance and academic arrangements vary. There are five dual-sector universities in Australia: the Northern Territory University and four in Victoria – RMIT University, Swinburne University of Technology, Victoria University and the University of Ballarat.

f. shared campuses

59 Several innovative models of shared campuses have developed, varying according to ownership and management of infrastructure and services; degree of integration of courses offered to students; and use of physical co-location and/or electronic networks to articulate courses and links to industry.

60 The recent Ministerial Statement in Victoria notes that three education precincts are being developed which bring together post-compulsory education and training providers (Kosky 2002, p.12).

61 Some shared campus models operate on a ‘stand-alone’ basis in regional areas; others form part of ‘networks’, typically with a metropolitan university for which they are regional outliers (Shoemaker et al., 2000). Three examples of the ‘stand alone’ model are described below.

Coffs Harbour (Southern Cross University), New South Wales

62 The Coffs Harbour Education Campus is a partnership between the Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour Senior College (NSW Department of School Education), North Coast Institute of Technology (NSW TAFE Commission) and with the strong support of the local Shire Council. Campus members share all but the most specialised facilities and services while each partner is responsible for their respective academic programmes. The model provides a range of integrated, flexible pathways and multiple qualification exit points from Higher School Certificate to Bachelor Degree. Students can study in more than one sector concurrently with articulated arrangements established across fields that include business, retail, IT, welfare and hospitality and tourism. These arrangements provide up to 50 per cent credit for the TAFE Diploma towards the relevant Bachelor Degree.

The campus is located 3 kilometres south of the City of Coffs Harbour. The first cohort of students commenced in 1995. In 2002, the campus enrolled over 400 senior college students, over 1600 TAFE students and over 800 university students. The Commonwealth has allocated over $17.4 million from the Capital Development Pool for the campus and for associated open learning access centres of the University through the North Coast region.

Source: advice from Southern Cross University
Shoemaker et al., 2000, p.21-22.
<http://www.scu.edu.au/>

Rockingham Regional Campus, Western Australia

Murdoch University and the South Metropolitan College of TAFE provide educational opportunities for the community through the integrated Rockingham Regional Campus. The campus is located 45 kilometres south of the Perth CBD within the Rockingham City Centre. Murdoch University’s campus, which opened in 1998, is co located with South Metropolitan TAFE, an already existing TAFE college, to which it is connected by a pedestrian pathway. Murdoch University and the TAFE are working in close partnership to provide a diverse range of qualifications, from Certificate-level to advanced research degrees across a wide range of subjects including engineering, business studies, community development and information technology. Credit transfer arrangements enable students to transfer between the two education providers.

Sectors govern their own operations. While a joint University, TAFE and Local Council Planning Committee initially oversaw development of the physical plant and infrastructure, the university subsequently assumed management of the integrated services under a joint funding arrangement. A joint library committee oversees the library function. The campus features a dedicated facility for engineering, a further building for Arts and Commerce and a modern library, named the Rockingham Regional Campus Community Library, to serve the needs of the University, TAFE and the local community. Links with the community have been encouraged in a number of ways in addition to the joint library: the use of surplus space to accommodate community services with the university services area, the provision of legal advice by Murdoch University law students and use of facilities by the local high schools. Between 1995 and 1998, the Commonwealth allocated over $21.6 million for the establishment of the campus.

Source: advice from Murdoch University
Shoemaker et al., 2000,
p.15–17<http://www.murdoch.edu.au/rocko/rocko.html>

Caboolture (Queensland University of Technology), Queensland

The Caboolture Community Campus is founded upon a partnership between the Queensland University of Technology, the North Point TAFE and the Caboolture Shire Council. The first students commenced their university studies in February 2002 in a Bachelor of Business Information Management course. TAFE students also commenced studies at the campus in Business, Information Management and Justice Studies. All students utilise library facilities provided by the Caboolture City Council which has been enhanced to include specialist collections to support the TAFE and Queensland University of Technology offerings. This is a new venture and so far the Commonwealth has allocated $2 million for the future development of the campus. The multi-partner campus lies at the centre of a combined strategy for regional development involving seven regional secondary schools and local business. The facility is located in the central Caboolture business district about 40 kilometres north of Brisbane and is to provide extensive education and training options for the growing population in this growth corridor, servicing Caboolture and the surrounding region.

Source: advice from Queensland University of Technology
Shoemaker et al., 2000, p.135-145
<http://wwwlib.qut.edu.au/info/about/branches/caboolture/home.htm>

g. other forms of collaboration

research

63 Collaboration between universities and VET on applied research is currently limited in scope and scale (Sommerlad et al., 1998), but can have significant advantages for both sectors. ANTA provides $3 million annually for VET sector research. This includes funding for two Key Research Centres in universities - the Centre for the Economics of Education and Training, a collaborative venture between Monash University and the Australian Council for Educational Research, and the Research Centre for Vocational Education and Training in the faculty of education at the University of Technology Sydney. ANTA also funds the Centre for Post Compulsory Education and Training, which is a research partnership between researchers from the University of Melbourne Educational Outcomes Research Unit and RMIT University.

64 An example of cooperative research is the Interactive Virtual Environment Centre. This involves the Central TAFE, the University of Western Australia, Curtin University of Technology and the CSIRO. The joint venture “aims to stimulate the uptake of high powered computing in Western Australia and conducts research and technology diffusion related to 3D visualisation, high powered computing and haptics (‘touch and feel’ related to computing).” (TAFE Directors Australia, Submission 322, p.12) The Centre for the Management of Arid Environments, a joint venture between Curtin University’s Vocational Training and Education Centre, other parts of Curtin University and the WA Agriculture Department, is another example.

training to underpin innovation

65 TAFE Directors Australia note the extent to which TAFE is working with stakeholders to meet skill needs associated with development of new products and processes (Submission 322). Their submission gives the example of the growth in demand for skilled technicians to support research and commercialisation of biotechnology. In South Australia, Torrens Valley TAFE is working with research organisations, universities, Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) and companies on a range of training programmes to meet the needs for technical staff in emerging biotechnology industries. To date, training programmes have been developed in Molecular Genetics and Recombinant DNA Technology. Torrens Valley TAFE Diploma in Laboratory Operation graduates can also articulate into the University of South Australia degree in Biomedical Science.

66 Another example is TAFE NSW working in partnership with the Australian Photonics CRC to support the development of new technologies and applications of photonics. A range of training and education programmes has been developed, ranging from “intensive awareness programmes for researchers and engineers and enterprises to registered diploma and advanced diploma engineering programs in photonics.” (TAFE Directors Australia, Submission 322, p.16)
infrastructure sharing in regional areas

67 There are clearly benefits to all partners in sharing facilities and equipment, particularly in regional areas where student demand cannot support separate infrastructure. While shared campuses lend themselves particularly to infrastructure sharing, there are a number of other forms of co location and cooperation involving some degree of infrastructure sharing. Some institutions may derive benefits from adjoining campuses, with each party remaining autonomous. One institution may lease the facilities of another in order to operate as a single site. For example, Murdoch University is co-locating its Marine Science Department in the South Metro TAFE Marine Science facilities in the Fremantle Docks. Other institutions jointly fund capital development of facilities, for example, the child care centre shared by the Adelaide Institute of TAFE and the University of South Australia (Sommerlad et al., 1998).

68 TAFE and higher education also collaborate to meet the infrastructure needs of regional communities. For example, TAFE NSW - New England Institute has worked with the University of New England (UNE) to put in UNE Access centres in nine communities across the New England and North West of New South Wales. Each centre will include technology links to UNE via the Internet, and around the clock access is envisaged. (TAFE Directors Australia, Submission 322).

69 These types of arrangements are becoming more prevalent in a number of regional areas in Australia.

Higher Education Review Process

Varieties of Learning: the Interface between Higher Education and Vocational Education and Training

3. description of the interface