Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement
Background to the project
On 10 January 2007, the then Minister for Education, Science and Training, the Hon Julie Bishop MP, announced that a consortium of universities had been commissioned to develop a single agreed template for an Australian version of the European Diploma Supplement. The successful consortium represented 14 universities led by the University of New England, the University of Melbourne, and the Australian National University. The project was jointly led by Professor Richard James, Director of the Centre for the Study of Higher Education (CSHE) at the University of Melbourne and Professor Lynn Meek (previously of the University of New England's Centre for Higher Education Management and Policy (CHEMP) and now Director of L H Martin Institute, University of Melbourne). The final report, Proposal for an Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement was presented to DEEWR in May 2008. On 04 September 2008 the Minister for Education the Hon Julia Gillard MP announced that the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement would be introduced "...to make Australian qualifications recognised and renowned throughout the world. ... The Australian Government has committed $3.7 million to assist publicly funded universities in implementing the Graduation Statement over the next three years."
Implementation
Australian universities were invited by the government to apply for grants of $100,000 to assist in the implementation of the Graduation Statement. A Guideline for the Presentation of an Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (link to DEEWR) has been developed to provide information for institutions intending to prepare Australian Higher Education Graduation Statements, including the content of the core and optional elements and some worked examples. This guideline should be read in conjunction with the Model for an Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (PDF 1MB). This document defines the principles of an Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement in terms of its purpose, relationship to other documentation, content and style, issuing and authentication. It is recommended that all Australian higher education institutions should provide the Graduation Statement to graduating students on completion of the requirements for higher education awards.
Final Report
Proposal for an Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement, Final Report to the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, Development of a National Diploma Supplement Project, 02 May 2008 (PDF 1.6MB) - The key recommendation from the Project is for the introduction of an Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement that will take the form of documentation provided to graduates by awarding institutions in addition to the degree or diploma certificate or testamur. Its purpose will be to make qualifications more portable and their value more transparent by providing descriptions of the nature, level, context and status of the studies that were pursued and completed by graduates, as well as information about the education system to which the qualification belongs.
Commissioned Studies (PDF 2.9MB) - The project commissionied 6 special projects in order to inform the development of the model, the reports for which are included in this download. These were:
1. The Diploma Supplement: An Analysis of the Current European Situation by Leo Goedegebuure and Peter Corrigan
2. Recommendations of the UK 'Burgess Group' by Grant Harman
3. Survey of Documentation Provided to Graduates and European Comparisons by Grant Harman, Jeannet van der Lee, Lynn Meek and Leo Goedegebuure
4. Diploma Supplement Pilot Projects 2002-2005 by Kerri-Lee Harris
5. The National Diploma Supplement and E-portfolios by Claire Brooks and Richard James
6. Preliminary Consultations with Employers, Recruiting Agencies and Professional Associations by Grant Harman
Further Reading
Please follow this link to access other documents relating to the project.