The National Skills Standards Council was commissioned by Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Ministers from all jurisdictions to undertake a broad ranging review of the standards for the regulation of vocational education and training, focusing on issues of quality.
Since commencing the review in June 2012, the Council has taken a consultative approach to the review, and has heard from a diverse range of stakeholders. The review to date has included a number of key consultative stages:
- A Consultation Paper was released in June 2012 and received 114 submissions
- National roundtables with key stakeholders were held in July 2012
- An Issues Paper was released in October 2012
- Workshops with key stakeholders were held in December 2012
As the result of the review, the National Skills Standards Council has released a Position Paper, Improving vocational education and training – the case for a new system, presenting its position regarding the reforms required to the current standards for the regulation of vocational education and training…
The review has found that damage to the reputation of training and nationally recognised qualifications represents a significant threat to Australia’s prosperity and growth because of the impact of poor quality qualifications on the functioning of the labour market, and the impact on Australia’s education export market, both on and offshore.
- Inconsistent quality of training and assessment undermines the integrity and value of qualifications held by all individual learners and employees.
- There is a lack of comparable and reliable publicly available information regarding an RTO and its performance.
- Since the last major review of the regulatory standards, vocational education and training has continued to diversify, evolve and react to a changing economy and market. The regulatory standards need to be revised to reduce unnecessary regulation and to provide a framework for the changing market.
In response to these problems, the NSSC believes that it is now time to consolidate the elements of vocational education and training into a stable and assured Australian Vocational Qualifications System. A system in which all providers encompass the characteristics of the best providers; one in which all providers deliver training and assessment to even higher standards, thereby assuring the reputation of the system and the integrity of all vocational qualifications.
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