By John Mason Principal, Australian Correspondence Schools
Every adult in Australia knows that the education system is different today, to what it was when they were kids! Most however do not realise how different; or that some of the most recent changes are even more dramatic and controversial than ever before!
In the past formal “government” accreditation was a guarantee that a course would be of a high standard, and insure you a life long career. This may no longer be the case.
Many people today comment that funding pressures have affected the quality of education in many so called “government” accredited courses. I have heard of employers avoiding using government training systems which they used to support.
Globalisation and privatisation of post secondary education appear to be global trends.
The following comments are just some of an escalating range of criticisms we have been hearing :
HOW GOOD IS NATIONAL ACCREDITATION
A new system of “National Training Packages” being introduced is based on “National Industry Competencies”. These National Competencies are collections of “skills” (eg. A competency might for instance be “To prune a plant” or to “Answer a telephone”). In many respects, accreditation in the future will be little more than “registering a student as having performed a series of competencies”.
THE PROBLEM WITH COMPETENCIES
We all know that we remember something better when we do it repeatedly; but this new training system doesn’t recognise this fact.
We all know that you can get better and better at doing something as you learn more about it; but competency based training only recognises a person as being competent or not yet competent.
Old Systems simply don’t fit a New World
In the 20th century, we planned education well ahead of implementing it.
We would first of all, identify what courses were needed. After that, we would go through a series of stages: seeking input from a wide range of experts, then writing curriculum documentation to describe what should be taught, and finally developing course notes and lesson plans to match the curriculum documents. At each step, funding would need to be sought, and that process alone could take months if not years.
The whole traditional approach to developing a course was commonly something that might take five years to progress through. The final result would be that we would be teaching something that was based on perceptions formed five years earlier.
In the much faster paced 21st century, needs are changing faster than ever; and this demands an education planning approach that will respond quickly. Five years is simply not appropriate today; and yet, that is the way many institutions continue to work.
IARC ACCREDITATION
Accreditation of courses by IARC is a much faster procedure than the traditional 20th century approach.
Standards are still maintained; but there is minimal bureacracy involved, and a recognised institution can develop and deliver an accredited course within literally months of it being conceived.
WHERE TO GO FROM HERE
There are good and bad institutions everywhere. Accreditation or the name “university” alone does not mean it is good.
Be wary of anywhere that offers a lot: but requires either little work, or little in fees.
Any course that is worth while will cost something significant to run (whether that money comes from you or some funding body), and will require a significant amount of work to complete.
In my experience; employers the world over are increasingly employing people on the basis of what they know, and what the can do: not on the basis of whether they have a qualification endorsed by a particular committee or government authority.
If you want to ensure that a course is valuable, use some common sense and check out:
A/ The background of the institution & its staff
B/ The content and duration of the courses offered
…then make a wise, fully informed decision before enrolling in anything.
Why do a course that will not get you anywhere, just because it is accredited and funded by government?
by John Mason
Australian Correspondence Schools
Email admin@acs.edu.au
Web Site: http://www.acs.edu.au