Education

Year 11 and
12 Education
in Rural and
Regional
Areas
The Department of Education is committed to providing
high quality education and training to Year 11 and 12
students in rural and regional areas that is aligned to
employment opportunities, attainment of qualifications,
or pathways to higher or further education.
In 2012–13, the department continued to consult and
work towards improving the provision and quality of
education in rural and remote communities.
Options for Year 11 and 12 students include:
• enrolling on-campus in a senior secondary school for the
full-range of academic, general and vocational courses
• accessing the Flexible Learning Network (FLN) that
allows courses to be delivered through a senior
secondary school via distance education
• a combination of traditional study on-campus and
study by distance through the FLN to benefit from
both options
• accessing Year 11 and 12 programs through combined
schools’ programs
• enrolment through the Tasmanian eSchool, which
provides learning in real-time regardless of the
student’s geographic location
• accessing VET through the Tasmanian Polytechnic,
which provides services to most individual and
combined schools’ programs and colleges
• accessing industry aligned VET qualifications through
the new and innovative trade training centres located
in many rural and regional areas of Tasmania.
Tasmanian
Polytechnic
The Tasmanian Polytechnic continued to focus its efforts on
providing VET for adults, and in partnerships with senior
secondary and combined schools—VET in Schools programs
for young Tasmanians between 16 and 19 years of age.
The Tasmanian Polytechnic enrolled 16,500 students
during the 2012 academic year and this enrolment
pattern has continued into 2013. Of these enrolments
44% represent enrolments in qualifications at Certificate
III or higher, 47% represent enrolments in qualifications
at Certificate I or Certificate II and the balance are
enrolments in programs that lead to a Statement of
Attainment or are in a non-award course. These students
were enrolled in over 300 qualifications and resulted in
the delivery of 5.2 million student contact hours.
During 2012, the Tasmanian Polytechnic issued 5,206
qualifications, a figure that is comparable with achievements
in 2011 and 2010. Over half of these qualifications (53.7%)
were awarded at Certificate III or higher.
Quality assurance of training delivery has been a key focus
of the Tasmanian Polytechnic’s activities in 2012. This is
evidenced by:
• the continuing implementation of the partnership
between the Tasmanian Polytechnic and the University
of Tasmania (UTAS) that includes over 120 Tasmanian
Polytechnic teachers enrolling in the Bachelor of
Education (Applied Learning) Degree program
offered by UTAS
• the ongoing enthusiasm with which learning teams
have engaged in the Tasmanian Polytechnic team
quality profile management model for quality
improvement
• the completion by the due date (30 June 2013) of
a project that ensured all Tasmanian Polytechnic
teaching staff met the new quality standard of
teaching qualifications required by the National Skills
Standards Council.
Further evidence of quality improvement within
the Tasmanian Polytechnic is provided through a 2%
improvement in the student satisfaction survey result in
2012 when compared with 2011 – which was in turn a 3%
improvement on the 2010 figure.
The Tasmanian Polytechnic continued, during the 2012–13
financial year, its focus on establishing a strong sustainable
platform upon which future development could be
based. This activity is evidenced through the significantly
improved financial situation of the Tasmanian Polytechnic
which, at the end of the 2012 academic year, reported a
small surplus of revenue over expenditure. This focus has
continued into 2013.
Government
Education
and Training
International
(GETI)
GETI provides Tasmanian students with an enriching
educational experience by attracting students from over
46 countries to study in Tasmania for full-time school
and vocational qualifications, short-term study abroad
programs and English language courses.
GETI also develops and manages the provision of
Tasmanian Government education services to offshore
students in a number of countries including China
and Kuwait.
International students bring cultural understanding,
global connections and revenue to benefit our education
institutions and the broader Tasmanian community.
GETI’s strategic objectives are to increase international
student enrolments in Tasmanian Government schools
and TasTAFE.
To achieve this objective, the following initiatives were
implemented over 2012–13:
• Several international student events to welcome and
recognise our international students – sponsored by
the Minister’s International Education Roundtable.
• Manage Tasmania’s international education brand
including a new student-focused website and updated
recruitment materials focusing on the key benefits of
studying in Tasmania.
• A rewards-based incentive program for international
education agents who provide more than 75% of
international students to Tasmania.
• Consolidating marketing and recruitment investment
on key markets, based on statistical evidence and
return on investment.
• Continuing development of education programs
including pathways between sectors to ensure
Tasmania remains a viable option for international
education as markets evolve.
Post-Compulsory Education and Skills Development
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