Changes in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Sector
DR ELIZABETH GIBSON, General Manager CMPA reports on the changes to the VET Sector.
The Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) consists of industry leaders from across Australia to provide leadership to the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector, ensuring that directions taken by Ministers are informed by an industry perspective focused on the quality and relevance of the national training system. The AISC was established by the Council of Australian Governements Industry and Skills Council in May 2015 to give industry a formal, expanded role in policy direction and decision-making for the vocational education and training sector.
Members of AISC include industry leaders nominated by Commonwealth and state and territory ministers responsible for skills and training; a peak body representative (rotating between the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Industry Group); and two ex-officio members (senior government officials). Through the new arrangements for training package development, the AISC is committed to increasing the efficiency and responsiveness of the skills and training system. AISC will particularly focus on industries experiencing structural or technological change and those which underpin growth and international competitiveness.
On 10 November 2016, the Hon Karen Andrews MP, Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills (Commonwealth Government), announced the Skills Service Organisations (SSO) for the extractive industry sector. As a result of the consultation process started in June 2016, a Business Case (case for change) was submitted to the AISC meeting on Thursday 15 December 2016. The AISC agreed to commission PwC’s Skills for Australia as the new SSO for the Resources and Infrastructure sectors from January 2017 to undertake training package development work as described in the case for change.
SSOs are funded by the Australian Government as independent, professional service organisations who undertake work commissioned by the AISC, on behalf of their Industry Reference Committees (IRCs). These Committees are said to be the core of the new arrangements – driving the process of training package development and ensuring that those packages meet the needs of their industry sector. Nominations were sought for industry representatives on the extractive IRC in November 2016. The nominations have now closed and the AISC are finalising some of the positions open for public nomination. Once this has been completed, the AISC will determine the final membership at which time CMPA will be notified. This process will be completed over the coming weeks.
As a result of the change of SSO, SkillsDMC will no longer be the SSO for the extractive industry. CMPA would like to thank SkillsDMC for their commitment to extractive industry training over the past 10 years.
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