Governance
Higher Education programs are delivered by the NSW Technical and Further Education Commission trading as TAFE NSW Higher Education. Delivery of Higher Education programs is overseen by a corporate and academic governance structure and supported by our guiding principles.
Guiding principles
Higher qualifications assist people to become more employable and provide opportunities for more interesting work and higher wages. This, in turn, increases the productivity of the Australian workforce and strengthens our economy. Australian Governments have set ambitious targets to increase the proportion of young people with bachelor degree qualifications and increase the proportion of higher education students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
TAFE NSW is uniquely positioned to help Australia meet these goals. Through the network of TAFE NSW campuses stretching across NSW, TAFE NSW Higher Education is well placed to expand tertiary pathway opportunities to people across the state, contributing to Australia's ambitious higher education participation targets.
TAFE NSW Higher Education will build on its reputation for quality and industry responsive training to deliver job ready higher education graduates in areas of niche capability and high employment demand.
Our ambition
TAFE NSW Higher Education will:
- enhance and expand opportunities for students from all communities to attain higher education qualifications;
- encourage the exploration and development of inquiry, applied skills and knowledge within an industry focussed learning environment.
Our intentions
TAFE NSW Higher Education will:
- extend the range of quality higher education programs through increased services and meeting industry needs;
- build market share and respect for the value and difference of TAFE NSW Higher Education;
- expand opportunities for staff to develop their academic capability.
Governance
The key governance committees with responsibility for TAFE NSW Higher Education are the TAFE NSW Higher Education Governing Body which has responsibility for the corporate governance of TAFE NSW Higher Education business and the Academic Council which has responsibility for the academic governance of TAFE NSW Higher Education programs. The TAFE NSW Senior Leadership Team has responsibility for the day to day management of TAFE NSW Higher Education programs. This governance structure separates the delivery of TAFE NSW higher education courses, from the delivery of TAFE NSW vocational (VET) courses.
TAFE NSW Higher Education Academic Council
The Academic Council is responsible for academic policy making, academic administration, oversight of the educational process and maintaining appropriate control over the administration of higher education curriculum to safeguard the academic integrity of TAFE NSW Higher Education programs and to ensure educational objectives are achieved.
The chair of the Academic Council is Emeritus Professor Ross Harley, former Dean of Art and Design at the University of New South Wales.
Other members include senior managers at TAFE NSW; the Head of Higher Education Standards, TAFE NSW; the Dean of TAFE NSW Higher Education; and a number of TAFE NSW academics, and academics from external higher education providers.
TAFE NSW Leadership Team
The TAFE NSW Senior Leadership Team has overall responsibility for the efficient conduct of the TAFE NSW Higher Education operations. Membership of the Senior Leadership Team includes the Managing Director of TAFE NSW and all chiefs, including the Chief Financial Officer.
Student representation
Students have the opportunity to participate in student representative bodies, such as the Campus Reference Group (CRG) at each TAFE NSW campus delivering TAFE NSW Higher Education programs. The CRG is a forum for the student voice to be heard, considered and answered. Each CRG will provide direct and independent advice on student experience, feedback on learning and teaching and any other aspect that is considered significant to the student experience. Each CRG will support, assist and promote the growth and development of courses through the communication of the student voice and act as a conduit for this advice to the campus leadership and the Higher Education Academic Council.