REFORMS FOR THE FUTURE EDUCATION AND TRAINING

REFORMS FOR THE FUTURE EDUCATION AND TRAINING JAN 2014

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Foreword Many of us regard our years at school as the most important of our lives. The world around us is rapidly changing, and we should realize that if we want to advance in the field of education, we will have to move with the world, embracing change. Therefore, it’s important that we pull ourselves together to embrace this change and work with industry and the community to ensure that our coming generations benefit from a rewarding education that will set the course of a prosperous future.

Our vision is to create an enabling environment for students where they can study regardless of their economic or social circumstances. We believe that education and training are at the heart of our vision and that means providing the very best learning opportunities possible for everyone in the world. Thousands of students have taken part in consultations about proposed reforms to our education and training system and we are indebted to those who participated for their valuable contributions.

In today’s modern world, a highly educated and skilled population has become a defining characteristic with high living standards. To compete in this day and age, young students need exciting and flexible pathways, while they must be trained and taught about the world as it is now and prepare them to face the challenges of the future. We are committed to providing these opportunities through a pioneering and vibrant education and training system, providing students with a strong foundation that ensures their success. Nevertheless, to make it happen we must continue to improve the system in response to the changes that are reshaping our world and our communities. National and international research reveals that completing Year 12 or its equivalent affords young people greater opportunities to advance their education and get more jobs. To compete—and survive—in today’s fiercely competitive world, one has to have high-level qualifications and sufficient experience. Long gone are the days when one world spend one’s life on only one job without any work pressure or challenges.

Today, more than 10, 000 students aged 15 to 17 years are not in school, nor do they get any work-related training. This is simply not good enough and we have to work even harder to ensure students enroll in schools and get proper trainings that prepare them for the challenges of today’s contemporary world.

The future of every young student today hinges largely on their ability to attain high-level qualifications and to continue to learn throughout their lives. Therefore, we are doing all we can to ensure all young people complete Year 10, then go on to achieve at least a Senior Certificate or a Certificate III vocational qualification. In this context, we are committed to supporting young students and helping them to achieve this key objective.

And we are showing this commitment by reforming the education and training system to ensure that young students improve their prospects and excel in today’s challenging world.

Table of Contents 1

Executive summary

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All young people in education and training

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The Government’s commitment

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Improving the early and middle phases of schooling

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Ensuring Year 10 completion and transition to a Senior Phase of Learning

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Reshaping senior

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Providing more options and flexibility for young people

Executive Summary Young students cannot get rewarding jobs or earn decent incomes if they do not obtain quality education or improve their skills.

We are committed to raising students’ awareness in attaining a high-quality education by providing them one of the most flexible education and training systems to ensure that our young people are well-prepared to lead the world. Unfortunately, more than 10,000 young students aged 15 to 17 years in Australia are not enrolled in schools, nor do they have any substantial work. The future of most of these people is lackluster if better ways are not found to help them re-engage in learning so they gain the skills and qualifications needed to survive and excel in today’s society. In 2000, the Australian Government set a target to raise completion rates in schools from 68 per cent to 88 per cent by the year 2010—and already we have achieved 73 percent. For many of these students, the pathway through school and into university or further studies will not change. In March 2002 the Government introduced a landmark package of proposed education and training reforms in which we recommended that all young people should be ‘learning or earning’.

The reforms contained in this White Paper follow an all-inclusive process of consultation with parents, young people, employers, schools, TAFE and community leaders. During the consultation, two reports commissioned by the Government were completed. The Pitman report — The Senior Certificate: A New Deal, and the Gardner report — The Review of Pathways Articulation provided valuable guidance in developing this paper. This package of reforms also covers our commitment to stepping forward: improving pathways for all young people, a declaration signed in mid 2002 by education, employment, training, youth affairs and community services ministers from around the country.

This White Paper shows the Government’s commitment to providing the very best education possible for every young student and suggests the actions to achieve this. In this regard, we are developing a strong partnership between parents, students, state schools, non-state schools, TAFE, training providers, the Queensland Studies Authority, community organizations, universities, and employers to trial and implement the package of reforms outlined in this paper. The Queensland Government recognizes that a range of different options is required to cater for the diverse needs of our young people. Since more than a quarter of our young people do not complete school, we are tailoring our solutions to give them a range of options to help them attain the qualifications or skill set they need to grow and excel in today’s competitive world. In addition, we also encourage those who leave their studies in favor of full-time jobs to return by recognizing an extensive range of past learning achievements. In this document the term ‘young people’ refers to those aged 15, 16 and 17 years.

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Executive Summary

All Young People in Education and Training To our satisfaction, our world-class education and training system meets—and even exceeds—the expectations of the vast majority of young students, helping to change our country for the good. To achieve this we will change the compulsory school leaving requirements, and we will change the law to require young people to participate in education and training after Year 10. The Government wants all young people to complete Year 10 and then go on to gain at least a Senior Certificate or a Certificate III — a competencybased vocational qualification issued through TAFE institutes or registered training providers We will provide them greater flexibility to achieve qualifications beyond Year 10. This could be in school, in TAFE or through other forms of training. We will introduce new laws that:  Make it compulsory for young people to stay at school until they finish Year 10 or have turned 16, whichever comes first.  Require young people to then participate in education and training for: – A further two years; or – Until they have gained a Senior Certificate; or – Until they have gained a Certificate III vocational qualification; or – Until they have turned 17  Provide exemptions for young people who enter full-time work after they have either completed Year 10 or turned 16. These changes will take effect for students who enter Year 10 in 2006. The penalties for breaking the law will remain the same as they are now.

If you are in Year 6 in 2002, what do the changes mean for you?  You will have to stay at school until you finish Year 10 or turn 16.  In Year 10, you and your parents will work out your future education and training plan with your school.

This is called a Senior Education and Training Plan.  When you have finished Year 10 or turned 16, you will have to participate in education and training for a further two years, or until you gain a Senior Certificate or a Certificate III vocational qualification, or until you turn 17. Your education and training could be at school, in TAFE, or in an apprenticeship or traineeship, or a combination of these.

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Reforms for the Future Education and Training

 If you get a full-time job after you have completed Year 10 or turned 16, you won’t have to participate in education and training, but you can come back to it later.

This reform is about engaging young people in learning. It is not about forcing reluctant or disruptive students to remain in classrooms or lowering the standards of behavior we expect from young people. Processes for dealing with disruptive behavior, such as suspension and exclusion, will continue. Extra career guidance and personal support, and more flexible learning options will be provided for these young people to continue their learning in different environments.

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Reforms for the Future Education and Training

The Government’s Commitment We will buttress these requirements with new learning opportunities, assistance and support for all young students.

The Government’s education and training commitment means:  Better preparation for children before they enter school so they can achieve more in their early years.  A new approach to the middle years of schooling to focus on students’ learning needs and to provide a solid foundation for the senior years.  Flexible opportunities for 15-, 16- and 17-year-olds to achieve a Senior Certificate or vocational education qualifications.  A focus on strengthening overall standards of achievement and attainment.  Fostering a Community Commitment to young people.

Improving the Early and Middle Phases of Schooling The Early Years Our commitment starts with better preparation for children before they enter school so they can achieve more in these early years and set the foundations for their success in school. Planning is already well under way for 59 trials of a preparatory year in schools across the state, starting from 2003. Parents will decide if their children take part. If the trials are successful, the Queensland Government will consider introducing a preparatory year that would be available at schools to every child and would replace existing preschool education.

The Middle Years of Schooling The Government will strengthen the middle years of schooling by focusing on students’ learning needs. We want to inspire them to keep learning and to provide a smooth transition to the senior years. To further support students and their teachers, the Ministerial Advisory Committee for Educational Renewal will provide Advice to the Minister for Education by June 2003 on a range of matters including:  The curriculum implications, teaching methods, and policy considerations associated with adopting a

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Reforms for the Future Education and Training

Middle Phase of Schooling.  Innovative ways to improve student achievements in the middle years  Providing continuous support to students through different stages of learning  Specific strategies for students at risk of leaving school early  Strengthening links between primary and secondary schools.

The Government will also:  Introduce a new target for Queensland students to achieve national Year 7 literacy and numeracy benchmarks by 2005  Work with stakeholders through the Queensland Studies Authority to explore the feasibility of introducing a Year 9 literacy and numeracy test.

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Reforms for the Future Education and Training

Ensuring Year 10 Completion and Transition to a Senior Phase of Learning Building on our new legislation that will require young people to stay at school until they finish Year 10, or until they have turned 16, we will ensure Year 10 is a year of quality learning by:  Building Year 10 as a transition to the Senior Phase of Learning  Requiring schools to develop individual student plans for the Senior Phase of Learning — Senior Education and Training Plans — with young people and their parents or guardians. These plans will be developed and agreed to during Year 10  Requiring schools to register young people with the Queensland Studies Authority during Year 10 so their progress can be monitored and achievements recorded in the Senior Phase of Learning.

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Reforms for the Future Education and Training

Reshaping Senior The Government also wants young people to have exciting and relevant opportunities in the Senior Phase of Learning so they enter the world with knowledge, skills and confidence. While the pathway through schooling will continue to be the main track to university or further study for most students, we want to ensure that the 27 per cent of students who currently do not finish Year 12 have the best possible chances to succeed. The valuable learning gained through work can be counted toward vocational education qualifications and may be considered for recognition on the Senior Certificate. The Senior Certificate will change so it becomes an even more valuable document for young people and employers. That means young people will have to achieve an agreed amount of learning, including literacy and numeracy, to receive a Senior Certificate.

To achieve this we will:  Establish the quantity and quality of learning that students must achieve to receive a Senior Certificate. This will take effect from 2006  Record a broader range of learning, including learning in both school and vocational education and training, that will count towards a Senior Certificate, from 2006  Design a system so that students’ achievements can be ‘banked’ with the Queensland Studies Authority  Provide students and their parents or guardians with easy access to information about their achievements and progress toward a Senior Certificate.

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Reforms for the Future Education and Training

Providing More Options and Flexibility to Young People We have decided to introduce a wide range of measures to provide young people more options and more flexibility to help them acquire a higher education and better their career prospects. In this context, we will enhance options and flexibility in schools, TAFE institutes, and other setting to meet the needs of students from the ages of 15 to 17 years, by evaluating the current courses and offering a broad range of tailored courses. We will also work with communities to develop localised services and greater access to education and training for young people in rural, remote and indigenous communities. In addition, we will enhance distance, online, and virtual education provision and ensure that more young people who acquire vocational education and training in schools earn qualifications that are highly sought-after by industry. We also aim to provide more school-based apprenticeships and traineeships, as well as improving the recognition of learning and qualifications between the education and training sectors. What’s more, we will give young people reasonable, affordable access to vocational education and training in schools and TAFE, and provide an employment program particularly designed for young people at risk of disengaging from learning.

Although we want all young people to acquire a quality formal education, we also expect them to improve their work profile and their career prospects. For we believe that a good quality education paves the way for rewarding, fulfilling jobs which are important for their growth and survival. They will, nevertheless, be encouraged to return to education and training at a later stage. While a brief time-out from learning is OK, dropping out from learning is not.

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