Information statement

State, Territory and Commonwealth Ministers with responsibility for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, met in Melbourne on 26–27 July 2001 for the 12th meeting of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, chaired by the Hon. Mary Delahunty, MP, Minister for Education, Victoria and Chair of MCEETYA for 2001. The main outcomes of the meeting are summarised below.

Youth Pathways

Captain David Eldridge, Chair of the Prime Minister's Youth Pathways Action Plan Taskforce addressed Council on the findings of the Taskforce, recently published in the report Footprints to the Future. He outlined the Taskforce's vision that young people and their families, schools, communities, business and governments all work in partnership to enable young people to attain their goals and aspirations and to participate in the social and economic life of the community.

To achieve this aim the Taskforce recommended the development of an effective youth transitions system to support all young people:

• those young people who successfully navigate their pathways with the support of their families and peers but who could maximise their choices through more relevant and timely information and support thereby making for smoother transitions;

• those young people who are vulnerable and who experience periods of stress in their lives who might need additional support from time to time; and

• the smaller number of young people who have become disconnected from their families, schools and communities and require a higher level of support over a longer period of time.

Many of the Taskforce's recommendations accord with the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty-First Century and recommendation 24 requests that MCEETYA take the lead in responding to the findings and recommendations to the Report, in conjunction with the Community Services Ministers Conference and other ministerial councils, as appropriate.

Council congratulated Captain Eldridge and his taskforce members for the excellent work done and agreed to progress the recommendations via the work of its taskforces.

Council also established a Ministerial Sub-committee to develop practical options for strengthening transition pathways for young people disconnected or at risk of becoming disconnected. The sub-committee is chaired by the Hon Matt Foley, MP, Queensland Minister for Employment, Training and Youth. Education and training ministers from NSW, Victoria, SA, Tasmania and the Commonwealth are members of the sub-committee.

The Sub-Committee will report to MCEETYA in 2002.

New Taskforce Structure to Achieve the National Goals of Schooling

Ministers agreed to advance the national agenda on schooling and ensure the achievement of the National Goals for Schooling in the Twenty First Century, by basing that agenda on enhancing national collaboration in seven key areas:

Schools Resourcing
Teacher Quality and Educational Leadership (Taskforce now abolished)
Student Learning and Support Services (Taskforce now abolished)
Information and Communication Technologies in Schools
Indigenous and other Targeted Initiatives of National Significance (Taskforce now abolished)
Transition from School (Taskforce now abolished)
Performance Measurement and Reporting.

Existing schooling taskforces were abolished and further development of the national schooling agenda will be undertaken by seven new taskforces, one for each of the key areas listed above.

Pre-existing Taskforce in the cross-sectoral areas of Adult and Community Education and Youth were retained.

The newly established Australian Education Systems Officials Committee (AESOC) has the responsibility for coordinating and supervising the work programs of the taskforces.

Establishment of the Australian Education Systems Officials Committee (AESOC)

Ministers established a new forum, the Australian Education Systems Officials Committee (AESOC), which subsumes and integrates the work of MCEETYA's Standing Committee of Officials and the Conference of Education Systems Chief Executive Officers (CESCEO). AESOC comprises the CEOs of all State, Territory and Commonwealth schools and VET authorities. 

The formation of AESOC is part of a streamlining process that included the rationalisation of MCEETYA Taskforces and CESCEO working groups. AESOC will play a pivotal role in coordinating collaboration on national education and training issues. It will enable a greater coordination of activity supporting MCEETYA, improve review processes and maintain a strategic focus for groups preparing advice for consideration by Council.

Committee of Officials on Employment

Ministers have established a committee of officials to examine the issues of long-term unemployment, the effectiveness of current policies and programs to combat it, and possible solutions, and report to the 2002 MCEETYA meeting.

The request arose from a concern that the benefits of employment growth are not being shared across the community. In particular, it was thought that the long-term unemployed, mature age job seekers and young people are bearing the brunt of the level of unemployment that remains.

The Committee of Officials on Employment, chaired by Victoria, will first undertake a stocktake of employment programs as a basis for further work by MCEETYA.

Education in Relation to Gambling

MCEETYA will work with the Ministerial Council on Gambling to develop targeted education strategies for school children on responsible gambling, harm minimisation, problem gambling and its consequences.

There are currently very few gambling education strategies or programs specifically targeting school children either in Australia or internationally. As a result, little is known about the effectiveness of education programs targeting school children in reducing the consequences of problem gambling.

While some research has been undertaken in the United States, there is no comparable Australian research to indicate that gambling in school-age children is problematic or that children are engaging in harmful levels of gambling. Therefore the initial collaborative activity will focus on research to provide the basis for an informed, evidence based national approach to gambling education for school age children. This will take the form of a scoping study of existing initiatives and resources on gambling education for schools. The study will also provide advice on the target group and key issues to be addressed in the development of any gambling education resources for use in schools.

National Framework on Rural and Remote Education

Ministers approved for release the National Framework on Rural and Remote Education. The Framework is the product of collaborative work undertaken by MCEETYA in response to Recommendation 4.5 of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) National Inquiry into Rural and Remote Education. The recommendation states; 

MCEETYA, in consultation with the proposed Rural School Communities Taskforce (Recommendation 4.4) should draw up a national rural education policy and plan incorporating the principles set out in this chapter and the five criteria defined in Chapter 3.

The purpose of the Framework is to:

• provide a framework for the development of nationally agreed policies and support services.
• promote consistency in the delivery of high quality education services to rural and remote students and their families.
• provide reference points and guidance for non-government providers of services and support for education in rural and remote areas.
• facilitate partnership building between government and non government providers of services and support related to the provision of education in regional, rural and remote locations.

The National Framework for Rural and Remote Education comprises 3 elements:

• a vision statement based on the central question posed by the HREOC in its inquiry.
• a set of principles which underpin the framework
• a set of essential enablers for the provision of high quality education. The enablers form the acronym PRIMER, which reinforces the fundamentals for ensuring the provision of quality educational opportunities in country locations.

The National Framework for Rural and Remote Education nests with the broader work of MCEETYA through its various taskforces and working groups. It will inform the work of taskforces that have a specific link to rural and remote issues. Used in conjunction with existing policies and practices, it will ensure that children and students in rural and remote Australia receive the quality of education provision to which they are inherently entitled.

Teacher Demand and Supply

The report Demand and Supply of Primary and Secondary School Teachers in Australia was approved for release. This is the second report on teacher supply and demand prepared on behalf of MCEETYA. The first report was published by MCEETYA in 1999.

The report focuses on three principal matters:

• The state of the teacher labour market in 2000, nationally and by State and Territory
• The outlook for the teacher labour market to 2003
• Possible sources of significant pressure in this labour market into the latter part of the current decade.

Indigenous Education

Achieving educational equality for Australia's Indigenous peoples continues to be an urgent national priority for MCEETYA. While a considerable amount of work has been done to develop a sound understanding of a range of issues that affect the quality of education and training for many young Australian people, much of this work either does not specifically address issues for many Indigenous students or it is difficult to find. The MCEETYA Indigenous Education Taskforce has therefore developed a number of information papers entitled:

• Solid Foundations: Health and Education Partnership for Indigenous Children Aged 0 To 8 Years;
• Effective Learning Issues for Indigenous Children aged 0 to 8 Years;
• Education of Teachers of Indigenous Students in Early Childhood Services and Schools;
• Exploring Multiple Pathways for Indigenous Students.

A common feature of these papers is a description of appropriate ways to build mutual community capacity. In March 2000 MCEETYA supported the development of partnerships with the individuals, families and the community, with shared responsibilities for processes and achieving outcomes. The report of the Indigenous Education Taskforce pointed out the need to generate a climate of shared responsibility where school principals, teachers, education workers, parents, caregivers, and the wider community expects and supports Indigenous children to achieve equitable and appropriate educational outcomes. These papers expand on this advice.

VET in Schools

Two documents relating to the new framework for vocational education in schools— Policy Directions and Implementation Strategy—were endorsed by ministers.

The Policy Directions booklet represents a comprehensive explanation of the new framework and is designed to assist a wide range of stakeholders. The framework, which is the core of the document, broadens the agenda for vocational education beyond senior secondary school to include expanded roles for community partnerships, the centrality of lifelong learning, Key Competencies, enterprise education and integrated career information and guidance services.

The Implementation Strategy booklet is a companion document to Policy Directions. It provides the details of a broad strategy to implement the new framework in all schools nationwide. It is presented as a set of six tables—one for each of the six key elements around which the new framework has been developed:

• vocational education and training
• enterprise and vocational learning
• student support services
• community and business partnerships
• effective institutional and funding arrangements
• monitoring and evaluation.

Schools Online Curriculum Content Initiative

Ministers agreed to progress the Schools Online Curriculum Content Initiative to Phase Two (the development phase). Details of the Phase Two Plan (2001–2006) and all other documentation relating to the Initiative can be found on the website http://www.thelearningfederation.edu.au.