Other Updates

Secretariat for the Strategic Cross-sectoral Data Committee

SECRETARIAT FOR THE STRATEGIC CROSS-SECTORAL DATA COMMITTEE

The ABS provides the Secretariat for the Strategic Cross-sectoral Data Committee (SCDC) for Early Childhood, Education and Training.

The SCDC sits in the Standing Council committee structures both for early childhood, education and youth, and for tertiary education and employment. The SCDC has a particular focus on data sharing and data integration including the Transforming Education and Training Information in Australia proposal and supports a major program of statistical development across the education and training sectors, including the development of common data standards, definitions and metadata. Key information about the SCDC, its membership and publications are available on the National Statistical Service website.

The SCDC membership includes senior officials from government education and information agencies. The Committee provides advice to Ministers through the Australian Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Senior Officials Committee (AEEYSOC) and National Senior Officials Committee (NSOC) (through the Data and performance Measurement Principal Committee (DPMPC)).

An independent review of the SCDC was undertaken in early 2013 as per the original SCDC Terms of Reference. The purpose of the Review was to consider the Committee’s achievement against its stated aim and purpose. The findings and recommendations from the review were presented to the Data Performance Measurement and Principle Committee and the Australian Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs Senior Officials Committee in July 2013. The Chair of SCDC is planning a workshop with senior officials to discuss the outcomes of the review and the Transforming Education and Training Information in Australia (TETIA) initiative in November 2013.


The Transforming Education and Training Information in Australia proposal

The TETIA initiative provides an overarching vision, strategic and staged approach to transform and coordinate continued improvements to cross-sectoral early childhood, education, higher education and training information in Australia over the next five to ten years. TETIA has been led to date by the ABS, on behalf of the SCDC, through extensive consultation with education and training stakeholders.

The Standing Council on School Education and Early Childhood (SCSEEC) and Standing Council on Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment (SCOTESE) endorsed the TETIA proposal in May and June 2013, including the following five to ten year vision.

'A world-class early childhood, education, higher education and training information strategy in Australia, supported by integrated, enduring, high quality, accessible cross-sectoral data enabling a longitudinal and productivity outcomes focussed view of Australian early childhood development, education and training for all Australians.'

The Standing Councils also endorsed a number of strategies and associated outcomes that aim to realise this vision, underpinned by a national coordinated effort to support improved educational outcomes from a solid evidence base. The current arrangements in relation to SCDC funding were extended for one year (2013–14) to enable the continuation of priority work to develop the TETIA strategic plan and three year work program through extensive consultation with stakeholders.

The 2013–14 SCDC/TETIA Forward Work Program was endorsed by SCSEEC in July 2013 and will be circulated to SCOTESE out of session in the next couple of months.

For more information, email scdcsecretariat@abs.gov.au