The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) has published its Corporate Plan 2021–22, which sets out the national vocational education and training (VET) regulator’s strategic direction for the next four years.

This plan reflects the priorities set by the Australian Government – achieving our purpose by positioning ASQA as an effective modern regulator that supports continuous improvement in training provision across the VET sector. The Corporate Plan identifies the 6 strategic deliverables ASQA worked on with key stakeholders and also includes information about:

• key activities to achieve our strategic deliverables
• performance measurement standards for the key activities
• our purpose and role

For further information, click here.

USI webservices version 3 will be decommissioned on Tuesday 2 November 2021. Webservices version 4 went live on 30 September 2020.

All providers who use the USI Registry System through their Student Management System (SMS) will need to move to version 4. New providers who onboarded after the latest version was introduced in 2020 will be using version 4 and will not need to make any changes.

For further information, click here.

This report explores the vocational education and training (VET) sector’s response to COVID-19 through the increasing use of online training and assessment. The shift to online training delivery was more pronounced for government-funded subject enrolments than for those funded via domestic fee-for-service arrangements (increases of 40.4% and 15.7%, respectively). Approximately 12 months on from the commencement of COVID-19 restrictions in Australia, online training is still being offered in areas where it had not previously been, with around 71% of surveyed RTOs having maintained at least some of this initial shift to online training.

Read the full report here.

This publication provides a summary of data relating to students, programs, subjects and training providers in Australia’s government-funded vocational education and training (VET) system. In the first three months to 31 March 2021, 748 500 students were enrolled in government-funded vocational education and training (VET). They included:

• 735 800 students enrolled in nationally recognised training
• 27 500 students enrolled in non-nationally recognised training.

Read the full report here.

The quarterly Australian Apprenticeships Summary Statistics report highlights the updated annual Australian Apprenticeships Summary Statistics, and is used to give an insight into the current climate of Australian Apprenticeships. In the 12 months to 31 December 2020, compared with the previous year commencements increased by 10.6% to 167,240, completions decreased by 14.9% to 75,815 and in-training numbers on 31 December increased by 13.9% to 297,920.

Read the full report here.

Employment is projected to increase in 17 of the 19 broad industries over the five years to November 2025. Health Care and Social Assistance is projected to make the largest contribution to employment growth over the period (increasing by 249,500), followed by Accommodation and Food Services (139,900), Professional, Scientific and Technical Services (131,100), and Education and Training (118,600). Together, these four industries are projected to generate over three-fifths (or 64.4 per cent) of total employment growth over the five years to November 2025.

Read more.

ASQA has recently approved an extended transition period for the following Early Childhood Education & Care qualifications. The extended training, assessment and certification issuance period for this qualification ends on 20 January 2023.

• CHC30113 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care
• CHC50113 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care
• CHC50213 Diploma of School Aged Education and Care
• CHC30213 Certificate III in Education Support
• CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support

Read more.

ASQA has recently approved an extended transition period for the following qualifications. The extended training, assessment and certification issuance period for this qualification ends on 30 June 2022:

• ICT50215 Diploma of Digital and Interactive Games
• ICT50318 Diploma of Information Technology Systems Administration
• ICT50418 Diploma of Information Technology Networking
• ICT50515 Diploma of Database Design and Development
• ICT50615 Diploma of Website Development
• ICT50718 Diploma of Software Development

Read more.

ASQA has recently approved an extended transition period AHC30816 Certificate III in Arboriculture. The extended training, assessment and certification issuance period for this qualification ends on 6 April 2022.

Read more.

ASQA has recently approved an extended transition period for CPC60115 Advanced Diploma of Building Surveying. The extended training, assessment and certification issuance period for this qualification ends on 1 July 2023.

Read more.