Premier

Restoring Confidence In Victoria’s Training System

10 August 2016

Students, employers and industry can have greater confidence in Victoria’s training system with the Andrews Labor Government’s quality blitz weeding out close to 20 low quality training providers.

A year after its launch, the $9 million training quality blitz is having a significant impact on dodgy training providers. 12 months on, the blitz has seen:

  • 62 Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) investigated
  • 18 training providers having their contracts terminated
  • More than $41 million in Victorian taxpayer money earmarked for recovery
  • $9 million of funding is currently being withheld while investigations continue

The blitz is putting quality back at the heart of the Victorian Government funded training system after the former Liberal Government let low quality training providers run rampant.

By weeding out poor quality providers, students can have confidence in the quality of the training they receive and industry can have confidence in the quality of the skills students, apprentices and trainees are receiving.

The blitz was started last year as a direct result of the Government’s Review of Quality Assurance in Victoria’s VET system.

As part of the blitz, the Department of Education and Training now names providers who have had their contract terminated on its website, so students can have confidence in the providers they choose.

In addition to the blitz, the Labor Government is investing $30 million over three years to boost quality assurance, including closer scrutiny of high-risk providers and greater control and oversight in the use of third party training providers.

It means investigators can get out and speak to more students and undertake more on site audits.

The Government has introduced new, tougher contracts for training providers which came into effect in January this year. The new contracts mean that anyone involved in the management of a training organisation that has their contract cancelled by the Department or the regulator reasons will not be able to be involved in another training company that receives Victorian Government funding.

As well as cracking down on poor quality training, the Government has invested heavily in TAFE, including through the $320 million TAFE Rescue Fund. Last year, the Government commissioned an independent Review of VET Funding, with a new model for the sector to be announced soon.

Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert

“We’re leading the country in stamping out rogue training providers. We’re working to restore confidence to the training system prior to the introduction of a new funding system in 2017.”

“The blitz has had a huge impact. It has led to us removing dodgy training providers from the system and has helped restore confidence in VET training.”

Reviewed 19 August 2020

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