Thread by @NordicPolicyCtr

A renewed focus on skills is welcome news. Australia does not properly recognise or resource vocational pathways. Finland provides a leading example of how to do it well

A THREAD 1/ >

2/ Australia needs to achieve a better balance between vocational and academic learning, like Finland - where people can and do switch between the two - within a policy which recognises each as 'equal but different' #auspol #covid19au >
nordicpolicycentre.org.au/degrees_north

3/ Further, “[Finland] follows the principle of ‘equal but different’ by producing both a skilled vocational labour force and a high-quality academic labour force.

4/ Public universities have been hit hard by the pandemic: thousands of staff are unable to access JobKeeper as revenue from international students collapsed overnight. Rebuilding the vocational sector now is needed, but not at the expense of university sector.

5/ TAFE institutes now need to be placed on a more equal footing with universities to create a more coherent, less fragmented post-school education sector. At the same time Australia's universities require urgent additional assistance to avoid collapse for some institutions.