CHILEAN MINISTRY OF EDUCATION VET ADVISORY COUNCIL DELEGATION VISIT
12 – 19 MARCH 2005
In March 2005, the Chilean Ministry of Education VET Advisory Council sent a delegation to Australia to investigate elements of Australia’s vocational education and training system.
The delegation was originally scheduled to visit Australia in December 2004, and to be led by the Chilean Vice-Minister for Education, Maria Hornkohl. The visit was postponed until March 2005 at the request of the Chilean Ministry, and due to the subsequent unavailability of the Vice-Minister in March, the Vice-Minister’s advisor, Francisco Troncoso, led the delegation.
The delegation consisted of members of the Minister’s VET Advisory Council, including representatives of vocational education and training institutes, private technical education schools, industry groups and the education union. A full list of delegation members is provided below. The delegation visited Canberra, Adelaide and Brisbane, accompanied by Christopher Lawson from Australian Education International (the former Director of AEI Chile) and an interpreter.
This visit was the second in a series of bilateral education and training visits to Australia from Latin America, funded by DEST and the Council on Australia Latin America Relations (COALAR). The objective of the series of visits is to establish and strengthen government-to-government engagement within the education portfolio and through this maximise market and export opportunities for Australia’s international education industry.
Chile is reforming its VET sector and the delegation was interested in investigating elements of Australia’s vocational education system, focusing on Australia's policy approach to VET; the involvement of industry to ensure training is vocationally relevant; the integration of VET with the high school system and the higher education system; communication strategies; and teacher training and development.
AEI in Canberra, the AEI Counsellor for Education, Science and Training in Santiago Tony Crooks, Education Adelaide and TAFE Queensland jointly developed a program of meetings and site visits for the delegation. The program was developed to highlight Australia’s vocational education system, with practical examples in three areas of interest to Chile – Tourism and Hospitality, Viticulture and Mining.
In Canberra, the delegation received a briefing from DEST, visited the Canberra Institute of Technology, and met with the Federal Minister for Vocational and Technical Education, the Hon Gary Hardgrave.
In South Australia, the delegation was briefed by the South Australian Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology and TAFE SA, visited a small-scale wine studio and a horticultural high school/college, met with the University of South Australia, was briefed on the implementation of training packages in viticulture and visited a Barossa vineyard attached to TAFE SA.
In Queensland the delegation received briefings from ANTA, TAFE Queensland and ACPET, visited the Gold Coast Institute of TAFE, the International Centre of Excellence in Tourism and Hospitality Education at Griffith University, visited the Safety in Mines Training and Research Services facility in Redbank, met with the Chairman of QETI and received briefings from TAFE Queensland and the Queensland Mining Industry Training Advisory Board on the development and implementation of mining training packages.
The delegation reported that the opportunities that they had to see at first hand how VET has developed in Australia has provided with a valuable frame of reference through which to consider reforms to the vocational training system in Chile. The delegation was particularly interested in the development and implementation of training packages, and they purchased a telecommunications training package to take back to Chile.
The Queensland Government has identified a number of outcomes arising from the visit. The Queensland Government, through the Department of Employment and Training (DET), has identified Chile as a key market for its consultancy services in Latin America. The Queensland Government, through the Premiers Department and the International Aid and Development Business, is committed to commercialising intellectual property that sits within agencies. For the VET sector, this may translate to technical assistance in curriculum development (training packages), assessment, materials development, planning and purchasing of training etc.
The VET Export Office will act as the conduit for the activities with Chile - this will include all stakeholders from the Queensland VET system including departmental areas, TAFE Queensland Institutes, Registered Training Organisations and Industry Training Advisory Boards.
Queensland DET is preparing a submission for the Chilean government funded VET Scholarships recently announced by the Chilean Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Planning and Cooperation, and the Southbank Institute of TAFE is looking to work with SOFOFA on the development of a telecommunications training package for Chile.
The delegation reported to Dr Nelson on the outcomes of their trip during the Minister’s visit to Chile in April 2005.
Delegation members
Francisco Troncoso, Advisor to Vice Minister, Ministry of Education (Leader)
Carmen Payá, Education Manager, Sociedad de Fomento Fabril (SOFOFA), (Federation of Chilean Industry)
Pedro Cancino, Academic Coordinator, Technical - Professional Secondary Schools, Federación de Instituciones de Educación Particular (FIDE), (Federation of Private Education Institutions)
Antonio Castilla, President, Caja de Compensación La Araucana, (La Araucana Friendly Society)
Guillermo Mondaca, President, Confederación Federaciones y Sindicatos de la Educación Técnica Profesional (Confesitep), (Confederation of Technical and Professional Education Federations and Unions)
Marcelo von Chrismar, Rector, DuocUC – Technical and Professional Institute
Padre Daniel Lescot, School Principal, Colegio Salesiano de Concepción
Member of Federación de Instituciones de Educación Particular (FIDE Técnica)
(Federation of Private Technical Education Institutions)