Edition 57, June 2008

Council established to lead AQF

A new council has been established to oversee the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) to ensure Australia's qualifications systems remains robust and meets new challenges.

Announced in May by the Ministerial Council for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA), the Australian Qualification Framework Council will be chaired by former Federal Treasurer and Minister for Education, John Dawkins.

Strengthened arrangements for the body responsible for the AQF will ensure Australia's qualifications system remains internationally credible and competitive.

The recent development of other qualifications frameworks in Europe and the Asia Pacific and movements towards the restructuring of undergraduate and post graduate qualifications at Australian universities are examples of the challenges and issues that the council will address.

The AQF was established by the Commonwealth and state and territory governments through MCEETYA and defines the characteristics of qualifications from the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education to a Doctoral Degree and includes all vocational education and training qualifications from Certificate I through to Vocational Graduate Diploma.

Recently MCEETYA determined that the profile of the AQF should be raised and to that end established the AQF Council.

The Council will be based in South Australia with the AQF Council Secretariat to be located with South Australia's Department of Further Education Employment Science and Technology (DFEEST).

Ms Ann Doolette, Director Quality at DFEEST, has been appointed as the interim Executive Director of the AQF Council Secretariat and has commenced establishing the foundations for the council.

Australian Qualifications Framework Council members

Chair

  • The Hon. John Dawkins AO

Higher education representative

  • Professor Ian Young - Vice-Chancellor and President, Swinburne University of Technology

Vocational education and training representative

  • Mr Julius Roe - National President, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union

Schools representative

  • Mr Kim Bannikoff - Director, Queensland Studies Authority

Industry representatives

  • Ms Megan Lilly - Associate Director, Education and Training for the Australian Industry Group
  • Ms Pat Forward - Federal Secretary, Australian Education Union

Australian Government representative

  • Dr Wendy Jarvie - Deputy Secretary, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations

State and territory representatives

  • Ms Carol Webb - Assistant Director-General, Department of Education, Training and the Arts, Queensland
  • Ms Sian Lewis - General Manager, Office of Training and Tertiary Education, Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development, Victoria

For more information visit www.aqf.edu.au/aboutaqf.htm#contacting

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