December 2008

In this issue...

From the Chair
NQC Member Profile
Report from COAG and MCVTE
Quality Standing Committee Report
Joint NQC/COAG Project
Training Packages Standing Committee Report
VET Workforce Development Standing Committee
Integrating Equity
CPC08 - Construction, Plumbing and Services Integrated Framework Training Package
2009 Meeting Dates

From the Chair

Since the last meeting of the NQC, I have met with a number of key stakeholders within the national training system to ensure that key personnel are informed of the work and priorities of the Council.

In October, I travelled to Perth and met with the WA Minister for Energy and Training, the Honourable Peter Collier MLC. More recently, I attended the annual Australian Training Awards in Darwin.

On 20 November, I presented the 2008 NQC Annual Report to the Ministerial Council meeting in Darwin. My presentation highlighted 4 key areas of Council activity and achievement:

the Joint NQC/COAG work to develop a policy framework and approaches for VET Products for the 21st Century;
full implementation of the AQTF, including trialling of the AQTF Excellence Criteria;
current work on developing a national VET Workforce Development Strategy; and
new processes for the development and endorsement of training packages.

The Report was positively received, with Ministers acknowledging the ongoing contribution of the National Quality Council to the national training system.

I am pleased to advise that Ministers have provided valuable continuity for the NQC over the next year while new governance arrangements for the national VET system are being finalized, by agreeing to a twelve month extension to the term of office for those members whose terms were due to expire at 31 December 2008.

I am looking forward to working with the Council and its stakeholders in 2009 to meet the new priority set for the Council by Ministers- to incorporate development of a Green Skills Strategy into the 2009 NQC Work Plan. This will include incorporating Green Skills into training products and developing new AQTF standards as for voluntary certification of RTOs as providers of Green Skills.

Regards,

Patrick's Signature 01
Patrick McKendry
NQC Chair

NQC Member Profile

PHILIP CLARKE
Acting Deputy Secretary
Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development

As the Acting Deputy Secretary of Skills Victoria, Philip is responsible for the planning, regulation and delivery of numerous education and training programs and services in Victoria.

Philip has over 20 years experience in employment, industrial relations, education and training in Australia, having worked for the Australian, Queensland and Victorian Governments in a range of roles in that time. He was also a senior manager at the Australian National Training Authority during a period of major reform in the Australian training system in the 1990’s.

Philip has a strong background within Skills Victoria, most recently as the Executive Director for the Skills Policy Development and Coordination Branch, where he was responsible for governance, policy, planning and resource allocation for vocational education and training and higher education within Victoria.

In 2005 Philip managed an inquiry into the VET system in Victoria by an industry panel which led to the Ministerial Statement, ‘Maintaining the Advantage: Skilled Victorians’.

Currently, Philip is leading Skills Victoria as it implements the Victorian Government's Skills Reform Agenda.

Report from COAG and MCVTE

Members were advised that the Ministerial Council in acknowledging the increasing importance of green skills had agreed that the 2009 Work Plan of the NQC would ensure as a matter of priority the integration of green skills within core competencies for all apprenticeship and traineeship qualifications and develop standards for RTOs to be voluntarily certified as green skills providers. Members agreed to consider this at their planning day in February.

Members were also advised that Ministers had extended the period of membership of NQC members whose membership expired at the end of 2008 until the end of 2009. The extension of these members will provide for continuity for the NQC in the context of current major reforms to the National Training System. Members were also advised that Ministers had also agreed to new working arrangements which will impact on the operation of the NQC. Advisory bodies, such as the NQC, will in future use an action group model rather than the current arrangements which establish standing committees. Members agreed to consider the new working arrangements at their planning day in February.

Quality Standing Committee Report

The role of this Committee is to provide strategic oversight and guidance of projects in the NQC Work Plan which focus on quality within the national VET system. This includes monitoring, review and implementation of the Australian Quality Training Framework.

AQTF Quality Indicators Resource Package
The NQC has endorsed the AQTF 2007 Quality Indicators Resource Package for immediate release, with information sessions to commence as soon as practicable in 2009. The NQC has also agreed that 2009 will be a transitional year for implementation of the Quality Indicators, and that it will be optional for RTOs to report on learner engagement and employer satisfaction for 2008 but that it will be mandatory for RTOs to report 2009 data on these two Quality Indicators at 1 July 2010. The Quality Indicators Resource Package may now be accessed online at http://training.com.au

It was agreed that the Quality Standing Committee will monitor the implementation of the Quality Indicators as part of its continuous improvement processes during the transitional period, and that it refer unresolved matters to the proposed External Review of the AQTF.

International VET
The NQC noted that the Quality Standing Committee currently has under consideration a project to identify current research and activity in International VET, and the capacity of the Australian regulatory framework to monitor and audit the quality of offshore delivery. It also agreed that the External Review of the AQTF 2007 include a review of the effectiveness of the AQTF in managing quality issues associated with VET delivery by Australian RTOs both on a domestic basis for international students, and offshore.

Formative Evaluation of AQTF 2007
The report of the formative evaluation AQTF 2007 has been completed, and may be downloaded from http://training.com.au Recommendations from the report are focused on implementation arrangements, industry regulator arrangements, risk management and auditing arrangements, consistency and collaboration, capacity building, and the extent to which AQTF 2007 has so far achieved an outcomes focus. The Quality Standing Committee is currently considering recommendations from the report in planning continuous improvement activities during 2009, as well as in identifying priorities for inclusion in the 2008 NQC Work Plan.

Investigation into Industry Expectations of VET Assessment
The Quality Standing Committee is in process of reviewing the recommendations from this report in terms of developing priorities for inclusion in the 2008 NQC Work Plan.

National Registration and Accreditation Technical Committee
The NQC noted the following reports from the Technical Committee of the QSC:

the National Summary Report of the Performance of the State and Territory Registering and Accrediting Bodies – 1 July to 31 December 2007;
individual reports from State and Territory Registering and Accrediting Bodies; and
the Summary of State and Territory AQTF Related Activity Data as at 3 December 2007.

The NQC approved the current reporting format be continued for reports from State and Territory Registering and Accrediting Bodies for 2008, unless the AQTF Quality Indicators for Registering and Course Accrediting Bodies are developed in the intervening period. The development of Quality Indicators for Registering and Course Accrediting Bodies is a priority for the QSC.

Joint NQC/COAG Project

The purpose of this project is to develop a draft policy framework and approaches for ensuring the VET system has the products (including units of competency, Training Packages, VET qualifications, accredited courses, credit systems and recognition arrangements) required to respond to changing labour market demand for the skills needed by businesses, industry and individuals in the 21st century.

Stage 1 of the project is progressing well. A draft consultation paper has been developed and feedback on the paper is being sought through a limited consultation process which targets key stakeholders such as Industry Skills Councils, State/Territory Training Authorities and peak industry and provider bodies. Feedback from these stakeholders will inform development of a refined consultation paper to be used as the basis for a much broader second stage consultation planned for February/March 2009. It is anticipated that the broad consultation will include a public submission process, a series of public forums and/or workshops in each State and Territory as well as some further targeted consultation with key stakeholders. Tenders to undertake broad consultation on VET Training Products for the 21st century will be advertised through the NQC website and media shortly - interested parties are encouraged to check the website for details.

NCVER have completed a literature review of the history of competency based training (CBT) and issues relating to CBT and the concept of competency and this review will be widely distributed with the second stage consultation paper.

Six ISCs (SSA, MSA, EE-OZ, CS&H, IBSA and Agri-food) are conducting some exploratory work to investigate ways in which the current Training Package model within the existing competency framework could respond to industry and learner needs; and the JSC Secretariat will undertake some desk top and case study research on accredited courses.

Outcomes from the consultations and all the supplementary work will inform development of the final project report and recommendations to the NQC, MCVTE and COAG in mid 2009.

Training Packages Standing Committee Report

It has been almost twelve months since a new, streamlined process to develop and endorse Training Packages and increase the ‘speed to market’ of new qualifications, skill sets and units of competency. The Training Packages Standing Committee agreed that the time is right for an evaluation of this new process to assess the effectiveness and value of the following key aspects of the Training Package Development and Endorsement Process:

The timelines for development and endorsement
The Environmental Scans and Impact Statements
The Case for Endorsement submissions
The Quality Assurance Reports
ISC briefings and the final sign-off process

It is expected that evaluation will commence in February 2009 with a final report is likely to be considered at the April 2009 NQC meeting.

2008 TPSC Projects Close to Completion
Over the past three months the Training Packages Standing Committee has overseen three key projects:

Alternative Frameworks for Recognition of Workplace Training
This project looked at Alternative Frameworks for Recognition of Workplace Training and developed a discussion paper scoping national and international frameworks for workplace recognition and providing conceptual thinking about what a broad recognition policy might be. The project is in its final stages and it is expected the discussion paper will be considered by the NQC early in 2009.

Training Packages Glossary of Terms
A project to develop a Training Packages Glossary of Terms is also close to completion. Over the past few months the project team, guided by the Training Packages Standing Committee, has:

examined a range of primary sources including Training Packages and policy documents;
examined a range of secondary sources including other VET and Training Package glossaries;
identified a set of key terms related to training packages and the Training Packages Development and Endorsement process
identified an authoritative definition for each key term, for endorsement by the NQC;
The final glossary should be finalised for publication in early 2009.

Current Research and Practices in Graded Assessment
Work to scope Current research and practices in graded assessment at Diploma & Advanced Diploma levels is also well underway, with the intention of identifying the ‘state of play’ with Graded Assessment in Australia and existing barriers to Graded Assessment. The final report is being drafted as we speak, and will be considered by the Council early in 2009.

VET Workforce Development Standing Committee

This NQC Standing Committee has two major roles: to oversee NQC Work Plan projects to develop the professional capability of the VET workforce; and to provide advice on strategic priorities for the National VET Professional Capability Building Program (currently ‘Reframing the Future ‘).

Closure strategy for Reframing the Future
NQC has noted that DEEWR (as the contract manager for Reframing the Future) and DFEEST South Australia (project manager) will negotiate a closure strategy for the Reframing the Future program. It has advised DEEWR that the principles of seamlessness, continuity and accessibility should guide arrangements for the maintenance of resources and be reflected in communications to stakeholders.

2008 VET Workforce Development Standing Committee Work Plan Projects

National VET Workforce Development Strategy
Stage 1 of the development of the National VET Workforce Development Strategy is in progress, following recent national consultations. Stage 1 outputs include a high level framework for a national strategy which provides:

a rationale for the national strategy in terms of key national policy drivers;
a statement of short and long term objectives to be achieved by the strategy;
a statement of the scope of the national strategy in terms of the components of the VET workforce to be covered, including the range of employment and job role categories;
a high level summary of current VET workforce development strategies in each jurisdiction and nationally;
a high level summary of current knowledge about the capacity and capability profile of the current and future VET workforce; and
a set of guidelines and protocols to support best practice in VET workforce development and the development of a national strategy which takes account of roles and responsibilities at national, state, local and individual levels.

Stage 2 of the project will provide a fully developed National VET workforce development strategy and include skills and knowledge profiles for the VET workforce in selected priority areas as well as priorities for capability building to be addressed through the VET Professional Development Capability Building Program in 2009. Stage 2 of the project is anticipated to be completed early in 2009.

Quality of Assessment Practices
This project is now underway, with Stage 1 anticipated for completion in February 2009, at which stage the NQC will call for tenders to undertake Stage 2 of the project. Stage 1 outputs include the development of a scoping report which will

review what constitutes and contributes to quality assessment and how perceptions or understandings of this may have changed over the past five years from the view of stakeholders, including industry
identify key issues impacting on the integrity and quality of assessment outcomes from all aspects
analyse the breadth of existing materials available to support the VET workforce in determining quality assessment outcomes in targeted areas, including
- higher level technical skills and professional and paraprofessional qualifications
- International education and training
- Programs utilizing distance and on line programs
analyse the needs of the VET workforce in determining quality assessment outcomes, including
- ‘unpacking’ units of competency and the design of assessment strategies and tools
- developing assessment strategies which integrate the assessment of employability skills
- developing assessment strategies for units which have a knowledge based outcomes
- developing a more ‘holistic’ approach to assessment which may include the clustering of units and the collection of workplace evidence
- RPL

Stage 2 of the project will develop a strategy and review existing materials to address gaps in quality assessment.

Industry/enterprise and RTO partnerships
This project is underway, with completion anticipated early in 2009. It will report on several action learning sites in Australia which explore good practice examples of industry, enterprise and RTO partnerships. Action learning sites may include:

identification of strategies for the development of an enterprise learning and assessment plan, and documentation of processes and procedures that were used in completion of the plan;
examples which reflect RTOs and enterprises collaborating in the contextualization of units of competency; and
examples of collaboration between RTOs and enterprises both in the identification of relevant sources of evidence guiding assessment decisions which reflect the enterprise context and/ or the efficient and effective use of third party reports.

National approach to moderation to improve the consistency of assessment
This project is underway, with completion anticipated in May 2009 and will be based on outcomes from five action learning projects. Outputs will include:

a Code of Practice for engagement in moderation activity for use during the action learning projects, and that can be reviewed for wider use following the projects.
agreed good practice characteristics of, and common principles that apply to a range of assessment tools – portfolios, assignments, third party reports, demonstrations and simulations that may be applied in the moderation of assessment decisions in any industry – for use during the projects.
a report describing the process of reaching consensus on what is acceptable evidence to confirm assessment judgements in selected competencies in identified national industry priority areas.
a report that synthesises the examples of good practice models in determining quality assessment judgements and that could be applied in a variety of contexts.
a brief from the consultant outlining how equity considerations have been taken into account, or addressed where appropriate.

Integrating Equity

Miles Morgan Australia have been appointed as consultants for a project which will provide clear direction to the Council on how to ensure equity issues are systematically considered in all aspects of the NQC’s business practices and outputs. A draft of the consultant’s report was presented to the NQC, and its recommendations will be considered in the context of the Council’s strategic planning for 2009

CPC08 - Construction, Plumbing and Services Integrated Framework Training Package

Following NQC endorsement of the CPC08 Construction, Plumbing and Services Integrated Framework Training Package at its September meeting, a number of Ministers requested that the training package not be published on the NTIS. At its December meeting, the Council agreed to establish an implementation panel to oversee and report back to the Council on continuous improvement work which has been identified as necessary for the package. Based on the formation of the panel, Ministerial approval for publication on the NTIS will again be sought.

2009 Meeting Dates

5 February		ISC CEOs Forum - Re Environmental Scans (Half day)
6 February		2009 Planning Day (All day)
9 April		NQC Meeting (All day)
25 June		NQC Meeting (All day)
10 September		NQC Meeting (All day)
3 December		NQC Meeting (All day)

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