The Federal Government recently announced that it will abolish the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) as part of a fundamental shake-up of the vocational education and training (VET) sector
The Federal Government recently announced that it will abolish the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) as part of a fundamental shake-up of the vocational education and training (VET) sector. Prime Minister Howard said the move would bring about “significant administrative savings” with a possible reduction in funding for the TAFE system. Howard said industry would be given a greater role and a new department of vocational and technical education will take over ANTA’s responsibilities, along with a ministerial council on vocational education. The decision comes on the heels of Howard’s pre-election promise to set up 24 trades-oriented colleges that will duplicate the work currently done by public TAFE institutes.
Chandler Macleod partners with Universitas 21 Global
Chandler Macleod Group recently signed a partnership with Universitas 21 Global, the world’s leading online graduate business school. Under the agreement, Chandler Macleod Group will represent Universitas 21 Global across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands to promote the world’s first global online MBA program. The program is a joint venture between Thomson Learning and Universitas 21, an international network of 16 universities such as University of British Columbia, University of Birmingham and the University of Melbourne. The MBA program was launched throughout Asia in August 2003 and since then, Universitas 21 Global has enrolled over 400 students from more than 25 countries around the globe.
Human Resources newsletter launched
The life of HR practitioners across Australia and throughout the world will soon be irrevocably changed for the better following Australia’s leading fortnightly publication dedicated to the HR industry, Human Resources, launching its electronic newsletter. The eNewsletter provides subscribers with breaking information on events in the HR industry, with news, analysis and insightful opinion from leading industry figures. The eNewsletter features regular updates on the latest HR news as well as HR strategy, attraction & retention, technology, employment law, leadership and interviews with industry gurus. For details log on to www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au and enter your email address in the eNewsletter field.
Bankers and lawyers a miserable bunch: survey
They may be famous for having high salaries, long lunches and fancy cars, but bankers and lawyers are the unhappiest workers in the country according to recent research. Fifty-five per cent of legal sector employees and 52 per cent of workers in the banking and financial sector reported that they are unhappy with their current job, according to a SEEK survey of 6,000 employees. Across all employment sectors, people earning above $150,000 per annum are the most likely to be unhappy at work (49 per cent), while those earning less than $15,000 a year have the fewest unhappy workers (31 per cent). On the other side of the coin, consulting (39 per cent) and education and science (38 per cent) are the industry sectors with the highest number of workers who are happy with their jobs.
Seminars to explain Victorian common rule awards
The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations will hold a number of seminars in November/December to assist employers in understanding how Victorian common rule awards will apply to their business. Held throughout the metropolitan area and major regional centres in Victoria, the seminars will cover issues such as common rule awards, who they’ll apply to, when they’ll apply, impact upon business and options for agreement making. The first federal awards to be declared common rule in Victoria will take effect from January 2005. The seminars run for a half-day and for seminar locations, dates and times, go to the Victorian seminar series 2004 page at www.wagenet.gov.au.
CSR’s link to bottom line
While tangible business indicators such as brand, product quality and leadership strength remain most important to impacting stakeholders’ opinions of corporations, the business intangibles of CSR and customer relationships have become significantly more important to regional stakeholders in 2004. There has been an important shift in stakeholder attitudes and expectations of corporations as they relate to managing long-term relationships, according to Alan VanderMolen, President, Asia Pacific, Edelman. As stakeholders evaluate their relationships with corporations, he said they are increasingly focused on how corporations treat their customers and their communities. VanderMolen cited a study which found a five-fold increase in the number of respondents who cited good service as a key attribute when forming opinions about managing long-term relationships with corporations.
