A Study Of The Dual-sector Interaction In Australian Tertiary Education And Its Implications

The globalization of economy and the rapid advancement in science and techonology bring new requirements and challenges to talents cultivation and labor supply. Cultivating talents with both academic knowledge and practical skills is one of the important and effective ways not only to meet the social and economic demands for labour force, but also to relieve the structural unemployment. Therefore, it is urgent to deepen the reform between education and training, especially between general higher education and vocational education in the tertiary sector. Only by breaking the isolated and non-communicative situation between the two sectors and strengthening the interaction and cooperation, can the learners and labor force achieve free movement between the two secotrs and acquire the knowledege and skills necessary to social and economic development.The advanced and well-developed education and training system in Australia has gained global reputation. The active interaction between VET (vocational education and training) and higher education is a salient feature in its tertiary education.The AQF (Australian Qualifications Framewrk) can not only guarantee the learners’smooth movement and transfer between various levels and types of education, but also provide opportunities for learners’lifelong learning. Meanwhile, this feature also enchances the competitiveness of Australian education, particularly tertiary education in international education market and attracts a large number of interantional students to move orderly between its higher education and vocational education. However, the terminal characteristic of higher vocational education in China restricts its development and interaction with general higher education.With the rise of lifelong learning concept and the ever-changing requirements for talents in social development, higher vocational education with only a single level and second-rate status can not meet learners’needs of moving between different types and levels of education and are not contributive to the all-round development of talents as well as pre-and post-service training.This study, based on the theories of mass higher education and lifelong education, develops into five parts.The study first introduces the general situation, background and historical development of the interaction between VET and higher education in Australian tertiary education, analyses the interactive characteristics of institutes, management, curriculum and students in a specific way, then gives a summary of the positive effects of the interaction and also points out the existing problems. Finally, by comparing with the interactive development between higher vocational education and general higher education in China, this study attempts to find out the problems and limitations in China’s tertiary education and learn the advanced experience form Australia. The purpose of this study is to help find a two-way moving mechanisim between higher vocational education and general higher education in Chinese context and provide practical guidance for the talents cultivation in China’s tertiary education, alleviate structural unemployment and widen the pathway for lifelong educaiton.