Department of Education

Note 2: Significant accounting policies
2.1
Objectives
and funding
The Department of Education is responsible to the
Minister for Education and Skills, and to the Minister for
Children. The department provides services through
the following organisational units:
Learning Services
Learning Services support schools in each of the
North-West, North, South and South-East areas of
the state. In providing support Learning Services work
collaboratively with schools and through a School
Improvement Board appointed by the Minister for
Education and Skills.
Support includes professional learning across teaching,
curriculum and assessment, and operational human
resources, finance and facilities support. Learning
Services have a key role in facilitating the sharing of
resources, knowledge, innovation and learning between
schools and across the state and respond to schools on
the basis of their improvement needs. Each Learning
Service has a responsibility for a statewide program
area.
Learning Services work with a network of senior
secondary colleges and schools consisting of primary
schools, special schools, combined schools, and
secondary schools and distance education programs.
Skills Tasmania
Skills Tasmania:
• provides advice to the Minister in relation to the
allocation of resources for vocational education and
training (VET), development and management of
plans, programs and activities for the purchase of
VET to implement specific government initiatives
• provides planning and policy advice to the Minister on
state and national initiatives for VET
• provides services and support to registered training
providers, apprentices and trainees, industry, and
government training advisory bodies including the
regulation of VET
• provides policy advice, develops and implement
policy and strategies for skills development
• provides support for improved personal, social and
economic outcomes for people from equity groups.
LINC Tasmania
LINC Tasmania (formerly known as the Community
Knowledge Network) includes a statewide network of
LINCs and the Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office.
It also provides adult education services including
adult literacy programs. LINC Tasmania’s focus is on
lifelong learning for all Tasmanian’s ensuring access to
Tasmania’s cultural and documentary heritage and to
deliver information, education and training, literacy
support and other community services across the
state.
Post Year 10
The department delivers post-Year 10 education and
training services primarily through the eight colleges of
the Tasmanian Academy and through the Tasmanian
Polytechnic. These services support students continuing
their education or training following the completion
of Year 10. They also support adult learners seeking
new or increased vocational skills as well as second
chance learners. The activities of the Academy and
the Polytechnic are complemented by limited service
delivery for Year 11 and Year 12 in some combined
schools and secondary schools. The final element of
the government’s post-Year 10 delivery model is the
Tasmanian Skills Institute, a statutory body which works
with government and employers to build skills within the
Tasmanian workforce.
From 1 January 2011 five colleges were transferred
back under control of the department along with the
Tasmanian Polytechnic.
Early Years
The Child Care Unit is accountable to the Minister for
Children and is responsible for licensing and monitoring
all child care services under the Child Care Act 2001.
Organisational support units
The services provided by the department are supported
by the following major organisational units: Strategic
Policy and Performance; Educational Performance
Services; the Tasmanian Qualifications Authority (TQA);
Finance and Resource Services (FRS); Facilities and
Capital Planning (FCP); Human Resources Management
(HRM) Branch; and Information and Technology Services
Branch (ITS). In addition, from 1 January 2011 following
the transfer of the Tasmanian Academy and Tasmanian
Polytechnic to the Department of Education, the Shared
Services unit was also brought under the department
within Corporate Services
Outputs of the department
The individual outputs of the Department of Education
are provided under the following output groups:
Output group 1: Pre-Compulsory and Compulsory
Education
Output group 2: Post-Compulsory Education and Skills
Development
Output group 3: LINC Tasmania
Financial Statements – Notes
93