News 17 Feb – economic crisis, Mallard the mediator and focaccia

February 17th 2010 at 9:39am, By Dave Guerin

  1. The OECD has released a paper on the impact of the economic crisis on education. It is based on a survey last June and is worth a quick skim for people interested in wider policy issues. I’ll be including more international content in the blog from now on, as many other people are dealing with much the same issues as us in NZ.
  2. In a long-simmering parking dispute at Weltec, Trevor Mallard (the local MP) is now stepping in to help resolve matters – and his approach sounds quite reasonable. Good luck to him though, as sorting out parking issues between residents and Weltec will be tough.
  3. Tairawhiti Polytechnic hosted a whakatau for its new students, attracting 300-400, which was a great number for them.
  4. In a regular cooking series, an Otago Polytechnic chef can today show you how to make focaccia (ODT).
  5. If you’re interested in VET capability, here are two Aussie reports. The National Centre for Vocational Education Research has released a paper titled Building capability in vocational education and training providers: The TAFE cut. John Mitchell and Associates has released a related National Survey of Vocational Education and Training (VET) Practitioner Skills. What I miss in NZ is that such papers, if ever produced, would be years apart, whereas in Australia that are both released within 12 days. Regardless of the findings (the current skill levels of the average Australian VET trainer and assessor meet only 80% of this group’s professional work requirements according to the JMA report p.8), the papers provide a useful framework for debate. Here, we’d be more likely to resort to anecdote or rhetoric (or both).

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