The Andrews Labor Government’s quality blitz is in the process of recovering $30 million in funds paid to training providers found to have broken funding rules.
Since July the Department of Education and Training has investigated 36 providers, resulting in the termination of eight Government-funded training contracts.
The main reasons providers had their contracts terminated include failing to deliver high quality training, unauthorised subcontracting and offering of incentives like iPads and laptops to students to sign up for training.
A further four providers have been issued with an intention to terminate notice while another four providers have been allowed to continue training but with sanctions and restrictions imposed on the training they offer.
The first tranche of the blitz targeted RTOs that failed to deliver high quality training and those who had student complaints against them.
Investigations involved student interviews, quality reviews, onsite visits, evidence gathering and financial audits.
Initial figures from the Department’s Student Satisfaction Survey of students who trained in 2014 shows nine per cent of students couldn’t verify they had trained with the RTO that claimed funding for them. This could be for a number of reasons including that the training did not take place.
The survey also reveals the most common single reason why students did not complete their training was because of poor training quality or facilities.
During the Liberals’ four years of mismanaging the training system the Department operated on stretched resources which let unscrupulous providers flourish.
Part of the Government’s plan to clean up the training sector is the introduction of stricter contracts from 2016. The new contracts include mandatory performance reviews, closer scrutiny of high risk providers and a new VTG Quality Charter.
The Labor Government has significantly increased the Department’s resources to conduct more audits and for closer scrutiny of high risk training providers.
We’re spending $30 million over the next three years, on top of the $9 million blitz, to stamp out providers who aren’t giving Victorian students the skills they need to get a job.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Training and Skills Steve Herbert
“The Andrews Labor Government promised to clean up our $1.2 billion training system and that is exactly what we are doing with our quality blitz.”
“It’s now time the Turnbull Government put its money where its mouth is and clean up the VET-FEE Help debacle which has turned into a national disgrace.”
Reviewed 10 February 2021