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ASQA Parliamentary Criticism Echo Sectors Concerns

The re gulator for the vocational education and training (VET) sector, the Australian Skills Quality Authority
(AS QA), has been criticised by Andrew Laming MP in a hard -hitting speech to parliament. According to the
Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (I TECA), the peak body representing independent providers
in the higher education, vocational education and training sector, the v iews of Mr Laming echo those of most
quality independent providers in the VET sector.

Mr Lam ing ‘s speech canvassed the experience of many providers in dealing with ASQA. It highlighted how
award -winning RTOs are being accu sed of failing to meet regulatory standards for min or technical bre aches of
the l egislation or on matters that have no bearing on student quality such as the colo ur of a logo on a website.

ITECA encour ages all with an interest in t he challenges facing quality RTO ‘s to list en to the speech. It was
made in parliament on 31 July 2019 and can be found online at.

www. youtu.be/bNnwn5gY8OM
“The experience of many ITECA members can be found in Mr Lami ng’s comments. He ‘s drawn attent ion
to how ASQA ‘s app roach keeps good people running quality RTO s up at night,” said Troy Williams, ITECA
Chief Ex ecutive.

Mr Lam ing ‘s speech h ighlighted how many quality RTO ‘s face the wrath of ASQA for compliance issues that
ha ve little to no outcome on the provision of quality providing of training to s tudents.

“ITECA isn ‘t calling for the regulatory system t o be wound -back, s imply that the approach of ASQA be
modified to focus less on what Mr Lam ing c orre ctly called a dmi nistrivia,” Mr Williams said.

In his comments Mr Laming said “Ever y provider I spo ke to said that if there were to be another provider
engaged in fraud, mismanagement or irrespo nsible training practice of course they should be driven from the
training system “. ITECA supports this view without qualification.

The work of ASQA was consider ed in the report Strengthening Skills: Expert Review of Australia’s Vocationa l
Education and Training System autho red by Mr Stephen Jo yce and commi ssioned by the Australian
Government. ITECA believes this report sets a roadmap for reform that will help quality RT Os.

“ITECA and our members are supportive of the board direction set out in the Joyce report and we ‘re
comfo rted by the en gagement that we ‘ve had at a Ministerial and department al l eve l to assist the
government develop an appropr iate response,” Mr Williams sa id.

/Public Release. View in full here.
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ITECA – TAFE SA Partnership Heralds New Training Era In South Australia

The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) represents independent providers in the higher
education, vocational education and training sectors. It has entered into a new agreement with TAFE SA that
is designed to foster collaboration bet ween independent and pubic providers of vocational education and
training (VET) and TAFE SA to support students get the skills they need to support a growing economy.

The agreement will see ITECA and TAFE SA working together through joint policy priorities, professional
development initiatives, closer liaison regarding the scope of delivery offered by providers and access for
independent providers to publicly owned resources.

“This is an important agreement that signals the intent of the ITECA membership and TAFE SA to provide
the workforce with the skills that the South Australian workforce will need into the future,” said Troy
Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.

Beyond looking at what type of training is most needed, the agreement also paves the way for independent
providers to use TAFE SA’s facilities to support the provision of courses.

“This innovative agreement will enable all education and training providers, both public and independent.

to complement each other ensuring maximum benefit from the expertise and resources available in the
VET sector. As a result, South Australia will obtain greater value from the increased use of taxpayer -funded
facilities with benefits going to those in training.” Mr Williams said.

The South Australia n Education Minister, John Gardne r MP, said that this agreement is an important step
that ensures government and industry are working together to deliver the workforce South Australia needs
in the future.

“South Australian students and employers are the biggest winners from this announcement, which will see
both organisations strive to better coordinate course offerings and ensure the needs of industry across the
state are being met,” Minister Gardner said.

The ITECA State Of The Sector Report shows that in 2019 there were of the VET students resident in South
Australia, 134,700 were with an independent Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and 52,1200 with
TAFE SA.

“Th ese student numbers highlight the importance of th e relationship between the ITECA membership and
TAFE SA in suppo rting the training and reskilling of South Australia. It’s an agreement that serves as a
model for what can be achieved nationally when independent providers and the public TAFE system look at
the student needs and develop collaborative approaches that pu ts them first,” Mr Williams said.

/Public Release. View in full here.
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Time for a radical overall of nation’s skills funding system

The peak body representing independent higher education, vocational education and training providers is calling for radical reform of how the workforce is educated, trained and reskilled. The advocacy by the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) is backed by new research that highlights the benefits of placing student choice at the centre of the funding model.

“In the years ahead Australia will face constraints as a result of not having a workforce with the skills required to meet the demands of a changing economy. The training system needs to support a culture of life‐long learning where constant reskilling is the norm. The challenge for governments Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.

The 2019 ITECA State Of The Sector Report released this week provides the evidence required to overhaul the funding arrangements that underpin Australia’s vocational education and training system. The report highlights that, by virtually any measure, independent achieve outcomes equal to or better than public providers.

“We need one tertiary education funding model that supports students throughout their working lives and allows them to transit between the higher education and vocational education and training sectors. This will support a culture of life‐long learning,” Mr Williams said.

ITECA believes that present policy settings are unlikely to provide Australia with the skills needed to support an economy in which rapidly changing technology is the norm. The demands are such that vestment in workforce reskilling without the support of the independent tertiary education system that includes independent higher ing model that preferences the ECA.

“Policy settings must promote the complementarity of the public TAFE system and the independent vocational education and training system. Students should be able to select the quality provider of their choice – whether public or independent – and government funding models should be based on this approach,” Mr Williams said.

The 2019 ITECA State Of The Sector Report more than 60% of the 4.2 million students in vocational education and training. It notes that for domestic students it costs government $2,400 per student trained by independent providers in the vocational education and training system but $5,500 per student trained by public TAFE institutes.

l, where they can select the provider of their choice, whether they be a quality independent provider or public provider,” Mr Williams said.

/Public Release. View in full here.
SourceAAP:www.miragenews.com
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Education & Skills Ministerial Appointments Welcomed By Independent Providers

Education & Skills Ministerial Appointments Welcomed By Independent Providers

The continuation of the Hon. Dan Tehan MP as Education Minister and Sen. Hon. Michaelia Cash as Minister with responsibility for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business has been welcomed by the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA). ITECA has also welcomed the appointment of the Hon. Steve Irons MP as Assistant Minister for Vocational Education, Training and Apprenticeships.

ITECA is the peak body representing the independent tertiary education system that encompasses the independent higher education, vocational education, training and skills sectors.

“The coming three years presents Australia with a real opportunity to restructure the tertiary education system so that there is greater integration between the higher education, vocational education, training and skills sectors. Students should be able to transition from one sector to the other relatively seamlessly without the challenges of different funding models,” said Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.

During the coming fortnight ITECA will seek meetings with Ministers Tehan, Cash and Irons to start the conversation to put in place the reforms which will create an integrated tertiary education system in which the higher education and vocational education sectors retain their separate identities.

“ITECA will work with the new Ministerial team to ensure that students can chose the quality provider of their choice, whether this be an independent provider or a public provider in the higher education, vocational education and training sectors. At the heart of these reforms is the need to put student choice at the forefront,” Mr Williams said.

In the short-term, an immediate priority for ITECA will be to encourage the Australian Government to reduce the unnecessary red-tape that’s abundant in the tertiary education sector.

“ITECA has a track-record of working with government to lift an understanding of, and compliance with, the regulatory standards for independent tertiary education providers. Quality is very much front and centre of ITECA’s culture and that of our members; however, it’s clear that there is a significant degree of regulatory overreach that’s doing little to support quality student outcomes,” Mr Williams said.

With respect to addressing the red-tape in the vocational education and training system, ITECA sees the recently released report Strengthening Skills: Expert Review of Australia’s Vocational Education and Training System as providing the framework to reduce-red tape. ITECA looks forward to working with Minister Irons on progressing the reforms set out in the report.

The importance of the independent tertiary education system is highlighted by the fact that independent higher education providers supported 143,680 students in 2017. In that same year independent providers supported some 60% of the 4.2 million students enrolled in vocational education and training. ITECA’s purpose is to ensure that the independent tertiary education system is united, unformed and influential.

Until mid-May 2019 ITECA was known as the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET).

/Public Release.
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Labor’s commitment to VET funding should be focused on outcomes

The Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) welcomes Labor’s commitment to invest in

providing Australians with the skills to support a growing economy.

Providing the existing workforce and those entering the workforce with the skills that allow Australians to be meaningfully employed in the jobs of the future is a noble objective.

“If Labor is elected, ACPET looks forward to supporting them to create a tertiary education sector that delivers the outcomes that students and employers are looking for. It is the independent tertiary education sector that will help a Labor Government achieve this at a lower cost than the public TAFE colleges” said Troy Williams.

“The data here is clear, it is independent providers and not the public sector that have a track record of achieving higher completion rates, higher starting salaries and higher post-training employment rates” Mr Williams said.

Independent providers play the most significant role in the delivery of VET in Australia, with some 4.2 million students choosing to study with an independent VET provider, representing 60 per cent of all Vocational Education and Training (VET) students nationally, whereas TAFEs deliver to 16 per cent of all VET students.

In 2017, just 27.7 per cent of the $2.1 billion of government funding invested into VET was awarded to non- TAFEs. In a training system where 60 per cent of students choose to study with an independent provider, there is clearly a mismatch in funding support to students.

“It is important that student choice be preserved. The priority for the next Australian Government should be on allowing students to access public funds with high quality providers, by harnessing market forces to achieve the best possible outcomes in the most effective and efficient way,” Mr Williams said.

ACPET represents the nation’s independent tertiary education system that encompasses higher education, vocational education and training sectors.

/Public Release.
Source:www.miragenews.com
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Labor’s commitment to VET funding should be focused on outcomes

The Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) welcomes Labor’s commitment to invest in

providing Australians with the skills to support a growing economy.

Providing the existing workforce and those entering the workforce with the skills that allow Australians to be meaningfully employed in the jobs of the future is a noble objective.

“If Labor is elected, ACPET looks forward to supporting them to create a tertiary education sector that delivers the outcomes that students and employers are looking for. It is the independent tertiary education sector that will help a Labor Government achieve this at a lower cost than the public TAFE colleges” said Troy Williams.

“The data here is clear, it is independent providers and not the public sector that have a track record of achieving higher completion rates, higher starting salaries and higher post-training employment rates” Mr Williams said.

Independent providers play the most significant role in the delivery of VET in Australia, with some 4.2 million students choosing to study with an independent VET provider, representing 60 per cent of all Vocational Education and Training (VET) students nationally, whereas TAFEs deliver to 16 per cent of all VET students.

In 2017, just 27.7 per cent of the $2.1 billion of government funding invested into VET was awarded to non- TAFEs. In a training system where 60 per cent of students choose to study with an independent provider, there is clearly a mismatch in funding support to students.

“It is important that student choice be preserved. The priority for the next Australian Government should be on allowing students to access public funds with high quality providers, by harnessing market forces to achieve the best possible outcomes in the most effective and efficient way,” Mr Williams said.

ACPET represents the nation’s independent tertiary education system that encompasses higher education, vocational education and training sectors.

/Public Release.
Source:www.miragenews.com