Hi Everyone
Hope you are all well.
Firstly, thank you to all who have downloaded a copy of Satisfaction Data and for the positive feedback. It is a simple but effective system that will improve over time based on your feedback.
Before we present everyone else’s news, we have some news of our own! We are very pleased to welcome to the Newbery Consulting team, Sarah Funke. Sarah has been appointed as our Client Support Manager and will be providing support direct to our many clients and users of our RTO System. Sarah brings a wealth of talent and energy to this role from her experience in other sectors and we are most pleased that she has joined Newbery Consulting. Welcome Sarah!
Now,, to the news. There are some significant items in this month’s VET News. Of particular interest is the launch of the My Skills website. It is obviously at an early stage of development but the information available on there is simply amazing. I am not convinced that prospective students will really use this site to inform their enrolment decisions. The site is intended to connect students and employers with training organisations that best suit their needs. We will have to wait and see if this is achieved. But for now, it provides great information for competitor analysis within the VET sector. Combine the information on My Skills with that on Job Outlook and we are beginning to have access to quite deep and accurate data to inform market analysis. I love it!
This month we have finally received some information on the planned changes to VET funding in NSW. The new program “Smart and Skilled” is due for release in 2014. The current 2011-2012 APL Contract will be extended into 2013. It is clear to me that NSW have taken the good and bad from other State funding arrangements and have put together a very clever and balanced model. The literature on the site is very general at the moment. It does reinforce that “TAFE NSW will continue to be the leading provider of vocational education and training in New South Wales”. Time will tell if we see a competitive training market in NSW! What is certain is funding will only be directed into skill priority areas. The power of choice is also central to the new program as eligible individuals will be able to choose subsidised training through TAFE NSW or an approved training organisation.
Good training!
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
Kind regards,
Joe Newbery
Compliance and Regulatory News
ASQA update
More registration renewal rejections. ASQA issued two media releases on 3 October 2012 confirming it had rejected the renewal of registration applications for two organisations. In both cases ASQA’s decision will apply to their RTO and CRICOS registrations. Click on the link below to access the media releases.
http://asqa.gov.au/media-and-publications/media-releases.html
Joint ELICOS briefings with TEQSA. ASQA and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) are holding joint briefing sessions for providers of English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS). At the time of publication, The Melbourne and Brisbane sessions had taken place, with Sydney scheduled for 9 November. Click on the link below to find out more.
http://asqa.gov.au/news/1529/asqa-and-teqsa-to-host-elicos-briefing-sessions.html
ASQA audit survey. ASQA invited providers that underwent an ASQA site audit between 7 March and 30 May 2012 to participate in a survey about their experience of the audit process. Keep your eye out on the ASQA website in early November when the survey outcomes should be published. Going forward, all RTOs that are subject to an application-related ASQA site audit will be invited to participate in this online survey. This will exclude unannounced or complaint audits.
New release of ASQAnet. ASQAnet has recently been updated with some small changes and bug fixes. Click on the link below to find out what has changed.
http://asqa.gov.au/news/1534/latest-asqanet-release.html
ASQA opens its doors in Darwin. ASQA has published a media release relating to the appointment Jane Holt as the Darwin-based Compliance Manager for the Northern Territory. Click on the link below to access the media release dated 25 October 2012.
http://asqa.gov.au/media-and-publications/media-releases.html
FAQs. Three new FAQs have been added this month.
1. Under the Trainers and assessors heading there is a response to a question regarding different jurisdictional requirements when undertaking assessments for high risk work licenses.
2. The Risk assessment section provides information on how an authorised contact person from an RTO can find out about the current risk rating that ASQA has assigned to the RTO.
3. Under the heading of Jurisdiction, ASQA confirms that it has enacted a delegation with the Queensland Studies Authority (QSA) to regulate the RTO component of relevant Queensland schools.
Click on the link below to view all ASQA FAQs.
http://www.asqa.gov.au/faqs/frequently-asked-questions.html
NSSC update
Review of standards for the regulation of VET. The NSSC has just released an Issues Paper that has been developed based on stakeholder feedback and research undertaken to date and identifies the issues that the NSSC considers to be the focus of its review. In its paper, the NSSC has posed possible approaches to addressing the issues through regulatory standards.
Just to give you a taster, one such approach involves provisional initial registration for RTOs, subject to a probationary period. During probation there would be restrictions placed on the RTO that may include limitations on scope and scale of activity, external assessment of students prior to issuance of full qualifications, and monitoring of teaching and assessment services.
Click on the link below to access the publication.
Training Package Development Handbook (TPDH). The NSSC had advised that the TPDH plus the content of the TPDH website formerly hosted by DEEWR, has now been migrated to the NSSC website. The migration is to ensure that all policies and standards related to the regulation of VET are located on the NSSC website. The link below will take you to the Training Package Development Handbook section of the NSSC website.
http://www.nssc.natese.gov.au/vet_standards/standards_for_training_packages/tpdh
VRQA update
New Chair of the VRQA Board. Mr Tim Smith has been appointed as the VRQA Chair commencing on 17 October 2012 for a period of three years. Click on the link below for more details.
http://www.vrqa.vic.gov.au/about/board.htm
Future Direction for the VRQA. A new Future Direction Statement outlining the way forward for the VRQA has been developed in consultation with key stakeholders, Board members and staff. View the publication at the following link:
http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/vrqa/FutDrectstatmt.pdf
VRQA Annual Report 2011-12. The VRQA Annual Report 2011-12 was tabled in parliament on 10 October 2012 and an electronic copy is published on the VRQA website. View the publication at the following link:
http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/vrqa/AnnlRport2012.pdf
AVETMISS 7.0 for VET Providers
The NCVER will release AVETMISS 7.0 for VET Providers in December this year. The release will come into effect for training activity from 1 January 2014. NCVER has summarised the changes to the Standard in a two-page flyer, which is available from its website. Click on the link below to access the publication.
http://www.ncver.edu.au/content/AVETMISS_7_0_flyer_2548.pdf
More detailed information about the changes is available at the following link:
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2556.html
Training Package News
Recent Training Package endorsements/ updates
CPP07 Property Services, version 11.0, released on 26/09/2012
AHC10 Agriculture, Horticulture and Conservation and Land Management, version 4.0, released on 15/10/2012
MSA07 Manufacturing, version 8.1, released on 11/10/2012
For details of release information go to http://training.gov.au/
Events, Resources & Funding News
Launch of the My Skills website
Phase 1 of the My Skills website was launched by The Honourable Sharon Bird MP on 9 October 2012. The intent of My Skills is to provide a one-stop-shop for students and employers to find information on the approximately 5000 registered training organisations around Australia. The initial launch of the website imports data from training.gov.au as well as statistical information from NCVER. New functions and data will be added as they become available, with the next phase due for release early next year. Click on the link below to access the website.
http://www.myskills.gov.au/Home
Study Assist: New online tool for students
One week after launching My Skills, the Parliamentary Secretary for Higher Education and Skills, Sharon Bird, launched a new online search tool that makes it easier to find out about eligibility for student payments, including Youth Allowance, Austudy and ABSTUDY. According to Ms Bird, “The Study Assist website brings together a wide range of information that a student needs to know about financing tertiary study.” Click on the link below to access the website.
http://studyassist.gov.au/sites/StudyAssist/
NSW planned changes to VET funding
On 23 October 2012 the NSW Minister for Education announced the introduction of reforms to be known as Smart and Skilled for the VET system in NSW. In his statement, Minister Piccoli said: “Smart and Skilled will make the training system more responsive to business and industry. A skills list will define which courses are on offer and this will be based on industry consultation and labour market trends.” Click on the link below to find out more about the reforms.
http://www.training.nsw.gov.au/vet/skills_reform/index.html
Resources from the Future of Work conference
If you missed the AWPA’s joint conference with the Industry Skills Councils earlier in October, then you may be interested in some of the conference presentations and other resources that have been posted on the AWPA website. Click on the link below to access the AWPA website page.
Australian apprenticeship & traineeship updates
As per usual, the AAT emailed two Training Update e-Newsletters in October (Editions 211 & 212). Unfortunately, the e-Newsletters had not yet been published on the AAT website at the time of preparing this VET News. Here is a link to the relevant page on the AAT website if you need to check for current updates.
http://www.aatinfo.com.au/What-s-New—FAQ/Training-Update-e-Newsletter/2012
Victorian Purchasing Guide for SIR07 V3
This Purchasing Guide is now available at the following link:
http://trainingsupport.skills.vic.gov.au/p_trgpck.cfm
Updated TAE40110 resources from IBSA*
IBSA has updated its range of TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment training and assessment materials to reflect changes in the VET sector. This includes updates related to the transition from AQTF to SNR Standards, DIISRTE, ASQA, AWPA and Work Health and Safety (WHS). Click on the link below to find out more.
Resource to support CHCICS303A Support individual health and emotional wellbeing*
beyondblue has developed training materials that will assist RTOs to deliver content on depression and anxiety in older people as part of Certificate III in Aged Care and Home and Community Care. These materials will be provided at no cost to eligible RTOs. To find out how to access this resource, go to the page link below and click on Free Accredited Training Materials.
http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=4.1239#FTM
* As for any ‘off-the-shelf’ training and assessment resources, Newbery Consulting strongly recommends that you undertake a detailed review of resources to determine compliance with the current training package/s and to ensure they can be customised to meet the needs of your clients.
Other News of Interest
A year in the life of VET reform
Dr John Mitchell is a researcher, consultant and columnist who writes a fortnightly column called ‘Inside VET’, in the national tertiary education publication Campus Review. Dr Mitchell has recently posted a document on his organisation’s website titled From unease to alarm: escalating concerns about the model of ‘VET reform’ and cutbacks to TAFE. The document comprises twenty two articles that were published in the Campus Review in the twelve months to October 2012. They are presented chronologically and make interesting reading about the issues and controversies around current ‘VET reform’ and public sector funding. To download the document, click on the following link:
http://www.jma.com.au/upload/pages/home/_jma_vet-reform-document.pdf
Australian Bureau of Statistics Education and Training Newsletter – October 2012
The ABS released its Education and Training Newsletter on 26 October 2012. To access VET-related information, click on the link below, then on the link to Articles on Education and Training. From there you can review the Vocational Education and Training section of the Year Book Australia 2012.
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4211.0Main+Features1October%202012?OpenDocument
NCVER publication: The value of completing a VET qualification
The blurb for this publication notes “Completion rates are an obvious performance indicator for the VET sector. However, there is a view that low completion rates are not such an issue because students leave when they have learnt the necessary skills. Using data from the 2009 Student Outcomes Survey, the report looks at the pay-off to completion on a range of outcomes, and identifies the groups for whom completion is particularly important.” Click on the link to access the document. (Access will require you to be logged on to the NCVER website.)
http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2526.html
Flinders teams up with TAFE
As reported in The Australian on 9 October 2012, Flinders has become the latest university to guarantee entry to TAFE graduates, unveiling 41 dual offer programs available from next year. Click on the link below read more.
http://the-scan.com/2012/10/11/flinders-teams-up-with-tafe/
This news letter was researched and prepared by Anne Maree Newbery.
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