Page 1330 - Week 04 - Thursday, 30 March 2017
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(b) continued efforts by the ACT Government, in conjunction with all jurisdictions, to ensure a properly funded, well-regulated and high quality vocational, education and training system.
I am pleased today to speak to this motion which brings to the Assembly’s attention the importance of a properly funded vocational education and training system that can attract a wide range of students. I think we can all agree that the ability to choose from a wide range of vocational education and training options is a crucial factor in enabling the VET system to meet the diverse needs of individuals and, thereby, attract a wider range of students.
I would add that choice is a central consideration in improving equity of opportunity in the VET system. Choice is also crucial if the VET system is to meet the needs of employers seeking to diversify their workforce such as in the case of disability support services and the allied health workforce.
Today I want to focus on some of the important reforms to the ACT VET system that are maximising choice and increasing access to the VET system for a wider range of students. Such reforms have been brought about by the introduction of the skilled capital program and changes to the Australian apprenticeships program. I would also like to mention how these changes align with the ACT government’s election commitment to improve employment pathways for disadvantaged groups, in particular refugees and asylum seekers.
The ACT government’s skilled capital program introduced a new model designed to deliver improved access to and equity in training that is likely to contribute to improved employment outcomes. Before skilled capital, VET funding programs targeting improved access and equity outcomes used grant-based approaches. These approaches were labour intensive. RTOs submitted applications once or twice per year which were judged by a panel.
This all sounds reasonable. However participants within these grants-based programs had far fewer choices of RTO, qualification, qualification level and commencement and completion dates. The demand-driven design of skilled capital has improved the range of choices available for job seekers and existing workers without compromising the access and equity objectives of the previous funding models.
Further, unlike the previous approach, skilled capital incentivises the completion of qualifications rather than enrolments. RTOs are now paid the bulk of their funding when a student completes their studies, not when they enrol. This has changed the emphasis of RTOs from enrolling mass numbers of students to better supporting students to complete their course.
The commencement of skilled capital also coincided with the implementation of the ACT quality framework. This comprehensive framework was developed to promote excellence, transparency and above all quality in the VET sector in the ACT and seeks to ensure that only quality RTOs are able to access ACT government funding.
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