Magazine article
What’s in a name? Enabling education in Australia
Needed Now in Learning and Teaching
07/04/2025
Metrics
86 Record Views
Abstract
Enabling education began in Australia in 1974 with the establishment of the Open Foundation program at the University of Newcastle. It has since expanded, with 48 programs operating in universities across Australia in 2024 and more starting up in 2025. Enabling education has been defined legislatively as a course “provided to a person for the purpose of enabling that person to undertake a course leading to a higher education award” but that does not in itself lead to an award either within universities or in the VET sector. This definition is elaborated upon by the National Association of Enabling Educators (NAEEA): enabling programs are those that “prepare students for undergraduate study”, including by developing their academic preparedness and discipline-specific knowledges. Enabling education operates free of cost to domestic students who do not meet the current entry requirements to enter their chosen undergraduate level program. Therefore, such courses have been identified as key to widening educational participation, especially for students from recognised equity backgrounds.
In 2024, off the back of the Universities Accord recommendations, the Australian Government announced significant changes to enabling programs – which it renamed “FEE-FREE Uni Ready” (FFUR) courses – including $350 million in funding (at a flat rate of $18,278 per full-time student) and increased student places. The government also committed to work with providers to “professionalise and increase the quality and consistency of courses” and improve their “portability”.
Details
- Title
- What’s in a name? Enabling education in Australia
- Creators
- Emma Hamilton - University of NewcastleMatthew Budd - James Cook UniversityKieran Balloo - Southern Cross UniversitySally Baker - Australian National University
- Publication Details
- Needed Now in Learning and Teaching
- Publisher
- Professor Sally Kift, Victoria University
- Identifiers
- 991013291353502368
- Copyright
- © 2025 The Author.
- Academic Unit
- SCU College
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Magazine article
- Local Fields
- Evidence Based Practice - SoLT