Projects: Advocacy and Issues Management

In 2003 the Advocacy and Issues Management project aimed to influence government policy and regulation (State and Commonwealth) and to influence the debate around education and its public values (social, economic, cultural). The project's key goal was to secure the necessary policy and regulatory changes needed to enable flexible learning approaches to be fully integrated into training delivery and business practices.

The project did this by:

• Utilising the high quality, broad ranging and incisive work done within the Framework to date, to develop the positions and messages for advocacy; and
• Taking these messages to the wider VET sector and more broadly into the other education sectors and beyond.

The primary objectives for the Advocacy and Issues Management project in 2003 were to:

• Assist the Flexible Learning Advisory Group (FLAG) and other key Framework stakeholders to engage the wider VET sector in the organisational, policy and regulatory changes needed to enable flexible learning approaches to be fully integrated into training delivery and business practices, through rigorously planned and well supported advocacy
• Advocate with key stakeholders (outside VET), influencers and decision makers for policy and regulatory changes needed to enable flexible learning approaches to be fully integrated into training delivery and business practices. The focus of this advocacy is external to the VET sector.
• Identify existing and new regulatory and key policy issues arising from 2002 and 2003 projects that required advocacy and manage these issues within the Framework so as to facilitate and enable effective advocacy
• Collate the information and develop resources necessary to facilitate and support advocacy and engagement activities by working closely with other projects within the Communications and Leadership Program and with other Programs across the Framework
• Develop the advocacy skills of FLAG members and selected Leaders and Fellows and other key VET staff
• Establish strong links with other Framework Programs and Projects to ensure a co-ordinated and consistent effort that makes effective use of resources and knowledge developed.

The planned project outputs included:

• A VET position on Bandwidth (building upon the 2002 Bandwidth report) will be developed, endorsed by ANTA CEOs and advocated effectively to appropriate external decision makers
• A VET position on Digital Copyright (building upon the 2002 Expert Advisory Group report) will be developed, endorsed by ANTA CEOs and advocated effectively to appropriate external decision makers
• FLAG positions on three other key policy and/or regulatory issues and strategies are developed to advocate these positions to appropriate decision makers
• Workshops to develop advocacy skills of FLAG members and other identified individuals.

Jennifer Dunbabin
Project Manager, Advocacy and Issues Management
Office of Post Compulsory Education and Training
99 Bathurst Street
GPO Box 169B
HOBART TAS 7000

Phone: (03) 6233 7960
Fax: (03) 6234 6806
jennifer.dunbabin@education.tas.gov.au