The Productivity Commission calls for a national system to recognise skills, “improving our education systems will not be enough,” is the main message.
Australia needs a Commonwealth-wide database; “to better understand possible tertiary education pathways, making decisions about the allocation of credit more transparent and providers more accountable.”
And it suggests the Australian Tertiary Education Commission (ATEC), “should play a role in establishing the database and enforcing consistent and accurate data collection from providers.”
Overall, the PC proposes “improved” credit transfer and recognised prior learning systems, to “support more seamless transitions between and within VET and higher education. Over time, more qualifications could combine elements of both sectors.”
And it will alarm advocates of university autonomy in pointing to course content as a problem.
“Because Australian universities have significant freedom in their course design, the structure of degrees and the content of subjects vary across providers. For example, foundational mechanical engineering units may not contain the same subject material in two different universities, which can act as a significant barrier to granting credit,” the PC points out.
Anyone who has negotiated credit recognition for diverse offshore providers will already be aware that long-established international RPL systems have the bandwidth to differentiate between courses internationally, so this should not be a major obstacle in domestic arrangements.
The PC also suggests universities can use credit in their own interests, rather than those of students; suggesting providers have “poor incentives” to acknowledge recognised prior learning.
“if a university does not grant credit, a student may instead complete the full length of study at that university, producing a higher net revenue yield from that student. Universities can use those additional funds for research activities, which contribute to improved rankings and can lead to a larger share of the student market.”
Overall, the PC suggests a national credit database is “fundamental to improve the current disjointed arrangements.”
