Co-operative education, standards and accreditation frameworks in Australia: an overview of gaps and opportunities

This report was commissioned in the context of the BCCMs Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) delivery of the Co-operative Farming Project. The authors were involved in the design and delivery of the Graduate Certificate in Co-operative Management and Organisation at the University of Newcastle, and the original commission assumed the ongoing delivery of co-operative education by the tertiary sector. Unfortunately the Graduate Certificate has since been disestablished at the University of Newcastle. In the absence of any current tertiary programmes specialising in co-operative organisation and management, this report provides an overview of the options for BCCM to enhance the delivery of education and training services by providing an overarching accreditation framework for co-operative education in Australia. The report considers where co-operative education fits within existing VET, tertiary accreditation systems and programs delivered by private industry associations. The report identifies gaps and opportunities for the BCCM to deliver quality outcomes in education and training to agricultural co-operatives and collaborative networks among farmers, fishers and foresters, but also to the sector more generally.