Peter
Ryan, Consult Ed's principal consultant, was quoted in the Australian
Financial Review on Monday 29th November 2004 regarding the transition
of premium VET providers into the Higher Education sector:
VET
colleges hope to upgrade degrees
Sophie Morris
Colleges at the "premium end" of vocational education and
training (VET) are moving into the higher education sector, attracted
by its marketing potential and by the prospect of government-funded
loans for their students. Increasingly, private vocational education
and training colleges that have offered diplomas and advanced diplomas
are seeking to have these accredited as degrees by state governments.
The next step is to apply to the federal department for recognition
as a higher education provider, which can offer Australian students
$50,000 government-funded loans under the Fee-Help program. The 25 colleges
the department has so far recognised as providers come from the 150
non-university higher education institutions around Australia that have
already been accredited by state governments to offer certain degrees.
They include the institutes of Business and Technology in four cities
around Australia, which offer students a path into the university with
which they are linked, and a number of Christian colleges.
Peter Ryan, the former managing director of the Australian College of
Applied Psychology, has set himself up as an adviser to colleges applying
to become higher education providers - a process that involves financial
checks and a tuition assurance arrangement.
He says the introduction of Fee- Help loans has generated “tremendous
interest" from colleges which have previously only provided VET
courses but now want to straddle both sectors.
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