Polytechnic Institute Australia (PIA) is an Institute of Higher Education accredited by the Tertiary Education Quality Agency (TEQSA), (Provider Number PRV14049) in, Australia. PIA is also a registered to offer courses to overseas students as a registered provider through the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) (CRICOS code 03535M).
PIA is located in the centre of Sydney, that strives to provide a creative, supportive and safe culture to assist both domestic and international students in realising their full career potential as professionals. PIA is fully equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, where studies can undertake undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.
Currently PIA offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in the following broad fields of study:
- Business
- Accounting
- Marketing
- Networking and Telecommunication
Professor Tarrant is a part-time Professor at the Law School of the University of Western Australia.
Professor Barber holds a First Class Honours degree from Flinders University, a PhD in experimental psychology from the University of Adelaide and a Doctor of the University (honoris causa) from Flinders University. In 2015, he retired as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of New England, Australia in order to pursue his interests in educational start-ups. Prior to serving as Vice-Chancellor at the University of New England, Professor Barber was Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at RMIT University in Melbourne, and served three terms as Head of Department at Flinders University before taking up the position of Dean at the University of Toronto in Canada. He is the author of more than 150 refereed journal articles and 6 books, and the winner of North America’s highest literary award for evidence-based practice, the Pro-Humanitate Medal, for his research into child welfare. He is a former winner of the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching at Flinders University and his contribution to higher education was formally recognised in a motion by the New South Wales Parliament in 2014. More recently in June 2021 Professor James Barber AM was appointed as a member of the Order of Australia, for his significant service to tertiary education administration, and to youth.
I have pursued a career in education at all levels and in a variety of contexts, working in the United Kingdom, Zambia, Hong Kong and Australia, all for substantial periods, together with short-term consultancies and secondments elsewhere in Africa, North America, Asia and the Pacific Rim. My experience includes teaching in schools, vocational and higher education institutions, long-term service as Principal of an international school in Zambia and as Head of the School of English at the principal teacher training institution in Hong Kong, founding Head of the Centre for International Education at the Hong Kong Institute of Education (later the Education University of Hong Kong) and Director, English Language and International Services at the University of New England. I hold a BA in Education and an MA and PhD in Applied Linguistics. I conduct constructive external reviews of higher education institutions in Australia and Papua New Guinea and provide consultancy support to a wide range of providers in the higher education sector. My areas of academic and practical interest are tertiary education leadership, governance and management, with a particular interest in change capability development and institutional quality assurance, driven by substantial experience in reviewing and working with tertiary institutions seeking to position themselves in the higher education space.
