An Australian report has proposed the creation of degree-level apprenticeships, in the latest attempt to revive a decade-old push to intertwine the country¡¯s higher and vocational education sectors.

The report from the country¡¯s six dual-sector institutions, which provide both degree-level and vocational qualifications, says the apprenticeship model ¨C combining paid work-based learning with formal training ¨C has ¡°potential benefits in areas beyond the traditional trades¡±.

¡°Apprenticeships can be offered for researchers employed in knowledge intensive firms and at degree and postgraduate levels,¡± the report says. ¡°They need not be limited to the vocational education and training system.

¡°There is a strong case to extend apprenticeships to higher qualification levels to meet the deepening and intensifying skills needs of Australian industry.¡±

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The report says such a reform would require Commonwealth employer incentive payments, currently restricted to vocational-level training, to be extended to new industries and occupations.

The proposal is among a slew of reforms aimed at breathing new life into the ¡°broader tertiary education system¡± envisaged a decade ago by the Bradley Review of higher education.

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¡°Despite the Bradley Review proposals, connections between the higher education and VET systems have ¨C if anything ¨C weakened as differences in governance, funding and regulation have become entrenched,¡± the report says.

¡°Enrolments in higher education have grown rapidly, although funding has now been capped, while VET enrolments in publicly funded courses are lower than they were a decade ago as public investment in VET has declined.¡±

The report says several recent reports have revisited the Bradley proposals, with some arguing for a single integrated system. Such proposals have ¡°substantial merit but carry risks in terms of the cost and complexity of system integration and the loss of differentiation and diversity,¡± it says.

¡°They are also not likely to be agreed by the states and territories,¡± it adds.

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The report advocates retaining the ¡°key characteristics and distinctive contributions¡± of the current systems. This would involve strengthening vocational training where required, connecting the two systems through ¡°a determined focus on student pathways¡± and redressing distortions caused by ¡°anomalies and inconsistencies in funding¡±.

The report proposes ¡°common policy principles¡± including funding that is ¡°demand driven, system neutral and priced to meet diverse needs¡±. The Australian Qualifications Framework would require reforms that ¡°support learner centred pathways across the continuum of AQF qualifications¡±.

The report is signed by the vice-chancellors of Central Queensland University, Charles Darwin University in the Northern Territory and Swinburne, Victoria, Federation and RMIT universities in Victoria.

It has emerged amid a major review of the AQF which is scheduled for completion in September. Meanwhile the opposition Labor party has promised its own major review of post-school education if it wins the federal election expected next month. The election¡¯s date is expected to be announced within days.

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john.ross@timeshighereducation.com