Mine! No Mine! A critical analysis of cross-sectoral design

Reviews of the tertiary education system in Australia highlight the need for greater integration between the vocational and higher education (HE) sectors. Historically, the sectors have been established with distinct funding sources, governance structures, employment conditions, student characteristics, learning outcomes and curriculum design (Karmel 2008). A variety of organisational structures shape current cross-sectoral programs and pathways, including co-located dual-sector institutions, degree program offerings in TAFE colleges and specified credit and articulation arrangements between vocational institutions and universities. Despite the potential for such structures to widen participation for educationally disadvantaged groups, tertiary participation rates for Indigenous people, people from regional and remote parts of Australia and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds have not improved (Gale 2009, Wheelahan 2009, Bradley et al. 2008). This paper presents a framework for the design of regional HE courses and pathways in a community context. The framework draws from community-based participatory research methodologies and includes a critical analysis of underlying drivers, barriers and enablers to regional delivery. Structures and processes are proposed for gathering the varied and often contradictory views of educational institutions and local communities, and for incorporating these views into the design of regional pathways and courses. Community-based development of regional programs entails new forms of engagement for educational providers, government bodies, business and communities. The framework presented in this paper is proposed as a sustainable approach to the development of cross-sectoral pathways and programs to address the needs of the most seriously under-represented groups in regional Australia.