Industry-Innovation-and-Competitiveness-Agenda

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In Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda TPO00007 A more competitive higher education sector The Government is also committed to improving the higher education sector through deregulation and better targeted funding arrangements. This will ensure that the system efficiently delivers education and training that properly prepares Australians, particularly young Australians, for the workforce and encourages them to upgrade their skills throughout their working lives. Australia’s university system is highly regarded, but its flexibility to respond to student and industry needs, and its capacity to focus on core functions rather than red tape, can be improved. We rank well on teaching, research and citations, which contributes to seven of Australia’s universities being rated in the world’s top 100 universities in the latest QS ranking (2014), and 14 of our universities in the top 100 under 50-years old, in the latest Times Higher Education results (2014). However, the Review of the Demand Driven Funding System (2014) suggested universities need greater control over their capacity to raise resources and respond to student needs, to improve their competitiveness and enable the delivery of higher quality teaching. Also, stakeholders raised concerns in the Review of Higher Education Regulation regarding the burden of reporting requirements (PhillipsKPA, 2013). Co In the 2014-15 Budget, the Government announced the expansion of the demand driven system to all accredited bachelor and sub-bachelor courses at all approved higher education institutions, as well as the removal of fee caps from 2016. The continuation of the Higher Education Loan Programme means no student will have to pay up front for their university study. The Government has also accepted all of the recommendations of the Review of Higher Education Regulation, and is committed to reducing red tape in the sector by reducing duplication and simplifying reporting requirements. Capitalising on international education opportunities Monash University has over 64,000 students – 21,000 of them international – with offshore campuses in Malaysia and South Africa, and international centres and partnerships in China, India, Italy and the UK. Over the past four years Monash’s student enrolments at its Malaysia and South Africa campuses increased by 33 per cent. Monash has also diversified its student source markets by broadening its focus to new growth markets of Africa, Central Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, the United Kingdom and USA. The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency is also committed to improving the timeliness of its regulatory activities and to deregulation of the sector. Deregulating the sector will enable it to compete, innovate and improve the quality of research and teaching, with the goal of a world-class higher education system that meets the needs of Australian and international students. 48 Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda
Vocational education and training that prepares Australians for work The VET system is generally well regarded. Government support for VET training is extensive. It comprises $6.2 billion per year in subsidy systems managed by the States, and a further $1.4 billion per year in Commonwealth funding to support participation in apprenticeships and for other programmes targeting industry, youth and foundation skills. The system has several strengths including nationally recognised qualifications, industry-directed content, and training delivery through a mixture of public and private providers. However, concerns have been raised about the VET system’s ability to deliver the skills demanded by the Australian economy. A survey of employers by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (2013b) indicated that satisfaction in the ability of the system to deliver job ready employees declined 6 percentage points, to 78 per cent, between 2011 and 2013. The Productivity Commission (2014b) has also indicated that improving the quality, flexibility and accessibility of training is needed to support the increasing geographic and occupational labour mobility required in the modern labour market. With only around 50 per cent of apprentices completing their training, and particularly poor completion and employment outcomes for lower level qualifications, the system also needs to pay more attention to the needs of trainees and employers alike (NCVER, 2013a). The Government is working with State governments and industry to improve the VET sector to ensure that subsidies provided through training providers are flexible, address the needs of employers and lift completion rates. The COAG Industry and Skills Council has agreed on objectives for reform of the VET system, including effective governance, efficient government funding and a flexible system that meets industry needs. The Government has established a taskforce to work with key stakeholders, including State governments, registered training organisations, industry groups and employers, to develop a reform plan that creates a more agile and industry-focused VET system by: • enhancing the capacity of the system to deliver high-quality outcomes for students; • ensuring a stronger role for industry at all levels of the system; • increasing the responsiveness of regulation; and • increasing flexibility for training providers to meet employer needs. Industry Innovation and Competitiveness Agenda In Co As an initial step, the 2014-15 Budget provided $476 million to establish the Industry Skills Fund to support the training needs of small to medium enterprises not readily met by the national training system. The Fund will commence on 1 January 2015 and will deliver 200,000 targeted training places and training support services over four years. It will prioritise assistance to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) TPO00007 The Reform Agenda: Ambition 2 49
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Industry Innovation and Competitive
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Industry Innovation and Competitive
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Foreword Strengthening Australia’
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The Government’s economic vision
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Box 1: Key Initiatives • Encourag
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Ambition 1: A lower cost, business
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y improving regulatory certainty, t
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Ambition 2: A MORE SKILLED LABOUR F
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ecommendations of an Independent In
Page 19 and 20: Ambition 3: BETTER ECONOMIC INFRAST
Page 21 and 22: Ambition 4: INDUSTRY POLICY THAT FO
Page 23 and 24: Part A THE CASE FOR REFORM
Page 25 and 26: Chart 1: The growth of emerging Asi
Page 27 and 28: The changing global economic landsc
Page 29 and 30: Chart 5: Overseas investment 2,500
Page 31 and 32: United States, Japan and the United
Page 33 and 34: Box A1: Industries with promise 1.
Page 35 and 36: 6. Innovative pharmaceuticals, biot
Page 37 and 38: Many of our competitors have recogn
Page 39 and 40: • Better management practices - w
Page 41 and 42: including on Energy, Taxation, Agri
Page 43 and 44: Part B THE REFORM AGENDA
Page 45 and 46: competition with private businesses
Page 47 and 48: More generally, while there is a ca
Page 49 and 50: Ambition 1: A lower cost, business
Page 51 and 52: The Government’s Deregulation Age
Page 53 and 54: Further Proposals Proposal 1: Accep
Page 55 and 56: whether coverage by a single nation
Page 57 and 58: The Government is committed to a be
Page 59 and 60: Improving access to high-quality, l
Page 61 and 62: services and technology. These alig
Page 63 and 64: The Government considers that Austr
Page 65 and 66: The Government is focused on promot
Page 67 and 68: Ambition 2: A more skilled labour f
Page 69: A number of the other themes raised
Page 73 and 74: Further proposals Proposal 9: Incre
Page 75 and 76: • managing the administration of
Page 77 and 78: The Government will continue to ens
Page 79 and 80: • introduce a Premium Investor vi
Page 81 and 82: a right to access workplaces includ
Page 83 and 84: Ambition 3: BETTER ECONOMIC INFRAST
Page 85 and 86: Increasing public investment in eco
Page 87 and 88: Alongside this work, the Government
Page 89 and 90: To leverage private investment, the
Page 91 and 92: Austrade provide reliable informati
Page 93 and 94: and senior Cabinet Ministers to pri
Page 95 and 96: • taking practical steps with gov
Page 97 and 98: However, we face challenges in turn
Page 99 and 100: Employee Share Schemes (ESS) are us
Page 101 and 102: Example: Making it easier for emplo
Page 103 and 104: Proposal 16: Crowd-sourced equity f
Page 105 and 106: PART C: IMPLEMENTING OUR ECONOMIC A
Page 107 and 108: Many of the drivers of competitiven
Page 109 and 110: Table 3: Consultation pathways Refo
Page 111 and 112: Reform Consultation pathway Project
Page 113 and 114: Abbreviations AND References
Page 115 and 116: INSEAD KPMG LNG PAYG NCC NCVER NICN
Page 117 and 118: ABS. (2014j). Labour Force, Detaile
Page 119 and 120: Business Council of Australia. (201
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Department of Infrastructure and Re
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Lignier, P., Evans, C., & Tran-Nam,
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Prime, P. B. (2012). Utilizing FDI
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United Nations Food and Agriculture
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© Commonwealth of Australia 2014 9
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Co In Industry Innovation and Compe
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