AddressThe role of the Department of Education is to support Victorians to build prosperous, socially engaged, happy and healthy lives. It does this by supporting lifelong learning and healthy development, strengthening families and helping to equip people with the skills and knowledge for a 21st century economy and society.
The Department's responsibilities cover three overlapping stages of life:
Early childhood development (birth to eight) - covering health, learning and development services
School education (five to eighteen) - covering primary, secondary and special school services for children and young people from Prep to Year 12
Higher education and skills (fifteen and over) - covering higher education, vocational education and training, apprenticeships and traineeships, and adult, community and further education.
The goal over the next decade is to place Victoria's education and development outcomes into the global top tier. Four areas of focus that will contribute to measurable improvements are:
Achievement - raise standards of learning and development achieved by Victorians using education, development and child health services
Engagement - Increase the number of Victorians actively participating in education, development and child health services
Wellbeing - Increase the contribution education, development and child health services make to good health and quality of life for all Victorians, particularly children and young people
Productivity - Increase the economic and social return on expenditure on the Department's services.
The Department currently comprises of the following structure:
Seven central business areas ¿ Early Childhood and Education ; School Programs and Support, Higher Education and Skills Policy, Strategy and Performance; Schools and Regional Services ; Finance, Policy and Information Services; Victorian School Building Authority and People and Executive Services
Four Departmental regions ¿ North-Eastern Region; North-Western Region; South-Eastern Region; and South-Western Region
Three independent statutory authorities: the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA), the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) and the Merit Protection Board (MPB)
Staff work in a diverse range of roles across the Department. The Department recognises that its people are its greatest asset, and having the right people and culture are integral to fulfilling our goals. The Department strives to be an organisation that respects the skills and contribution of its people, and values innovation and collaboration.
The Department also works in conjunction with the following statutory bodies: Adult, Community and Further Education Board; Children's Services Coordination Board; Disciplinary Appeals Boards; Victorian Children's Council; and Victorian Institute of Teaching.
Further information about DE is available at www.education.vic.gov.au.
Role Context
Schools and Regional Services comprises 17 Areas within four regions across the state, as well as five central Divisions. The responsibilities of Regional Services include:
- Service delivery including performance, contract management, funding delivery and acquittal
- Program implementation including detailed implementation planning and delivery
- Local area engagement, advice, support and partnerships
- Workforce capability development, professional practice leadership and delivery
- Emergency management including critical incident response.
The Area-based regional operating model is designed to:
- Provide greater responsiveness, innovation and joined-up responses to local needs
- Enable a focus on place as an organising structure for schools and other services
- Enable regional staff to engage more effectively with our service providers, schools, students and learners, families and local communities, and to understand what they need
- Facilitate better relationships and collaborative networks that more effectively support learners to move more seamlessly through our education system and beyond
- Enable complex issues to be addressed through more targeted, integrated and coordinated responses.
