VET & Higher Education –Two Pillars Of One Tertiary System
10 September, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

VET & Higher Education –Two Pillars Of One Tertiary System

With the Australian Government’s recent and welcome focus on Vocational Education and Training (VET), some stakeholders have seen this as a pitch against the value of the higher education system. When the Prime Minister said “VET is as good as uni” he was simply saying what is self-evident, that for different people, for different employers […]

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Interview: Troy Williams, Chief Executive Officer at the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA).
21 August, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Interview: Troy Williams, Chief Executive Officer at the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA).

Here is a copy of our interview with Troy Williams, Chief Executive Officer at the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA).  Troy, in a nutshell, what has been your experience of working in the training and education industry? It’s diverse.  From the perspective of a provider, in the late 1990s I established a Registered Training […]

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The man who stood up for the vocational education and training sector – Mr Andrew Laming MP
20 August, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

The man who stood up for the vocational education and training sector – Mr Andrew Laming MP

We can see the after effects of MP Andrew Laming’s speech in parliament. Many people have started talking about the vocational education and training sector, and the processes and procedures of the current regulator.  His video that we have shared last week has received over 9,300 views, 1600 likes and 5 dislikes.The video is available […]

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What should the vocational education and training regulatory system look like?
14 August, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

What should the vocational education and training regulatory system look like?

Our belief is that a regulatory system should be based on the following principles:  Transparency: All audit reports should be made public on ASQA’s website. This will help establish a transparent vocational education and training system.  Consistency: ASQA should only make decisions within the regulatory framework.  There also needs to be a definition of what constitutes a […]

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Internal audits and why they are so important (Part 4 of 5)
6 May, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Internal audits and why they are so important (Part 4 of 5)

In the first three parts of this series we discussed the following: What are internal audits? What are the benefits of conducting internal audits? What is an audit scope? What is usually included in an RTO internal audit? Who can be an internal auditor? Compliance costs and risks in terms of “risk management” The effective […]

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The VET Sector News – December 2019
12 March, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

The VET Sector News – December 2019

Poorer and regional Australian students lag behind richer peers, report finds Poorer Australian students are 18 months behind their better-off peers at school, a report by Deloitte has found. And regional students were on average eight months behind at school. If academic results could be improved by 50% for poorer and Aboriginal students, the economy […]

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Why do you enjoy working in the VET Sector?
7 December, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

Why do you enjoy working in the VET Sector?

We asked this question to some of our RTO colleagues, to know what worked for them, how they are contributing positively to the VET sector, and we have captured their responses:  Dr Bryan West is founder and manager of Fortress Learning, RTO. 31974.  Fortress Learning has from its early days emphasised robust delivery of training […]

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Why keep in touch with what is happening in the VET sector
5 November, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

Why keep in touch with what is happening in the VET sector

Information is power. The more you read, the more you understand the world around you. The VET world is evolving at a lightning speed and is changing the way we all used to do things. Continuous learning in the VET sector is a must. Why should you keep in touch with the VET updates Because […]

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Getting to know the VET
9 October, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

Getting to know the VET

VET information at your fingertips NCVER’s VET Knowledge Bank is a key source of reference information about Australia’s VET system. Did you know the VET sector is the largest education sector in Australia? Like most countries, Australia’s VET system is complex and ever-changing. Getting to know VET aims to explain the system via a chart of the key components, […]

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VET Industry News 10-Oct-2018
9 October, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

VET Industry News 10-Oct-2018

ASQA Welcomes Convictions for Dodgy Training Providers The national VET regulator has welcomed the conviction of four people who falsified documents. For more Information: visit this link. Updates to the BSB Training Package Updates to the BSB Training Package were released last week and Release 3.0 is now published on the national register of VET, training.gov.au (TGA). […]

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Contextualising assessment resources (Part 1)
11 September, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

Contextualising assessment resources (Part 1)

Contextualisation of training packages, accredited curricula and learning resources can be achieved without compromising the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015. Contextualisation is the addition of industry-specific information to tailor the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 to reflect the immediate operating context and thereby increase its relevance for the learner. Contextualisation is […]

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Victorian TAFE free-for-all – is it beginning of another “Crisis”?
11 September, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

Victorian TAFE free-for-all – is it beginning of another “Crisis”?

From January 2019, the Victorian Government will cover the cost of 30 TAFE courses and 18 pre-apprenticeship courses. The free courses run for up to two years and include accounting, agriculture, construction, plumbing, engineering and nursing. The free TAFE courses Non-apprenticeship courses Apprenticeship pathway courses Accounting, Certificate IV/Diploma/Advanced Diploma Automotive Air Conditioning Technology, Certificate II Ageing Support, Certificate IV Automotive Body Repair Technology, Certificate II Agriculture, Certificate II/III/IV […]

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The VET Sector Newsletter – Edition 1, April 2018
11 September, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

The VET Sector Newsletter – Edition 1, April 2018

The official Newsletter from Compliance and Quality Assurance (CAQA) OUR FIRST NEWSLETTER By Anna Haranas Welcome to The VET Sector, our official newsletter for the Australian VET education and training sector. This monthly publication is an initiative of the team at Compliance And Quality Assurance (CAQA). The newsletter will be a vehicle for news and […]

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Current VET sector a disgrace: CEDA
11 September, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

Current VET sector a disgrace: CEDA

The Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) is calling for a national review of the VET sector, claiming the area has been “significantly weakened” by recent scandals and a lack of focus from the government. CEDA has put forth a number of recommendations to strengthen the sector, hoping the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) will consider […]

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How does quality assurance differ from compliance (Part 3)
10 September, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

How does quality assurance differ from compliance (Part 3)

In this third and final part of our “compliance and quality assurance,” articles, we are continuing to discuss compliance and quality assurance requirements, standards, expectations and the differences between them.  How does quality assurance differ from compliance? It can be overwhelming trying to keep track of all your organisation’s compliance obligations. That’s why many businesses […]

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ASQA Regulatory strategy 2016–17 and ASQA’s Regulatory Risk Framework
27 August, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

ASQA Regulatory strategy 2016–17 and ASQA’s Regulatory Risk Framework

ASQA (Australian Skills Quality Authority), VET regulator has recently released its regulatory strategy for 2016-2017.  ASQA’s Regulatory Risk Framework, which is part of the published Regulatory Strategy outlines how ASQA fulfils its responsibility by managing risk on two levels: Operational (provider risk), and Strategic (systemic risk)   Provider risk continues to be a key focus […]

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Heavy penalty for bogus qualification
27 August, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

Heavy penalty for bogus qualification

A former trainer has been ordered to pay $120,000 for providing her employer with 11 bogus vocational education and training (VET) qualifications, providing another two bogus qualifications to a co-worker and submitting false qualifications to the national regulator as proof of her competency. The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) successfully obtained declarations from the Federal […]

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Vocational education and training courses behind significant drop of crime rate.
27 August, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

Vocational education and training courses behind significant drop of crime rate.

Vocational education and training courses have been linked to a significant drop in Victoria’s crime rates by University of Melbourne economists. They believe the benefits of the controversial education reforms have been overlooked. “What has been missing is that these reforms did increase access to publicly funded training and that has had positive flow on […]

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The 2016-17 Skilled Occupations List (SOL)
27 August, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

The 2016-17 Skilled Occupations List (SOL)

2016-17 Skilled Occupations List (SOL) has been registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. The review of the SOL was conducted by the Department of Education and Training. The SOL identifies occupations that would benefit from independent skilled migration for the purpose of meeting the medium […]

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Private students to be included in national student survey
27 August, 2018

Sukh Sandhu

Private students to be included in national student survey

For the first time, the National Centre for Vocational Education Research’s (NCVER), major survey of VET students will include fee-paying students at private colleges. Over coming weeks around 220,000 students will be asked about their recent training experience as part of the Student Outcomes Survey. NCVER Managing Director Dr Craig Fowler said that, to date, […]

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