O’Connor announces VET qualifications reform

The federal Minister for Skills and Training Brendan O’Connor has announced the establishment of a VET Qualifications Reform Design Group to deliver a more responsive and appropriate vocational educational and training (VET) system

To be chaired by the CEO of the Victorian Skills Authority, Craig Robertson the group will aim to develop a simpler system that strikes the right balance between industry skill needs, while recognising transferable skills.

Robertson is a former CEO of TAFE Directors Australia.

In a speech opening National Skills Week O’Connor said: “This will support people to continually build their skillset through their working lives through multiple jobs and sectors.

“This is the first step in a significant body of work to deliver on our reform ambition.

“It builds on the creation of Jobs and Skills Councils – a network of industry led organisations that will bring together employers and unions to work in partnership with governments and the education and training sectors.”

O’Connor said it was important that Australia’s education and training pathways align with what these employers need.

“After years of disengagement with states and territories, our government has restored this critical relationship.

“Reforming and modernising vocational education and training to make it efficient, effective, and easy to navigate is a significant first step.

“We can’t fix a skills shortage if our qualifications are not meeting industry needs – and meeting those needs are vital.”

O’Connor said that some parts of the VET system were working well, the system was incredibly diverse.

What was true in one part of the sector is not necessarily the case in other parts.

“We’ve inherited a system that’s afflicted with thousands of unit duplications, where students are having to relearn things they’ve already been taught.

“Transferable skills are not always being properly recognised and students undertake unnecessary additional training.

“We’ve have identified more than 5,000 units of competency that contain at least 70 per cent of the same material taught in other units.

“This current model is not fit for the modern economy, where changing jobs and careers and life long learning has become the norm.”

O’Connor said the qualifications system was also often criticised as being overly specific.

“For example, there are 18 units of competency related to sales – some as specific as selling sausages.

“I’m no expert, but I would hazard a guess that the skills needed to sell a sausage would not be that different to those needed to sell a lamb chop.

“While I understand there are necessary nuances in sector specific skill sets, there is a way we can give people more freedom and flexibility to transfer their skills without undertaking repetitive training.”

O’Connor also said that following the delivery with the states of 180,000 Fee-Free TAFE and VET place this year the Commonwealth would invest more than $400 million to provide a further 300,000 Fee-Free TAFE places.

Picture: NCVER