Efficiency and Effectiveness in the Australian Technical and Further Education System

Abstract

The beginnings of the Australian TAFE system can be traced back to the early 19th century when the first Mechanics Institutes were established in Tasmania and New South Wales. Since then, a growing population and the increasing need for a skilled workforce have led to an expanding network of modern TAFE institutes across Australia. Constraints on the public purse, stakeholder demands for transparency and accountability and the ever increasing availability of data have in recent decades seen a growing trend for performance measurement in public institutions, including TAFE institutes. In this study, we investigate aspects relating to the measurement of effectiveness and efficiency in the Australian TAFE system, using predominantly publicly available data. The empirical analyses are presented in a portfolio-based format composed of three separate, but interrelated papers. Our portfolio seeks to make a contribution to the development of quantitative methods in the field of vocational education research, with a strong emphasis on practical usability of such methods.