The uncapping of sub-bachelor level student places in this week’s higher education reform package will have devastating impact on the TAFE sector.

And while the government subscribes to<a href="http://www.officialchargesshop.com/shop-by-players-kyle-emanuel-jersey-c-1_36.html">http://www.officialchargesshop.com/shop-by-players-kyle-emanuel-jersey-c-1_36.html</a>  student choice as its rhetoric of choice, it was focused tightly on universities only, said Craig Robertson, chief executive of TAFE Directors Australia.

“It is difficult to see how the package could genuinely be labelled higher education reform when it highlights the importance of student choice but fails to consider other legitimate course choices, such as in TAFE,” Mr Robertson said.

“It also raises the question as to exactly how universities would develop this new industry-focused stream to start next year, and whether it is the most appropriate use of resources.”

Under the proposal the government will allow <a href="http://www.authenticsteelerssale.com/shop-by-players-jarvis-jones-jersey-c-2_16.html">Jarvis Jones Youth Jersey</a> approved sub-bachelor programs into the demand-driven system from 2018 onwards.

While the programs must meet certain conditions — it meets industry workforce needs, must articulate into a full degree and is only made available to people who do not hold a prior degree — Mr Robertson said this measure would also skew students towards universities and away from the TAFE sector, which had longstanding industry relationships.

“Slicing off critical parts of TAFE and handing them to the university sector is not the way to approach tertiary reform and could adversely impact TAFE, particularly in regional Australia,” Mr Robertson said.

The government has also been cautioned about weighing its reforms too heavily toward the university sector by AiGroup chief executive Innes Willox.

“The decision to expand the demand driven funding system to approved university sub-bachelor courses may significantly adversely impact the VET sector’s role in preparing job-ready graduates,” Mr Willox said. “The<a href="http://www.authenticsaintsshop.com/shop-by-players-jahri-evans-jersey-c-1_17.html">Jahri Evans Authentic Jersey</a>  extent to which this decision diverts students away from the VET sector to universities is a major cause for concern.”

Independent policy expert Mark Warburton agreed saying the measure spelled another devastating hit for the public vocational sector.

“The contrast with the VET sector is stark. There is little coherent strategy ensuring VET resourcing is adequate or that subsidies effectively complement the increasing student contributions for VET courses,” Mr Warburton said.

“The expansion of sub-bachelor courses in universities will allow them to absorb more upper level VET activity and in the long term this may be more expensive than if they were provided in the VET sector.”

Mr Robertson said he was concerned about the cost to students who would pay higher fees for diploma level programs at a university and would continue to accrue debt if they moved into a degree.

“The government has failed to recognise the cost effective options available at TAFE and has chosen to load the cost on to students in higher fees,” he said.

Currently commonwealth subsidies are not available to most students undertaking bachelor programs at TAFE. These students must take out a full fee higher education loan, but face an additional loading of up to 25 per cent.

“If Commonwealth funding is extended to selected diploma, advanced diploma and associate degree programs at universities, the distortion will be made worse,” Mr Robertson said.

“Students in the vocational education <a href="http://www.authentic49ersshop.com/shop-by-players-torrey-smith-jersey-c-1_49.html">http://www.authentic49ersshop.com/shop-by-players-torrey-smith-jersey-c-1_49.html</a> and training sector will effectively have an incentive to abandon the public TAFE system and be diverted to an untested university stream supported by a new government subsidy.

“We are disappointed that the higher education reforms have been developed with little regard to moving toward a coherent tertiary sector.