Welcome to the April TAC Update
The Council remains committed to fostering a high-quality Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector in Western Australia. This includes ensuring the integrity of assessments, particularly within the growing landscape of online learning environments.
Recently the Council became aware of a sector alert issued by the Australian Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) highlighting a rise in assessment fraud concerns. While TEQSA's focus is on higher education, the Council recognises the potential for similar risks in the VET sector.
TEQSA's report exposes a troubling trend where commercial academic cheating services are resorting to increasingly aggressive tactics. This not only devalues qualifications but also poses a significant risk to student well-being. The report details a concerning shift, with cheating services actively targeting students through more direct promotional methods. Even more alarming, students who engage with these services are at a heightened risk of being blackmailed for further payment, personal information, or even access to institutional systems.
To combat this issue, TEQSA has outlined a series of actionable steps. These include educating students on the risks associated with cheating services and available support resources, implementing measures to monitor online activity for suspicious behaviour, and providing staff with training to effectively detect cheating attempts.
While TEQSA’s alert specifically targets providers of programs leading to Australian higher education awards, the Council encourages all WA RTOs to proactively address these risks to maintain the integrity of the VET sector.
TAC Education Program
Upcoming Events
To support TAC RTOs in the transition to the early changes to the Standards the following free webinars have been developed for TAC RTOs :
- Chat with TAC - Early Changes to the Standards - Mon 11th Mar 2024, 10:00 -10:30am AWST
- Trainer and Assessor Requirements - Mon 22nd Apr 2024, 10:00 am - 11:00 am AWST
Webinar Recordings:
View the TAC Education Program to access professional development opportunities, support and guidance materials and access previous webinar recordings and resources. Catch up now on the following recent webinar:
Early Changes to the Standards for RTOs Webinar
This webinar provides guidance to RTOs on the early changes to the Standards for RTOs which were implemented 1 March 2024.
Focus on Quality: Trainer and Assessor Credentials - Secondary Teaching Qualifications
A new category for training and assessment credentials has been included in Schedule 1 of the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015. This category is focussed on those that hold a Secondary teaching qualification.
The changes enable people who hold an education degree to be engaged as trainers and/or assessors if the following conditions are met:
- hold a qualification that enables registration as a secondary school teacher in any state or territory;
- hold the TAESS00019 Assessor Skill Set (or its successor), or the TAESS00024 VET Delivered to School Students Teacher Enhancement Skill Set (or its successor);
- have vocational competency at least to the level in which they are delivering and assessing learners; and
- have industry currency.
Application in Western Australia
In Western Australia registration as a teacher is the responsibility of the Teachers Registration Board (TRBWA). To meet the TRBWA requirements “A person must hold a teaching qualification from an accredited initial teacher education (ITE) program or one that the TRBWA recognises as equivalent to such a qualification”.
The TRBWA does not categorise registration by specialisation (Early Childhood, Primary, or Secondary), however the Standards for RTOs require a Secondary Education qualification. Consequently, only qualifications that specify secondary education will meet the credential requirements as specified in the Standards, for example:
- Bachelor of Education (Secondary Education)
- Master of Teaching (Secondary Education)
- Bachelor of Science and Master of Teaching (Secondary)
For further details, please refer to the Standards for RTOs, Quality Reforms page on the TAC website, and the Trainer and Assessor Requirements Fact Sheet. We encourage you to also register for the Trainer and Assessor Requirements webinar scheduled for Monday, April 22nd where this topic will be discussed further.
Catch up now on TAC’s latest podcast
TAC's Podcasts can be listened to on most podcast apps, YouTube or on the TAC Website.
TAC Talks Ep 18 - Amplifying Excellence in WA VET Through Award Winner Stories – Holly Gudsell
This episode is part of a series dedicated to amplifying excellence in WA VET through award winner stories. In this instalment, we have the privilege of speaking with Holly Gudsell, WA and Australian VET Teacher/Trainer of the year. Holly speaks to us about her pivotal role in shaping the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Officer (AIEO) program.
Updated Fact Sheet
Fact Sheet - Trainer and Assessor Regulatory Requirements
The Fact Sheet has been updated to include FAQs and additional guidance on Secondary Teaching qualifications and its use in VET in WA.
Transition extensions
At the March 2024 meeting the Council agreed to extend the transition period for the following training product to 31 July 2025:
- HLT40113 Certificate IV in Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Primary Health Care
View the full list of training products approved for an extended transition period.
The Council may consider requests to extend the transition period of a superseded training product when certain conditions apply. Further information is available on the TAC Website.
Other important updates
Department of Training and Workforce Development’s (DTWD) new website
DTWD’s new website location is the home of information, support and resources related to VET and workforce development in Western Australia.
The move to the WA.gov.au platform will help users to better connect with information from key service areas.
Visit the new home page at wa.gov.au/dtwd and take a look around.
WA Training Awards
The Council is proud to support the 2024 WA Training Awards and encourages all RTOs to promote the Awards within their organisations and amongst colleagues in the VET sector.
For more information and to apply for the awards visit the WA Training Awards website.
Applications close on Friday 26 April 2024 and the Awards will be announced at a presentation ceremony to be held in Perth on 20 September 2024.
Australian Training Awards
Nominations to the 2024 direct entry categories for the Australian Training Awards are now open. Visit the Australian Training Awards website for more information.
Qualification Reform
The Qualification Reform Design Group has provided initial advice to Skills Ministers on reforming Australia’s VET qualifications system. The proposals presented reflect a significant step in redesigning qualifications to better support the diverse users of the VET system and their needs, and to meet the new expectations placed on the VET system such as through the National Skills Agreement (NSA).
The full report can be downloaded on the Skills Reform website.
Report: Shared vision, equal pathways
Following an inquiry into VET, the Standing Committee on Employment, Education and Training released its "Shared Vision, Equal Pathways" report. The report proposes 34 recommendations to address negative perceptions of VET, create a national careers strategy in schools, and promote VET's diverse career paths, all to prepare Australians for the evolving job market.
The full report is available on the Parliament of Australia website.
Jobs and Skills Australia Ministerial Advisory Board
The establishment of the Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) Ministerial Advisory Board, a critical part of JSA’s governance structure, has been announced. This expert group will advise on Australia's workforce needs, including gender equality, provide independent and expert advice to both the JSA Commissioner and Minister for Skills and Training.
For more information on the Board and its members, visit Jobs and Skills Australia Ministerial Advisory Board.
Changes coming to Training.gov.au
The Australian Department of Employment and Workplace Relations will be rolling out changes to enhance Training.gov.au (TGA). The new TGA is more intuitive and accessible, and will deliver:
- improved usability,
- a streamlined interface,
- more robust search features, and
- and enhanced reporting functions.
The enhanced TGA is planned for a late 2024 release. For more information about changes, you can visit the National Training Register Enhancement Project.
NVCER ‘No Frills’ 2024 Conference
The 33rd National Vocational Education and Training (VET) Research Conference "No Frills" is now open for registration.
This year's conference theme is "VET Partnerships Powering a Dynamic Workforce" and will be held on Wednesday 10 July to Friday 12 July 2024 at North Metropolitan TAFE in Perth.
Visit the NCVER website for more information and to register.
Jobs and Skills Australia
Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has released the following:
Updates
- JSA has released the latest Skills Priority List, which provides a detailed view of occupations that are likely in shortage, as well as the future demand for occupations in Australia.
- JSA has updated their Atlas, with new features now available including National earning and age data, occupation group filter, and clean energy critical occupation toggle.
Consultations
- Draft Core Skills Occupations List (closes 10 May)
Latest NCVER Reports
NCVER has released the following new reports:
- Research messages 2023 - 13 Mar
- Apprentice and trainee outcomes 2023 - 21 Mar
- Apprentices and trainees 2023: September quarter - 28 Mar
