A UK House of Commons committee report on research integrity warns,

“we heard a widespread view that journals favoured for publication original—rather than repeated—research and work which had striking or new outcomes. This meant that the value of conducting repeated or confirmatory studies was much reduced and that there were strong incentives to obtain striking research findings.”

In Features this morning

Rankings began 20 years ago. Angel Calderon (RMIT) reports on what’s changed and what’s about to.

plus Ashleigh Prosser and Shannon Johnston (Murdoch U) on Murdoch U’s new teaching and learning building and the CHAT it makes possible. New in Commissioning Editor Sally Kift’s celebrated series, Needed now in teaching and learning.

with Nicholas Fisk and Daniel Owens (UNSW) on why research grants don’t fund all the work involved – like $5.8bn a year worth of work. It’s a problem the Accord must address, HERE.

Trainers are qualifying people as electricians on the basis of photos and videos of their “performing various electrical related activities” – this is supposed to demonstrate recognised prior learning

VET system watchers warn brokers for registered training organisations in NSW are pitching trade qualifications “with no study, in a matter of weeks.”

“We can get a certificate or diploma in your desired trade without classroom study through RPL” is the sell.

The quoted price for one electrician qualification is $15 000.

Observers warn of apprentices abandoning formal training in the hope of fast-track certification.

So-called RPL is also being sold to visa holders who want a qualification to assist with immigration.

The Australian Skills Qualification Authority states it is sampling registered training organisations for performance assessment and compliance. The agency also intends a “ targeted education campaign” for electrical trainers and a “broader education on the use of RPL in the VET sector.“

Legitimate trades trainers respond ASQA needs to urgently up its activity, with industry experts included in an investigations team, before errors by an untrained worker without proper qualifications gets someone killed.

It’s down to ASQA, “if its quality assurance fails, then the system fails,” observers say.

March arrivals were more than twice 2022

The Bureau of Stats reports 56 000 graced our shores, compared to 25 000 last year, still down 25 per cent on the last pre-Covid March, in 2019.

Which Catriona Jackson from Universities Australia considers good news. “These students are assets to our nation. They bring new knowledge, skills and perspectives, making Australia and our region stronger, smarter and better connected.”

Good-o but this is starting to look like a harder sell – with widespread allegations that study is being used as a cover for people coming for employment not education. The Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade  inquiry into tourism and international education has heard hair-raising evidence of education agents rorting the system.

As the committee’s discussion paper suggest. “Education agents’ opportunistic behaviour can lead to substandard outcomes not only for client institutions as principals, but also for other key stakeholders, including students, governments and national education systems.”

“As the only university in the state, I recognise that there are strong feelings of community ownership of Uni Tasmania,” state education minister Roger Jaensch told the Legislative Council inquiry into the U Tas Act. He got that bit right

Mr Jaensch added that while the government will consider the inquiry’s outcomes “very carefully” any action should wait on the O’Kane Accord, which is covering “many of the topics” raised.

Which did not address one of issues the committee wanted him to address, what does the Tasmanian community get out of the way the university is run. “You would surely, as minister for education, want to make sure that organisation was functioning and functioning well, and, indeed, delivering for the state,” committee chair Rob Valentine (Independent-Hobart) remarked.

Detailed questions followed regarding the state government’s relationship with the university, including the controversial move to relocate most of it to the Hobart CBD.

Mr Valentine captured the essence of many of the questions, “there have been criticisms in submissions that point to the fact that no-one controls the university.”

It was not an entirely relaxed exchange for Mr Jaensch and if it indicates the committee’s thinking, the university.

The Commonwealth’s role in funding universities is one thing – that all politics is always local many more.

by CLAIRE FIELD

The Swedes show us the way to help redundant workers

Last week’s Federal Budget included changes to the Local Jobs scheme which “supports the development and implementation of tailored approaches to accelerate reskilling, upskilling and employment across Australia.”

The changes will provide a flexible funding pool for “small scale local activities that help address community identified needs” and additional Employment Facilitators being placed into regions “experiencing rapid and significant challenges, including as part of the transition to a clean energy future.”

The Australian government is to be commended for adding greater flexibility to the scheme and for funding more facilitators. However, even with these changes, Australia is still a long way from OECD best practice.

Sweden’s job security councils, which specifically support retrenched workers, are organisations Australia could learn a lot from.

Tryghetsfonden TSL is the job security council for many blue collar trades. Founded in 2004 by the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise and the Swedish Trade Union Confederation it covers two million workers in 80 000 companies and helps them find new roles if they are made redundant or reach the end of a fixed term contract. Funded through an employer payroll levy TSL has assisted 300 000 people – 15,000 on average per annum.

Swedish employers and unions have accepted that the Swedish economy must inevitably change as the world of work changes and that the focus needs to be “on saving the people not the jobs” – by helping workers transition to a new job with tailored individual support, education opportunities and generous financial support up to 80 per cent of their former salaries during their retraining.

TSL and other similar organisations take away the stigma of redundancy in Sweden and help workers successfully transition to new roles and occupations.

For TSL – they have an impressive record of achievement:

* 90 per cent get jobs after receiving support from TSL and are happy with the support provided, and

* 80 per cent get a job at the same level or higher.

Historically Australia has not been as successful in assisting redundant workers – the closure of car manufacturing plants in Victoria and South Australia saw only one-third of workers find full-time paid work despite the efforts of governments, unions, employers and community organisations.

As the House Select Committee considers changes to Workforce Australia – what reforms should Australia make to “save people not jobs”?

Could, for example, Australia’s industry super funds be allowed to expand their focus to supporting workers both during and after their careers, by also offering job transition support…?

Claire Field visited TSL with representatives of MEGT and wishes to thank TSL CEO, Caroline Söder for her time and valuable insights

The Australian Disability Clearing House on Education announces individual winners of its 2023 Accessibility in Action Awards, * Kay Barnard (Edith Cowan U) * Rae Jobst (Griffith U) * Tracy Jennings (Deakin U) * Andrew Normand (Uni Melbourne) * Emma Ryan (Deakin U)

At Federation U Gabriele Suder is confirmed as Associate DVC Academic – she has been acting in the role.