New approach to student surveys

In response to feedback from providers about the Quality Indicators Learner Survey, a new VET student survey has been developed in partnership with the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) and the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). This new survey will be starting in April 2021. The survey will capture information from students, who are currently enrolled in a qualification, about their training experiences so far including training intentions, satisfaction, pre-enrolment and enrolment processes, and motivation. The VET Student Experience Survey (VETSES) is designed to be administered in waves throughout the year. This enables results to be reported back quickly, and for the survey to cover more RTOs than a large-scale survey at a single point in time.

For further information, click here.

ASQA Provider Roundtable

The ASQA Provider Roundtable is ASQA’s primary consultative forum with the VET and English language sectors through the peak provider associations. The purpose of the Provider Roundtable is to engage and consult with the peak VET and English language provider associations on matters of strategic importance, and to discuss and seek feedback on ASQA’s regulatory approach and future activity.

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Strategic review of online learning in the VET Sector Feedback Loop 1 Follow-up Discussion

This webinar series is part of the wider ASQA strategic review of online learning in the VET sector, which was launched in 2020 following the shift online by many providers in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Presenters discussed ways and methods for training providers to ensure that the shift to online delivery continues to deliver quality training outcomes. 

View the webinar here.

The National Skills Commission (NSC) has released the beta version of its Australian Skills Classification in an interactive online interface. The NSC developed the classification system using a mix of machine learning and human judgement and drew on different data sources including O*Net and the Australian Employability Skills Framework. Employer surveys, Australian job advertisement data, and education and training course documentation were used for validation and refinement purposes. 

This aims to be a high quality, data driven, publicly available classification of skills for the Australian labour market which can improve the understanding of skills, how they work together and transfer across occupations.

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Students, graduates and adults looking to turbocharge their careers will have access to tailored career advice through the establishment of Careers NSW, a new service announced by the NSW Government. Careers NSW is being established to provide career guidance to NSW residents at any stage of their career. Students and people looking to change careers or further develop their skills will have access to tailored career advice wherever they live in NSW.  When fully operational, Careers NSW will provide a wrap-around service to:

• connect people to accessible and quality career guidance 
• advise on educational pathways and qualifications that match people to the skills they need to be employed faster. 

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New analysis by the National Skills Commission confirms there is substantial variation in prices, fees and subsidies for vocational education and training (VET) qualifications across Australia. With 17,000 observations covering more than 2,000 qualifications and national skill sets, the data reveals:

• varying prices for students accessing the same qualification in different jurisdictions
• substantial price variation within the same field of education or qualification level
• on average, 87% of the price is covered by subsidies for apprenticeship/traineeship delivery compared to 76% for non-apprenticeship/traineeship training
• varying price dispersion for a single qualification at the jurisdictional level for high volume qualifications
• less variation in the average and total cost of high volume qualifications across jurisdictions than the above more granular findings might have indicated.

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The National Skills Overview has recently been updated. The Insights and Highlights section of the overview focuses on the top priority generic skills identified in Industry Reference Committees (IRCs) Skills Forecasts, with adaptability skills found to be in the highest demand.

It is evident from the analysis that there is a huge industry demand for cross-sector skills such as adaptability, analytical, digital, and collaboration skills.

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Each year, the National Skills Commission produces employment projections by industry, occupation, skill level and region for the following five-year period. These employment projections are designed to provide a guide to the future direction of the labour market, however, like all such exercises, they are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty.

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.

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Updates have been made to some Australian Apprenticeships and Traineeships Qualifications.

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ATM ID: ESE21/576
Agency: Department of Education, Skills and Employment
Category: 86000000 – Education and Training Services

Description: The Department of Education, Skills and Employment is seeking to establish a Language, Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Skills Quality Assurance Expert Panel to support the Foundation Skills for Your Future Program (the Program).

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AusTender materials are released by the Department of Finance. AusTender materials are subject to change and should be verified on the AusTender website to ensure the information is up to date and correct: www.tenders.gov.au.

The Department of State Growth, through Skills Tasmania, has released a new grant program, Rapid Response – Careers in Aged Care and Disability Support. The program will provide fee free training to learners to train in the Certificate III in Individual Support which is recognised as a critical qualification in this sector. The grant will open at 5pm Friday 26 March and close on 23 April 2021.

For Further information, click here.

The first Spotlight On webinar will discuss a focus on compliance when recruiting and developing quality trainers and assessors.

Register here.

‘No Frills’ provides an opportunity for networking and ideas sharing in a friendly and informal atmosphere with a cross-section of industry representatives, practitioners, researchers and policymakers. The conference also contributes to building capacity and capability in VET research by providing opportunities for engagement and learnings for early stage career researchers and more experienced researchers.

For further information, click here.