The Continuing Education Needs of Academic Staff: Senior College Staff in TAFE.

Interviews intended to discover the best ways of meeting the continuing education needs of senior Technical and Further Education (TAFE) staff were conducted with 250 individuals from 17 TAFE colleges throughout Australia. The study population consisted of principals, deputy principals, department heads, and heads of schools who spend 50 percent or more of their time on administrative activities. The following are among the areas in which respondents felt further staff development is necessary: planning for the college's future (corporate planning, rational decision making, analysis of community needs, organizational management); staff management (committee managcment skills, motivation techniques, delegating and conflict resolution skills, team skills, training in organizational and group dynamics); college administration (financial management and budgeting, business practices, relationship between individual colleges and the TAFE authority, entre ')reneurship); educational leadership (keeping current with relevant educational developments, encouraging staff development, developing a vision of TAFE within staff, being accountable, encouraging innovation); communication skills (person-to-person, group, telephone, and written communication skills; linking and networking skills; assertiveness training; and public relations and negotiation skills); and additional professional capacities (time management, report writing, policy implementation, computer literacy, and behavior management techniques). Individualized staff development programs and mechanisms to give special consideration to the needs of underrepresented groups were also deemed r..Icessary. (MN) TAFE NATIONAL CENTRE FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT N.. U.R. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ITN Office Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION C) CENTEER 0 This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organitation 03 originating it 0 Minor changes have been made to Improve C\I reproduction quality C:I Points of view or opinionsstated in this docir ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY