The peak body representing independent skills training, higher education and international education providers, the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA), has broadly welcomed the spending commitments in tonight's Federal budget.
"Tonight, the Albanese Government has set out its priorities and its commitments in tertiary education for the future. These include a number of commitments that will go a long way to addressing the nation's skills shortages. The next step will be ensuring that the Government puts students at the heart of the skills training system by allowing them to study with the provider of their choice," said Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.
"ITECA is a strong proponent for an improved skills and higher education model that would see a student backed by Government to study with either an independent tertiary education provider or a public one. We want to ensure that the skills training and higher education spending commitments that leverage taxpayer funds reflect this principle," Mr Williams said.
In terms of skills training commitments, the Government is providing $921.7 million over 5 years to strengthen skills shortages and to strengthen the skills system. A bulk of this funding commitment will go to delivering on the Government's funding commitments to ensuring fee-free training, focussed on TAFE, is available to Australians in areas of skill shortage
"We look forward to working with the Australian Government to ensure these outcomes are achieved, to the benefit of Australian students, employers, communities and the economy, Mr Williams said.
Similarly, in higher education the Government is investing $2.7 million over two years from 2022-32 to deliver an Australian Universities Accord that ITECA Members have been clear in advocating that it needs to include the non-university sector within its remit.
"Independent tertiary education providers are looking forward to working with the Government to ensure the positive delivery of the Accord", Mr Williams said.
Concerning international education, ITECA has cautiously welcomed the additional $42.2 million in the Budget to increase visa processing capacity including $6.2 million for outreach and communications to promote migration to Australia.
"At face value this looks like a positive initiative, but the devil is always in the detail, especially given where the sector has been in the past few years. In that context, we look forward to unpacking this with the Government over the course of the coming week.
In summing up the Australian Government's priorities, ITECA welcomes the commitments but highlights the need to ensure that the spending is appropriately focussed.
"The Australian Government's focus should be to put students at the centre of the skills training and higher education system. We want them empowered to make informed decisions about their choice of course and provider, then be backed by Government in that decision. If they want to study with an independent provider, that's great and government should respect that – but if they want to study with a public provider, well that's okay too," Mr Williams concluded.
