Welcome to:Introduction to the

VET sectorFacilitator:

Sheila Douglas

New to the industry?

Been around for a while, still a little confused??

Fairly sure you know your stuff, but would like some

confirmation???

Overview

• What is VET?

• The structure and components of the VET system

• Short history of VET in Australia

• The National Training System

• State and National regulatory mechanisms

• Key players

• Key resources

• Questions

What is VET?

VET – Quality features

Did you know that the Australian VET system is recognised as among the best in the world?

This is because it is

• industry led

• national, and aligned with international standards

• client (students and industry) focused

• regulated

What is VET?

VET is Vocational Education and Training. VET students and learners gain VET qualifications, and these qualifications form part of the Australian Qualifications Framework.

What does having a VET qualification mean?

•Broad industry knowledge and experience + relevant industry-related qualification

•Competency = demonstrated knowledge and practical skills

•Vocational competency is fundamentally considered on an industry basis – i.e. the skills that employers need

BUT more generic, ‘transferable’ knowledge and skills are increasingly important.

What is VET – what it provides

VET provides people, industries and the community with:

• skills for the workforce

• retraining

• upgraded skills

• advanced knowledge and skills

• ‘wraparound’ support

VET: a key driver of economic growth and prosperity in Australia

VET comprises accredited and non-accredited training:

Non-accredited training

•usually enterprise or product-specific

•not regulated by Government (but may be by industry)

Accredited (or nationally-recognised) training

•Designed to meet industry-wide requirements

•Government regulated (and can be industry regulated)

•Usually developed by Industry Skills Councils

•Must be delivered by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO)

What is VET? – types of training

Who delivers VET?

Approximately 4,850 Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in

Australia including:

• privately-owned training organisations

• not-for profit training organisations

• enterprise Registered Training Organisations

• publicly funded RTOs (e.g. TAFEs, public secondary schools)

The details of all RTOs are listed on the national register,

training.gov.au which is updated by RTO regulators.

Who benefits from VET?

• people from school age upwards and all backgrounds

• school leavers or students in the final years of schooling

• small and large businesses, across all industries and in many communities.

• students off-shore, under the same registration.

Where does VET take place?

• on the job eg in the workplace, as work-based apprenticeships and traineeships supervised by employers

• off the job eg. in face to face in a classroom

• by distance or online, or

• in combination, eg face to face and online or blended, eg a combination of on the job; off the job and on-line.

A brief history of VET in Australia1974 Landmark Report of the Australian Committee on Technical and Further Education (ACOTAFE), examining needs and priorities in technical and further education (TAFE)

1984 Committee of Inquiry into Labour Market Programs, resulting in the establishment of youth traineeships and other forms of work-based training.

1987 Skills for Australia policy introduced, focusing on improving training quality and youth employment opportunities.

1990 National Training Board (NTB) established to ratify vocational competency standards developed by national industry training advisory bodies.

1992 Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) Act established as independent statutory body to develop and implement VET policy.

1994 Australian VET Management Information Statistical Standard (AVETMISS) introduced to provide a national standard for collecting and analysing VET information.

1995 Education and training qualifications into the one national system of qualifications - Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

User choice principles, designed among other things to open up the training market to allow private providers to access public funds, introduced.

1999 First wave of training packages implemented.

2001 Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) introduced

2003 Industry Skills Councils established to replace existing industry advisory bodies

2005 ANTA abolished and its functions brought into the Federal Department of Education, Science and Technology (DEST).

2008 Council of Australian Governments (COAG) initiates major reforms to increase participation in VET in Australia, particularly higher-level VET.

Review of Australian Higher Education (Bradley Review) , examining the future direction of the higher education sector.

2010 National Youth Strategy for Young Australians launched

2011 ASQA, the national VET regulator established to register and audit registered training organisations (RTOs) and accredit VET courses in accordance with legislation.

2012 Skills for all Australians national education policy: includes a entitlement to training up to Certificate III and expanded access to income-contingent loans for diplomas/advanced diplomas.

National VET system - structure

Students

Employers and peak bodies

RTOs & peak bodies ISCs - Industry Skills Councils

AQFC – Australian Qualifications

Framework Council

State/Territory Ministers & Depts

State Industry Skills Advisory

Boards

Federal Minister& Department of

Industry

NCVER – National Council for Vocational

Education Research

Strategy and decision

Regulatory

Research & Vision

Industry & workforce

COAG Industry and Skills Council

COAG- Council of Australian Governments

(Reform Council)

ASQA – Australian Skills Quality

Authority

Under

review

What is the National Training System?

The national training system has three key elements:

1. Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) www.aqf.edu.au

2. National VET Quality Framework, regulated by ASQA

www.asqa.gov.au

3. Training Packages www.training.gov.au

1. Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)

www.aqf.edu.au

Level Secondary School VET Higher Education

1

Senior Secondary School Certificate

Certificate I

2 Certificate II

3 Certificate III

4 Certificate VI

5 Diploma

6 Advanced Diploma Associate Degree

7 Bachelor Degree

8

Bachelor Honours Degree

Masters Degree9

10 Doctoral Degree

Graduate Certificate

Graduate Diploma

2. VET Quality Framework (VQF)

What is the VET Quality Framework for?

• Greater consistency in registering and monitoring RTOs

• Greater consistency in enforcing VET standards

2. VET Quality Framework (VQF)

The VET Quality Framework consists of:

• Standards NVR (soon to become SRTO) – see following slides• Fit and Proper Person Requirements• Financial Viability Risk Assessment Requirements• Data Provision Requirements• Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF)

Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)

Overview of the national VET regulator - Australian Skills Quality Authority

•ASQA - the national regulator of RTOs and nationally accredited training•ASQA has been operating over most states and territories since 2011

What are Australian RTOs’ regulatory requirements?

RTOs must:•agree to the legislated terms andconditions of regulation•understand the conditions and standards•have policies, practices and procedures in place•keep on top of changes

Standards for RTOs

• ASQA is established by the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 and regulates RTOs.

• NVR RTOs must abide by legislated standards documented in the

Standards for NVR RTOs 2012 ( Essential standards for initial and

continuing registration) until 1st April 2015. After that date

“Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015” will

apply (SRTO2015)

Refer to: www.vetreform.industry.gov.au for further information

Standards for RTOs

• Some areas of change from NVR to SRTO include:

• Greater emphasis - industry consultation

• Clearer guidelines - External Independent Validation

• Tighter requirements - addressing learners needs.

• Requirement of TAE trainers: 1 of the following:

Diploma of VET

Diploma of Training Design and Development

Higher level qualification in adult education.

• Clearer guidelines - “volume of learning”

But just to confuse matters….

• Most RTOs are regulated by ASQA

• But some Victorian RTOs are regulated by the Victorian Registration

and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) and must adhere to the AQTF

Standards and VRQA Guidelines

• Some WA RTOs are regulated by the Training Accreditation Council

(TAC).

• All Victorian and WA RTOs operating outside their home state or

which are CRICOS registered to teach overseas students

Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA)

Annual Reporting to ASQARTOs must report annually to ASQA:

RTO’s need to report annually:• Quality Indicator data which includes data on:

– Competency completion– Learner engagement, and– Employer satisfaction

Processes for collecting data include:• Assessment validation and/or moderation • Benchmarking with high performing RTOs • Surveys, focus groups, SWOT analyses, interviews, discussions

Key quality indicators

Employer satisfaction

Learner perceptions, engagement and

support

Competency completions

3. Training Packages

What are Training Packages?

•Sets of nationally endorsed standards and qualifications

•Developed by Industry Skills Councils (ISCs) in consultation with industry,RTOs, government (there are changes underway relating to ISC’s)

•Recognise and assess skills and knowledge in skills areas and specific industries

3. Training Packages

How do RTOs use Training Packages?

•To deliver structured nationally accredited training, which results in issuing of nationally recognised qualifications

•To meet specific or general industry skills needs – current and changing through the electives on offer in particular

•Training Packages are a framework – it’s up to RTOs to customise – they do not provide the delivery nor assessment material

Changes to Industry Skills Councils – A new model

https://education.gov.au/news/new-arrangements-training-product-development-australian-industry

Industry Reference

Committees (IRC’s)

Skills Service

Organisations (SSO’s)

IRC’s will be used as the method to ensue communication between

industry and training policy. Will guide development of training

packages.

Support the IRC’s via administrative, technical and operation

support.

Australian Industry and Skills Committee

Advises on VET quality instruments

Endorses Qualifications

Provide industry input to guide VET research

Provide industry input to ministerial council.

Allocates work to SSO’s

Assign new IRC’s or re-assign IRC

Changes to Industry Skills Councils:

June to July 2-15 – Invitation to IndustryAugust – September 2015: Assessment and NegotiationsOctober – November 2015: EstablishmentJanuary 2016: Fully operational

https://education.gov.au/news/new-arrangements-training-product-development-australian-industry

Foundation Skills andFoundation Skills Training Package (FSK)

Another new change: Foundation Skills

What are Foundation Skills?

http://governmentskills.com.au/foundation-skills

Foundation Skills continued…

http://governmentskills.com.au/foundation-skills

Foundation Skills continued…

• Foundation skills are included in all courses as they are updated.

• The delivery and assessment of Foundation Skills is mandatory in the updated training packages.

• Information on foundation skills to be included in TAS

• Some updated training packages have mapped foundation skills.

• Others provide a companion volume to assist you to do this task.

http://governmentskills.com.au/foundation-skills

Foundation Skills continued…

The FSK Foundation Skills Training Package :

• designed to work in combination with all Training Package

• FSK units and qualifications identify specific LLN skills and

knowledge

• 91 units in total + three qualifications.

http://governmentskills.com.au/foundation-skills

Foundation Skills continued…

FSK10113

Certificate I in Access to Vocational Pathways

ACSF Level 1

FSK10213

Certificate I in Skills for Vocational Pathways

ACSF Level 2

FSK20113

Certificate II in Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways

ACSF Level 3

Additional Units on :

Digital Literacy, Learning, Reading, Writing,

Oral Communication and Numeracy

Code of PracticeCode of Ethics

The Codes establish the professional standards expected of education and

training providers.

They detail a framework for agents and brokers working or partnering with an

ACPET member, to provide students, the community and government with

confidence in the integrity of the agents/brokers used by ACPET members.

-See more at: http://www.acpet.edu.au/members/codes-of-practice/#sthash.rr8e45dm.dpuf

Code of PracticeTo provide confidence to students, industry and government, the Australian

Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) has, with the support of

its members, developed a Code of Practice for using the services of

agents/brokers (the Code).

The Code is intended to provide students with a clear statement of the

standards which they can expect from ACPET member organisations in

their dealings with them and their nominated representative, including the

agents/brokers which they use to attract students.

See more at: http://www.acpet.edu.au/members/codes-of-practice/#sthash.rr8e45dm.dpuf

Code of EthicsAs a condition of admission to, and continuing, membership of the Australian

Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET), all members must agree to

abide by the ACPET Code of Ethics.

This Code affirms the professional standards expected of education and training

providers. Members are required to act with integrity in all dealings with

students (past, present and future), employers, with ACPET, and with other

organisations

See more at: http://www.acpet.edu.au/members/codes-of-practice/#sthash.rr8e45dm.dpuf

Key resources

• www.training.gov.au (for Training Package updates and registration data)

E-Newsletters/social media

• ACPET National Monday Update (members only publication)

• ACPET on Facebook

• ACPET on LinkedIn

• ACPET on Twitter

• Relevant ISC E-Newsletters

VET professional development workshops

• ACPET – www.acpet.edu.au/services/professional-development/

More key resources

Compliance

• ASQA – www.asqa.gov.au or

VRQA – www.vrqa.gov.au or

TAC – www.tac.wa.gov.au

• all important documents on standards across VET (RTOs, Training

Packages, Regulators, etc) – ASQA website

• all important information about VET data– NCVER website

• Training Package changes: individual ISC websites

• ACPET Codes of Ethics and Practice www.acpet.edu.au/codes

Questions? Next steps?

Questions?