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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-07-14 Daily Xml
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TAFE SA

Ms FOX (Bright) (14:38): My question is to the Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education. What is the government doing to improve customer service to clients of the TAFE system as part of the South Australian skills strategy?

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Road Safety, Minister for Science and Information Economy) (14:38): TAFE SA is South Australia's largest training provider and meets the needs of nearly 80,000 students a year, an increasing number of whom are international students. This large take-up is due in significant part to TAFE SA's excellent reputation for quality, particularly as it relates to international students. A recent student outcome survey shows a 92 per cent satisfaction rating by students. This compares with an 81 per cent national average. So, South Australia's TAFE is out there in front of all comparable VET training providers around the nation in earning the plaudits of its students.

The state government is committed to ensuring that TAFE SA actually works and maintains its focus on high-quality training, superior customer service and is able to continue to develop an integrated focus on e-learning and ICT systems to meet the skill needs of the future. I think this is particularly pertinent to regional SA where the smart thing to do in the future is to get courses that are only currently available in the metropolitan area out to regional TAFE centres through ICT.

That is why I am very pleased to be able to advise the house today of the introduction of a new $20.4 million Student Information System for TAFE SA to be rolled out over the next three years. This new Student Information System will provide modern and flexible web-based self-service, services to embrace 21st century technologies expected by students and employers from a training provider like TAFE SA. This is particularly applicable to international students and, I think, students in our regional centres. An extensive procurement process has recently been completed with the contract awarded to SunGard Higher Education, a leading international provider of software for further and higher education. This company has an extensive portfolio, delivering to over 1,600 institutions worldwide.

The new Student Information System will benefit current and prospective TAFE students. For the first time, students will be able to access online enrolment and web-based services, ensuring that TAFE SA is more accessible to the entire community. This will improve student access to all aspects of their learning progress and will particularly benefit those who are disadvantaged, including people with disabilities and students from regional and remote areas.

Our three major universities have embraced this particular form of ICT and it has made their courses and processes a lot more accessible to their students. It will mean that students will no longer need to physically attend a campus to enrol for courses, pay fees and access information. If you are in Whyalla, Port Pirie, Mount Gambier or wherever, the ability to do this is going to be of great benefit.

The Student Information System will also be a comprehensive database which is critical to TAFE SA's course management. The system will manage detailed information from an initial inquiry through to payment of fees, allocation to classes, and progression to course completion and the establishment of alumni. It will better enable TAFE SA to grow and change because it will be supported by a modern and flexible Student Information System which will be kept up to date with changes in technology. This will also allow TAFE to comply with changing legislative requirements at both state and federal level.

The purchase of the Student Information System is further evidence of this government's commitment to strengthening TAFE SA's customer service focus to support the delivery of skills for the South Australian economy.

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