TAFE SA/University Collaboration

The Hon. T.T. NGO (15:17): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills a question about collaboration between TAFE SA and universities.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.T. NGO: As many members would be aware, there are enormous benefits for students when combining vocational training with university degrees. Not only do they achieve their degree faster but they also have practical vocational skills that give them a comparative edge in the workplace. My question is: can the minister tell the house about how TAFE SA and universities are working together collaboratively in providing benefits to students?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (15:18): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. TAFE SA and our three public universities have been working together to provide flexible study options for students, combining the specialist infrastructure and industry expertise within TAFE SA and the academic and professional experience of the universities.

TAFE SA and the universities work together in two main ways. The first is through dual offers. Dual offers allow students to secure a place at TAFE and university but study the TAFE qualification first and then, if they successfully complete that TAFE qualification, students are guaranteed an entry into university. The key benefit of the dual offer is that it lowers the overall cost of a university degree as TAFE fees are generally lower than university fees.

In the 2014 academic year I am advised that around 345 dual offers were made. Dual offers are of particular benefit to students who perhaps did not achieve a high enough ATAR score for the university course that they may have preferred. They can instead then study a related TAFE course and then transfer to university later into the course that they may have originally wanted to enter. These arrangements also benefit regional students. The ability to begin the dual offer at their own local regional TAFE campus helps lower the cost of living expenses from studying away from home.

The second way in which TAFE and universities often work together is through partnership degrees. These partnership degrees allow students to study both a TAFE qualification and a university degree at the same time. Recently I had the pleasure of launching three new partnership degree courses in dance, visual arts and fashion for 2015. The Bachelor of Creative Arts degree is the product of a brilliant new partnership between TAFE SA's Adelaide College of the Arts and Flinders. This is a very smart way of synthesising the experience and reputation of both institutions, combining Flinders University's academic strength with Adelaide College of the Arts' high quality studio-based practical teaching in Light Square.

Another very exciting new partnership that I launched last week is the entrepreneurship for food and wine program, which is a collaboration between TAFE SA and the University of Adelaide. Together they have developed an exclusive education product that helps blend artisan food industry specialisation electives with core business, strategy and marketing subjects, giving graduates the skills to create artisan food and wine products, and the business skills to take their products to local and overseas markets.

It was wonderful to see at the launch of this partnership the level of industry involvement and commitment right across the agribusiness sector. It was wonderful to see both the peak representative organisations as well as individual very successful artisan businesspeople—people like Kris Lloyd, for instance. It was great to see the industry come out in support of this program. The catering was done by the Regency TAFE students as well. Not only did they focus on utilising local food and wine products but they also made all the food themselves. They handed out the food with a high degree of professionalism and I congratulate them for the wonderful evening and the wonderful service that they provided.

Another area of collaboration between TAFE and the universities is where universities outsource short training courses and also practical workshops to TAFE to help underpin a university degree. For example, where students may not have the level of mathematics needed to study engineering, they may undertake a bridging course through TAFE SA, at no extra cost, as part of their university degree.

TAFE SA has been nominated by both the University of South Australia and the University of Adelaide as a streamlined visa processing business partner, enabling packaged TAFE SA and university programs to be offered to international students. This arrangement will make TAFE SA very much an appealing choice for international students and overseas recruitment agents, as student applicants can have a guaranteed entry through TAFE SA into university through a vocational or English language package pathway.