This document discusses challenges and opportunities for student support services in the changing vocational education and training (VET) environment. It provides an overview of Hunter TAFE, which has 65,000 enrollments across 15 campuses. It outlines the student support services available and analyzes student demographic data, showing an increasing number of younger students and those with disabilities. It argues that with shrinking resources and an emphasis on course completion, targeted support for at-risk students is needed to help them succeed in their studies.

1. Challenges and opportunities
for post-secondary student
support services in the context
of the changing VET
environment
April Carlin
Service Manager
Careers, Counselling & Pathways Service
Reaching Your Destination
Hunter TAFE
29 July 2013

2. 2 Overview: The presentation will cover
• Understanding the student profile, and
emerging needs
• Use of technology, collaborative efforts
and student centred service delivery
• How student support services can better
facilitate course completion

3. 3 Hunter TAFE
15 Campuses
spanning from
Gosford to
Tomaree to
Muswellbrook
and Scone
65 000
enrolments

4. 4 Hunter TAFE Student Support Services
• Careers, Counselling & Pathways Service
• Disability Services
• Multicultural Education Unit
• Aboriginal Education & Training Unit
(Purrimaibahn)
• Course Information, Libraries, Recognition
• Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program
• Open Learning Centres, TAFE Tutorial program
• Reaching Your Destination

5. provides students enrolled with Hunter TAFE
access to a range of services in 3 main areas:
1. Career Development
2. Educational Effectiveness
3. Personal Issues
5 Careers, Counselling & Pathways Service

6. 6 Snapshot - Hunter TAFE Students
2012 enrolment data
44% males
56% females

7. Snapshot – CC&PS Clients7
41%
59%
Males
Females

8. 8 Hunter TAFE Students - 2012 data
Location Under 30’s % 15-19 yr olds
Belmont 66%
Glendale 54%
Kurri Kurri 65%
Maitland 69% 40%
Cessnock 68% 40%
Muswellbrook 70% 44%
Newcastle 48%
Ourimbah 66% 36%
Wyong 58% 35%
Gosford 49% 28%

9. 9 Who we see – by age.
9%
26%
32%
30-39
22%
11%
Under 16
17-19
20-29
30-39
Over 40

10. Careers, Counselling & Pathways Service
2011 2012
Instances of service 5825 5734
• Disability 30 % 21 %
• Mental Health 8 % 13 %
• Suicide 1 % <1 %
• Single parents 4.6 % 5 %
• ATSI 1.5 % 1.6 %
• LOTE 8.7% 9.7 %
10 Who do we see?

11. 11 Snapshot – CC&PS Client issues
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
Educational Careers Personal Financial Other
Series1

12. Data in 10 categories is collected:
Vision Hearing
Physical Intellectual
Learning Mental Illness
Acquired Brain Injury
Multiple
Other
Disability data12

13. 13 Potential Need
In 2012 8.3 % of enrolments identified as having a
disability.
This equates to over 5000 enrolments.

14. 2012 Disability data by type - 201214
0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500
01 VISION
02 HEARING-DEAF
03 PHYSICAL
04 INTELLECTUAL
05 MEDICAL CONDITION
06 MENTAL ILLNESS
07 ACQUIRED BRAIN IM
08 LEARNING
09 OTHER
10 MULTIPLE

15. • Increased focus on importance
of completion and therefore
earlier engagement
• Shrinking resources at state
level
• Changes to participation
requirements for Centrelink
benefit recipients
15 Changing VET sector

16. 16 An opportunity - Targeted support

17. 17 Your Checklist for Success

18. 18 Potential Need
In 2012 8.3 % of enrolments identified as having a
disability.
This equates to over 5000 enrolments.
If all students with some degree of disadvantage
requested assistance we would be overwhelmed.

19. Current initiatives
•Your Everyday Solutions YES -
you can get it sorted
19 Opportunity

20. Current initiatives
•SUCCESS – Students
Undertaking Course Completion
Enhancement StrategieS
20 Opportunity

21. 21 Thank you