VET News – 30th November 2016

Hello and welcome to VET News

I hope you are all well. We are waiting to hear the outcomes this week of the Senate vote with respect of the VET Student Loan Bill. The proposed amendments to grant TAFE institutes a 12 month exemption has already been announced. I also understand that there is some fierce lobbying going on the obtain a 6 month delay for all providers to properly assess the likely impact on the sector. I hope this eventuates but it is already too late for many RTOs. The uncertainty has already led to many staff being laid off. We should all spare a thought for those who have lost their employment particularly this close to Christmas. We will send out a final VET News before we break for Christmas and provide an update then.

Just as a heads-up to all of our clients, we have changed our main office number. We had our reception service outsourced to a service provider who really was dropping the ball so have taken control of this in-house. The new number you can reach us on is (02) 8005 8029. The best we to contact us is always via email either to the staff directly or to enquiries@newberyconsulting.com.au for new or existing client enquiries. For our RTO Data users, the best way to get support is to email support@newberyconsulting.com.au.

Just a prelude to some exciting news I will announce next month, in 2017 we will be launching a webinar based professional development service. This will commence in January and will be scheduled to occur once per week. The sessions will have a duration of an hour and will be very affordably priced (cheap, some would say!). These will be advertised on the Newbery Consulting website were you can register to attend or purchase a subscription. All participants will receive a digital certificate to contribute to their PD evidence. The sessions will focus on all things training and assessment and the Standards for Registered Training Organisations. More to follow in December!

Good training,

Joe Newbery

As always we invite new subscribers at: Subscribe to VET News
If you have some news, send it to us at news@newberyconsulting.com.au

Compliance & Regulatory News

ASQA update

Regulatory decisions update

On 10 November 2016 ASQA provided notification of its recent regulatory decisions relating to:

Charles Institute of Technology Australia Pty Ltd (RTO 91849) trading as Charles Institute of Technology
Plumbing Electrical Electronic and Refrigeration Vocational Education Employment and Training Inc (RTO 7027) trading as Peer Veet
The Robinson Education Centre (RTO 90449) trading as The Robinson College

On 11 November 2016 ASQA provided notification of its recent regulatory decisions relating to:

Universal Institute of Technology Pty Ltd (RTO number 22096) trading as Universal English
Management Institute of Australia No 2 Pty Ltd (RTO number 31803)
Zilky Body Cosmetics Pty Ltd (RTO number 21791) trading as 1 to 1 Beauty Therapy Training

ASQA decisions upheld in the AAT
ASQA has welcomed decisions by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to dismiss applications to review its decisions to cancel the registration of:

Australian Institute for Professional Education (AIPE, RTO number 91437) READ MORE>>
Cornerstone Investment (Aust) Pty Ltd (RTO number 5500), trading as ‘Australian Institute of Commerce and Language’ and ‘Empower Institute’. READ MORE>>

Annual report published
ASQA has published its annual report for the period 1 July 2015 – 30 June 2016.
READ REPORT>>

ASQA cancels more security qualifications

Following ASQA’s announcement last month of its intention to cancel 461 qualifications and statements of attainment issued by the de-registered training provider Peacemakers Security Pty Ltd, ASQA has announced its intention to cancel a further 1,947 security and related qualifications and statements of attainment issued to 1,020 people.
READ MORE>>

ASQA also announced its intention to cancel 756 security qualifications issued by former Victorian training provider, Austwide Institute of Training Pty Ltd (Austwide).
READ MORE>>

VET Reform

Proposed amendments to the VET Student Loan Bill as it moves to the Senate

As reported by TAFE Directors Australia, TAFE would be granted a 12-month exemption from the federal government’s revamped VET student loan requirements, under proposed amendments to the legislation introduced into the Senate.

The amendments to the VET Student Loans Bill 2016 moved by Labor and the Greens exempt TAFE from the course restrictions and loan caps. The amendments would also extend the grandfathering afforded to students under the current VET FEE-HELP scheme for an additional 12 months, to the end of 2018.

Strict new rules for courses and training organisations in the VET student loans program

As reported in The Australian on 17 November 2016, private colleges with low student pass rates will be barred from accessing the new VET Student Loans program.

The Department of Education expects the reforms, which begin at the start of next year, to remove about a third of all private colleges from access to the loans scheme.

READ MORE>> (May require subscription)

Review of VET Data Policy – Public submissions now available

In August 2016, the Department of Education and Training called for public submissions to inform the review of the National VET Provider Collection Data Requirements Policy. Those submissions are now available on the Department of Education and Training website.

The review team is currently analysing the issues arising from the consultations.
READ MORE>>

USI Update

Trial of USI Transcript Service

Trials of the USI Transcript Service and the USI Transcript Update Tool for RTOs will commence in December beginning with a Closed Trial involving a small number of RTOs and students who have volunteered to test the system.

During the Closed Trial, selected RTOs may be contacted if a student (participating in the Trial) identifies an error or omission within their Transcript which needs updating.
READ MORE>>

Training Package News

TGA Updates

Training package changes
There is a new release of the following training package:

MST Release 1.1: 21 November 2016

AISC News

AISC Communique
The Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) met on 17 November 2016 in Darwin, Northern Territory. Five new IRCs were endorsed and the Committee acknowledged receipt of the IRC 4-year work plans. The Committee agreed to commission Training Package development work for nine Training Packages based on business cases submitted by IRCs. The Committee also endorsed the revised Training Package Development and Endorsement Process Policy which will be accessible through the AISC website shortly.
READ MORE>>

Final two Skills Service Organisations

On 10 November 2016, Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills the Hon Karen Andrews announced the final two Skills Service Organisations (SSOs) that will work with industry to develop training packages. Innovation and Business Skills Australia (IBSA) will establish an SSO to support the manufacturing sector, and this will bring the total number of SSOs announced this year to six. Existing SSO, PricewaterhouseCoopers’ (PwC’s) Skills for Australia will support the automotive and mining and drilling sectors.
MEDIA RELEASE>>

Events, Resourcing & Funding News

Australian apprenticeship update

Click on the link below to view the Training Package qualifications recently implemented in States and Territories.UPDATE 18/11/16>>

National VET teaching conference

The 2016 National Conference on VET Teaching and VET Teacher Education will be held in Sydney from 8–9 December. The conference is organised by the Australian Council of Deans of Education (ACDE) Vocational Education Group, in partnership with the School of Education, University of Technology Sydney and Sydney TAFE. The group’s second annual conference is themed ‘Research, Policy and Teaching Practice: building connections’.
READ MORE>>

NCVER Webinars

Upcoming free webinars hosted by the NCVER are:

29/11/2016: Defining STEM – how an acronym became a shopping list
1/12/2016: An introduction to VOCSTATS

Happy birthday NCVER

NCVER officially turns 35 years old this month. The National Centre for Vocational Education Research, originally the TAFE National Centre for Research and Development, was established in June 1980. The Centre was created as a company registered in the state of South Australia and limited by guarantee on 2 September 1981, and started its national operations in November of that year. Today it has an extensive library of over 70 000 publications relating to the vocational education and training sector.

Recent VET Publications

Uptake and utility of VET qualifications
Patrick Korbel, Josie Misko
This report considers the use of training packages and accredited courses. It also examines the pattern of enrolments in qualifications to determine how extensively the qualifications in the training package system are being used and whether enrolments are evenly spread amongst qualifications or concentrated in particular qualifications and training packages. Finally the report explores the number of qualifications that could be rationalised or consolidated, including identifying low and zero enrolment qualifications and models those which cover related occupational areas.
RESEARCH REPORT>>

Other News of Interest

Future of Qld apprenticeships open for discussion

Jobs Queensland has released a discussion paper called Positive Futures: Apprenticeships and Traineeships in Queensland. It is seeking input from employers, industry, apprentices, trainees and other stakeholders about their experiences with the Queensland apprenticeship and traineeship system

NSW skills minister becomes deputy premier

The NSW Minister for Regional Development, Skills and Small Business John Barilaro has been elected as leader of the Nationals and elevated to deputy premier following the resignation of Troy Grant after the party’s poor result in the Orange by-election.

ABC NEWS ARTICLE>>

Victoria appoints new minister for training and skills

Ms Gayle Tierney has been appointed as Victoria’s new Minister for Training and Skills, following the resignation of Steve Herbert.

Ms Tierney was previously Cabinet Secretary and, before entering parliament in 2006, was federal president of the vehicle division of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union.

MEDIA RELEASE>>

The news articles presented in this edition of VET News have been researched and prepared by Anne Maree Newbery.

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VET News – 30th November 2016

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