NSW Department of Education and Training

TAFE NSW
TAFE NSW Institutes have implemented strategies to improve the collection of data
relating to country of birth and the language spoken at home. As a result there were
significant improvements in the response rate to questions on the enrolment form relating
to country of birth (11.0 per cent) and language other than English spoken at home (11.6
per cent) between 2006 and 2007.
Enrolments of students speaking a language other than English at home in TAFE NSW
during 2007 was consistent with the proportion of the New South Wales population which
identified as speaking a language other than English at home in the 2006 Census.
Between 2006 and 2007 there was an increase of 5.4 per cent in enrolments by TAFE
NSW students who indicated that they speak a language other than English at home.
In 2007, 14,184 or 13.4 per cent of all students speaking a language other than English
at home were offered re-enrolment into their TAFE NSW course via the internet.
Participation in TAFE NSW by students from communities with a high number of refugee
and humanitarian entrants continued to increase. For example, between 2006 and 2007
enrolments by students born in Iraq increased from 3,008 to 3,587 (19.2 per cent). In the
same period, enrolments by students born in Sudan increased from 2,219 to 2,577 (16.1
per cent) and enrolments by those born in Burma from 447 to 578 (29.3 per cent).
More TAFE NSW graduates who speak a language other than English at home
completed higher level award qualifications. Between 2006 and 2007 the number of all
graduates who speak a language other than English at home completing a qualification at
AQF Certificate III and above increased from 28.4 per cent (11, 628) in 2006 to 31.1 per
cent (12,205) in 2007.
Two major research projects were completed.
Non-English speaking background students in TAFE: Exploring the factors behind
their module completion rates in selected TAFE NSW courses.
This study examined the perspectives of students and teachers in four Australian
Qualifications Framework (AQF) Certificate III courses. The courses represented
both high and low module completion rates in two Institutes for students from a non-
English speaking background. The research report highlights the complex variables
impacting on module completion rates and identifies strategies to assist improved
module completion rates for this group of learners. The research was led by TAFE
NSW – Northern Sydney Institute and involved staff from two other Institutes. The
TAFE NSW Multicultural Education Unit funded the study. The report will be available
on the TAFE NSW internet website in 2009.
TAFE NSW Communication Strategy for Recently Arrived Small and Emerging Ethnic
Communities
This project entailed the identification, trialling and evaluation of strategies, including
models of service delivery, to enhance equitable access, participation and outcomes
from TAFE NSW delivered vocational education and training for members of recently
arrived small and emerging ethnic communities. The trial concerned two service
models in TAFE NSW - Hunter and South Western Sydney Institutes. The evaluation
reinforced the view that the engagement and support of staff with the cultural
knowledge and skills to work directly with small and emerging ethnic communities can
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