February 2010

From the Deputy Chair
NQC Member Profile
Ensuring Quality VET for International Students
Skills for Sustainability
More Choice within Training Packages
Increasing National Consistency Through the AQTF
Improving the Quality of Assessment
Improving Training Package Development and Endorsement Processes
Contributing to AQF Qualifications Issuance Policy
Refining the AQTF Excellence Criteria
2010 NQC Meeting Dates

From the Deputy Chair

Mary Hicks Given Pat McKendry completed his term of appointment as Chair in December 2009 and a new Chair is yet to be appointed, I am pleased to be introducing this edition of the Quality Council Focus, the newsletter of the National Quality Council.
I would like to take this opportunity to formally thank Patrick for all his work in leading the Council over the last three years. During his period in office he has overseen major reform of the AQTF and extensive research and development work by the Council to raise the profile and quality of VET assessment and provide a sound policy framework for the next generation of Training Packages.

I would also like to highlight two key recent achievements of the Council, both of which emerged from collaborative work between the NQC and the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The first relates to the Council’s 2009 priority of improving the flexibility and responsiveness of nationally recognized VET products; the second to the Council’s 2009 priority of improving the quality of VET delivery to international students.

In June 2009 the Council endorsed the VET Products for the 21st Century Report, which represented the culmination of more than twelve months joint work by the NQC and the COAG. Following on from the recommendations in this report, at its December meeting, the NQC approved changes to the rules governing Training Package qualifications which will make it easier for providers to tailor qualifications to meet particular learner and industry needs and make qualification requirements more consistent and easier to understand. These changes will be successively implemented through 2010. More details about the changes and the timeline for implementation are available in the following special bulletin:

New Packaging Rules for Training Packages [pdf 3.4 mb]

Through 2009, the Council consulted extensively with stakeholders across the country to identify ways in which the AQTF could be strengthened to provide greater clarity for those responsible for assuring the quality of Australian VET. Later in the year, this NQC work was brought together with similar work being undertaken by the COAG as part of the National International Student Strategy. The joint work culminated in December 2009 with the NQC endorsing a number of changes to the AQTF standards for providers designed to strengthen the AQTF as a regulatory tool. The changes include both strengthened standards for existing registered training providers and new standards for organisations seeking to register for the first time. A special bulletin providing further details about the changes is also available:

9 Dec 2009 - NQC announces changes to AQTF Standards [pdf 368.7kb]

Moving into 2010, some changes to NQC membership have occurred while some are still to be finalised. Andrew Smith (ACPET) fills the position held by Julie Moss, while the position held by Michelle Bissett (ACTU) is yet to be finalized. In welcoming Andrew to the NQC, I would like to recognise the significant contributions of both Julie and Michelle over the past four years, both of whom have been tireless advocates for quality VET provision.

The NQC holds their planning day for 2010 on 4 February and has been the case in previous years receives up-to-the-minute input from Industry Skills Council CEOs through presentation of key issues and future skills challenges arising from their Environmental Scans. The NQC looks forward to the interaction with ISCs and their input to Council’s strategic planning and priority setting.

I look forward to working with the new Council and with many others of you who share our common interest in and commitment to high quality, nationally consistent VET provision which meets the needs of Australian industry and individual Australians.

Regards,

Mary Hicks
(Deputy Chair)

NQC Member Profile

Jennifer Taylor
Group Manager, Tertiary Skills & Productivity Group
DEEWR

Prior to her appointment as Group Manager Tertiary Skills and Productivity, Jennifer was the Chief Executive of the statutory agency the Australian Fair Pay Commission Secretariat, located in Melbourne. The Australian Fair Pay Commission was responsible for setting and adjusting minimum wages, including wages for apprentices and trainees, juniors and people with disability. The Secretariat provided support to the Commission through research and analysis, managing the extensive consultation and submission processes and monitoring and evaluating the impact of the Commission’s decisions.

Prior to this she was the Group Manager Labour Market Strategies group in DEEWR, responsible for providing economic and labour market analysis including identifying early indications of changes in labour market conditions, developing and implementing demand led industry strategies, undertaking labour supply and skills shortage research, managing structural adjustment packages and coordinating international activities, including representation at the OECD.

Jennifer previously worked in a number of senior positions in the South Australian Government including Executive Director of the Office of Employment and Office for Youth, Director of the IT Workforce Strategy Office and Director Corporate and Planning Services in the Department for Industrial Affairs.

Ensuring Quality VET for International Students

New AQTF 2010 Standards
On 3 December 2009 NQC endorsed key reforms to the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) Essential Standards for Registration. These important changes strengthen the AQTF and ensure regulators have the tools they need to protect the interests of all students undertaking Vocational Education and Training in Australia. The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) met on 7 December and supported the Council’s amendments. The changes are:

Strengthened Essential Standards for existing RTOs
New Standards for RTOs registering for the first time

The Council also considered a report on AQTF and the International Student Experience which helped inform the changes and will provide useful input into the next phase of work to strengthen the AQTF national guidelines for risk management and managing non-compliance.

A national workshop of State and Territory Registering Bodies, DEEWR and NARA, facilitated by TVET Australia was held on 20 and 21 January 2010 to discuss the Standards and provide input to the first draft of revamped Users’ Guides.

The NQC as part of their 2010 Planning Day on 4 February considered issues raised at the workshop, and proposed to the National Senior Officials Committee for their consideration how both groups can jointly advise Ministers on the required work to implement the Standards.

For more information about the changes, and to download a copy of the new standards, visit www.nqc.tvetaustralia.com.au and follow the AQTF 2010 link on the home page.

Quality assuring offshore delivery
Offshore delivery of accredited training is growing in size and spread for both public and private providers. This activity provides enormous opportunities for providers but also considerable financial and reputational risks.

Over the course of 2009 the NQC did extensive work to bring together the research on transnational education, the experiences of regulators, and the challenges encountered by providers when delivering overseas, to develop a model for quality assuring Australian qualifications delivered by RTOs offshore. At the December NQC meeting it was agreed that a staged approach to implementing the model be taken, commencing with a compulsory national data collection from all public and private providers regarding programs, enrolments and location of offshore delivery. This staged approach acknowledges that little is known about the extent and nature of offshore delivery and an understanding of the risk is required before all aspects of the quality assurance model are rolled-out.

Presentations to Council from ACPET and the VRQA
In the light of the high priority of International VET for the NQC in 2009 and with reports from a number of pieces of NQC work in this area being considered at the December meeting, the CEO Australian Council of Private Education and Training (ACPET) and the Director, Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) were invited to attend the December meeting to brief members on issues and actions relating to the quality assurance of VET for onshore international students from the point of view of their respective organizations. Mr Smith spoke about the wide range of issues currently impacting on the international education industry, stressing the need for a strategic response which addresses all the issues. Ms Glover provided an overview of outcomes emerging from the ‘rapid audit’ program targeting high risk Victorian providers delivering to international students.

Skills for Sustainability

In early December the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) endorsed a National Green Skills Agreement. The NQC is well positioned to support implementation of the National Agreement in 2010, particularly through its work on scoping current sustainability coverage in Training Packages, and developing strategies for filling the gaps.

The NQC has also developed a Skills for Sustainability Standards Framework. This voluntary framework, to be piloted in early 2010, will allow providers to be publically recognised for excellence in teaching skills for sustainability.

Copies of the Skills for Sustainability Stocktake and Gap Analysis and the new voluntary Standards Framework can be downloaded from the NQC website: http://www.nqc.tvetaustralia.com.au/nqc_publications

More Choice within Training Packages

At its last meeting of 2009, the Council approved a set of changes to packaging rules to give greater choice to employers and learners and to give RTOs the room to customise Training Package qualifications to more closely match what their clients and learners want.

For some time, while employers and industry have voiced strong support for Training Packages, they have also been asking for them to be more flexible and easier to use, more responsive to specific individual or industry needs. That means more flexibility in the way that units are packaged together for nationally recognised qualifications and more choice from a broader range of units so that an individual can add skills that meet those specific needs or pursue current or emerging interests that may be more valuable or in greater demand in the future.

RTOs have always been able to offer electives as part of a Training Package qualification but for many, the range of choice has been limited and inconsistent both across industry Training Packages and across jurisdictions.

Now, the new packaging rules set national minimum standards for choice and flexibility, set out clear conditions for exceptions and simplify the language and terminology of Training Packages, a continuing source of frustration to people outside the VET system.

The major changes
The new rules will specify the total number of units of competency, both core and elective units, that are required to complete a qualification.

For the first time, at least a third of the required units will be electives, giving learners a greater range of choice about the skills and competencies they acquire through training.

Also for the first time, learners will be able to choose units from within the host Training Package, from other Training Packages and from accredited courses and they will be able to choose to ‘import’ up to one sixth of the total units from these other sources. This expands the range of choice significantly and gives RTOs greater ability to customise Training Package qualifications to meet their market’s needs.

During 2010, these rules will be applied progressively to all Training Packages although there are exceptions. While some already offer plenty of choice, qualifications for licensed and trade occupations will be exempt from the rules about electives and importable units. The COAG Australian Apprentices Taskforce and the AQF pathways project about pre apprenticeships will both look at the question of greater choice within apprenticeship training.

Training Package developers will also be able to seek exemption but they will have to demonstrate a compelling business case before exemptions are granted.

The NQC’s National Consistency Action Group will also look at the problems of duplication and inconsistency in both Training Packages and accredited courses and the NQC will not make decisions on these issues until that group has delivered its recommendations.

Timing

The changes will be implemented throughout 2010. While the major policy decisions have been made, decisions about practical aspects of implementation still have to be worked through with State Training Authorities and Industry Skills Councils. The NQC will ensure that there are opportunities for stakeholders both within VET and in industry to have input on implementation issues. The broad timeline for 2010 includes:

January 1-March 31 2010: Transition period for applying the new packaging rules to Training Packages in development
March 31 2010: Analysis of all Training Packages qualifications to identify which ones meet the new packaging rules and to develop work plans for bringing those that don’t into line with the new rules
June 30 2010: Training Packages qualifications in high enrolment areas will have to meet the new qualification packaging rules
December 31 2010: All other Training Packages qualifications will comply with new qualification packaging rules.

In its role to support the training sector in Australia, TVET will run a series of forums about the new packaging rules in every State and Territory and seek stakeholder input on issues around implementation.

Stay tuned for more information in 2010 about other work coming out of the VET Products for the 21st Century Project to modernize Training Packages -

Streamlining the content of Training Packages by separating the performance standards from guidance and supporting information for RTOs.
Revising the definition of competency to embody the ability to transfer and apply skills and knowledge to new situations and environments.

Increasing National Consistency Through the AQTF

The NQC monitors the implementation of the AQTF on an ongoing basis. Issues were identified in relation to the regulation of seriously non compliant RTOs in 2009, especially in relation to international delivery, and a survey of registering bodies was conducted in October 2009 to identify their views on whether the AQTF provided them with sufficient support in the regulation of problematic RTOs. It found that while registering bodies had a general view that the AQTF provided them with sufficient support for regulation of all RTOs, a number of improvements were identified to be necessary both in relation to the Standards and to the national guidelines. Results from the survey have been reflected in the revised AQTF 2010 Essential Standards for Initial Registration and the AQTF 2010 Essential Standards for Continuing Registration and will be reflected in any changes to national guidelines.

The NQC noted a considerable degree of consistency and a number of good practice models in the application of the AQTF by registering bodies. It conducted a range of benchmarking activities late in 2009 together with registering bodies, and has requested that registering bodies share the results of these activities to further support a nationally consistent approach.

Application of a number of national AQTF guidelines, including risk management, complaints management, registration and re-registration processes, and an outcomes based approach to auditing were benchmarked and results will inform the review of national guidelines in 2010. The NQC will continue work in identifying and refining good practice models for implementation of the AQTF in 2010.

Improving the Quality of Assessment

Vocational competency of assessors
The NQC has agreed to add some explanatory text to its policy statement of the requirements for VET trainers and assessors under the AQTF to more clearly define what is meant by the requirement for trainers and assessors to have ‘vocational competency’ . (See Appendix 2, AQTF Users’ Guide to the Essential Standards for Registration for NQC policy on the requirements for VET trainers and assessors). Training Package developers will also be required to provide clear, industry specific advice on how ‘vocational competency’ is to be understood.

Improving Training Package Development and Endorsement Processes

At its December meeting, the Council agreed to changes to policy documents to clarify that Industry Skills Councils which are contracted by the Commonwealth are the only bodies which can develop and maintain Training Packages- except in the case of an Enterprise Training Package which has previously been endorsed by the NQC and in this case only the owner of the Training Package may submit changes.

TVET and the Commonwealth are working together to implement improvements to the Training Package Development and Endorsement Process recommended by the independent evaluation which was completed in mid 2009. Changes to policy documents and templates to clarify policy and streamline processes in a number of areas were discussed at a policy workshop in late 2009 which was attended by representative from Industry Skills Councils and State and Territory Training Authorities. A second workshop is scheduled for early February and post endorsement implementation issues impacting on speed to market of Training Packages will be discussed. Ministers are currently considering the recommendation to remove the requirement for Ministerial approval of NQC endorsement decisions before Training Packages can be published on the NTIS.

A copy of the consultants’ final report from the evaluation of the Training Package Development and Endorsement Process is available below:

Evaluation of the Training Package Development and Endorsement Process - Final Report [pdf 1.7mb]

Contributing to AQF Qualifications Issuance Policy

The NQC has provided a written response to the Australian Qualifications Framework Council’s consultation paper, AQF Qualification Issuance Policy and Protocols.

The draft AQF policy proposes a more streamlined, cross-sectoral protocol for both the qualification ‘testamur’ or ‘parchment’ and the statement of attainment and a reworking of the current Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement into an Australian Graduation Statement, as a supporting document covering qualifications issued in both VET and HE sectors.

The NQC response provides broad support for the AQF Council’s work to develop a cross-sectoral approach to qualifications issuance policy along with a number of suggestions for ensuring the final policy and protocols take sufficient account of the specific needs of the VET sector including:

Clearly showing where qualifications have been achieved through an apprenticeship pathway
Providing an effective mechanism for reporting on the employability skills in qualifications
Ensuring the statement of attainment continues to meet the needs of the VET sector as a credential for certifying completion of accredited courses which do not comprise full AQF qualifications (ie nationally recognised ‘short courses’) and identified skills sets
Ensuring the proposed protocol for the academic transcript reflects that in the VET sector many learners may not intend to complete a full AQF qualification
Ensuring the form and content of the proposed Australian Graduation Statement takes sufficient account of the needs of the VET sector.

Refining the AQTF Excellence Criteria

Consistent with its responsibilities for quality assurance arrangements for the VET sector, the NQC has approved a refined version of the AQTF Excellence Criteria.

The Excellence Criteria were designed to offer RTOs an opportunity to voluntarily evaluate and improve their performance through internally focused activities, or to apply for formal recognition through an independent external evaluation. TVET Australia is currently developing a proposal to make external evaluations available to RTOs from early 2010 onwards, and the refinements have been undertaken in preparation for this. The refinements were proposed from a previous trial of the Excellence Criteria, and focus on minimising duplication and improving clarity and ease of interpretation.

The new version of the AQTF Excellence Criteria is available at the NQC website, and will subsequently be available to be viewed at training.com.au.

2010 NQC Meeting Dates

National Quality Council (NQC)

Thursday 4 February 2010 - Planning Day
Thursday 11 March 2010 - Teleconference (if required)
Thursday 8 April 2010
Thursday 17 June 2010
Thursday 9 September 2010
Thursday 9 December 2010

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