Accreditation 27 June 2018

Course accreditation

Report on accreditation of two higher education courses of study offered by TAFE SA

On 27 June 2018, the Commission:

• Revoked, under section 185 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act), the reviewable decision made by a delegate of TEQSA to reject the application by TAFE SA for accreditation of the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and the Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship.
• Accredited, under section 49 of the TEQSA Act, the following courses offered by TAFE SA, for a period of four years from the date of decision:

1. Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship
2. Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship

• Imposed, under section 53 of the TEQSA Act, two conditions on the accreditation of the Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and the Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship offered by TAFE SA.

Condition 1: Workforce Plan

TAFE SA must not enrol students in or commence delivery of the course until TEQSA notifies the provider that TEQSA is satisfied that TAFE SA has a suitable workforce plan for the course(s) which specifies:

1. the names of academic leaders and unit coordinators for each unit in the course;
2. the qualifications and relevant professional experience held by those staff members;
3. whether those staff members teach at another higher education provider or registered training organisation;
4. if a staff member does not hold a qualification in a relevant discipline at least one AQF level above the course in which they are teaching, details of the basis on which TAFE SA determined that the staff member holds professional experience equivalent to such a qualification; and
5. the scholarly activity or research undertaken in the preceding calendar year and any funding support provided by TAFE SA towards that activity.

Condition 2: Staffing arrangements and scholarly activity

By 31 March 2019 and each year thereafter, TAFE SA must provide to TEQSA:

1. A report which includes a list of all academic staff engaged to teach into the course of study, and for each staff member, the nature of their appointment (i.e. casual, fixed term or continuing including fraction where applicable), the units taught, the scholarly or research activities undertaken in the preceding calendar year and any funding support provided by TAFE SA towards that activity.
2. Evidence by way of meeting minutes that the report has been considered by the relevant TAFE SA governing bodies which includes any action in response.

Main reasons for the decision

TEQSA made these decisions in light of risks that the courses submitted by TAFE SA may not meet, or continue to meet, standard 3.2.3 in Part A of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2015.

TEQSA's assessment considered TAFE SA's arrangements for delivery at all Australian sites.