James Harper, National President of the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) has announced details of a new DIA Education Policy and Design Course Recognition programme.
The new DIA Education Policy takes into account changes in design course structure, qualification levels and the current skills surplus.
Officially launched at the DIA stand at designEX in Sydney recently, the associated Design Course Recognition programme will provide formal recognition of selected design courses and assist students and parents looking to identify appropriate design courses. It also aligns with the federal government’s Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), which is the national policy for regulated qualifications in the Australian education and training system.
According to James Harper, the new DIA Design Course Recognition programme will officially recognise courses at AQF level 6 (Advanced Diploma/ Associate Degree) and above for most disciplines and AQF level 5 (Diploma), for disciplines where this is the highest qualification available.
Institutions offering DIA-recognised design courses will maintain a conduit to the design profession via Educational Membership with the DIA, providing industry intelligence, awards programmes and access to professional designers who can provide input into curriculum reviews and sit on course advisory and review panels.
