Active membership in a peak vocational education and training (VET) industry association has been made a requirement by the NSW Government in order to participate in its Smart and Skilled program. Industry association membership is essential in order to “meet industry accountabilities for quality and responsiveness to student needs.”
“As the peak national body representing community-owned and managed Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), CCA regards this as a significant step to ensure the consistency and quality of Australian VET programs, said Dr Don Perlgut, CCA’s CEO.
“We believe that all states, territories and the Australian Government should adopt similar policies. At the very minimum, industry association membership should be requirement prior to receiving any government funding,” said Dr Perlgut.
CCA has established requirements for integrity as well as a recent set of ethical principles on VET FEE-HELP.
The NSW Government recently published its Statement of Expectations for the 450 providers approved to deliver training under the Smart and Skilled program. This Statement details the NSW Government’s expectations on quality, ethics, accountability and responsiveness.
In its statement, the NSW Government notes that, “Unfortunately, some unethical providers have taken advantage of students through VET FEE HELP,” and that the Government is keen to avoid such practices in the Smart and Skilled program. The NSW Department of Industry has committed to working closely with NSW Fair Trading on training organisation investigations and disciplinary matters to ensure “the ongoing integrity of the State’s training sector.”
For more information about CCA membership, contact the CEO.
