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An Industry Guide - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
The following information has been compiled to answer some of the questions we are frequently asked. It has been written from an industry perspective in plain English in an attempt to assist those who are looking for general information on what is an ever-changing maze of jargon and acronyms. However sometimes in the simplification process important details are omitted.
So if you are looking for precise, detailed or technical knowledge we strongly advise you to seek that information from the relevant authority. Most sections include links to websites or contacts that can provide this level of information.
If you want to understand the training system in a nutshell, read on…
A simple map of a complicated maze... Click here
What is the National Training Framework all about?
What is scope of registration?
UNAVOIDABLE ACRONYMS in the training arena………
What is the National Training Framework all about?
The National Training Framework (NTF) is the national framework designed to allow qualifications to be standardised and recognised in any State or Territory in Australia.
The National Training Framework focuses on meeting industry needs. Its qualifications are based on the competencies required for established job roles. The sector is consulted about what competencies workers need for different jobs, what qualifications are appropriate for these jobs and how much flexibility workers may have in the way they achieve these qualifications.
Implementation of the national training framework is supported by the new 2005 – 08 Commonwealth-State Agreement for Skilling Australia’s Workforce, that was signed by all States and Territories. Under the agreement, the Australian Government will provide almost $5 billion to the States and Territories to support their training systems over 2005-08. The agreement includes $215 million of additional funding, an annual average real increase of 4.1 per cent over the quadrennium compared to 2004. This new funding is expected to create up to 128,000 additional training places over the life of the Agreement.
The National Training Framework fosters flexibility and “user choice” by requiring government and private training organisations to mutually recognise each other’s qualifications. So a Certificate III from a small training provider in rural Tasmania will be recognised by NSW TAFE as equivalent to theirs, and vice versa. Consequently, individuals and organisations can negotiate with training providers the what, where, when and how of training (ie cost, timing, location, mode of delivery, trainer/facilitator evaluation etc). All Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) must meet the Australian Quality Training Framework standards (AQTF). They must also register which courses or qualifications they wish to offer. Information on this is available on the National Training Information Service (NTIS) at www.ntis.gov.au.
What is VET?
VET stands for Vocational Education and Training.
The VET sector:
- is part of the education system
- develops and acknowledges the skills and knowledge that people need for employment
- offers courses, training programs and assessment related to employment and includes:
- TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and
- ACE (Adult and Community Education) colleges
- private colleges and institutions
- not for profit and community organisations, and industry organisations/employers who have major training programs
Note: many of these training organisations are formally registered and accredited and known as Registered Training Organisations (RTOs)
VTE stands for Vocational and Technical Education.
This term is a recent arrival in the training arena. Its introduction corresponds with the establishment of technical secondary schools who specialise in vocational education. VTE is currently used in relation to vocational programs and courses offered across the secondary school sector.
VTE is a growth area in the training market. The DEST Survey of VTE (December 2005) reported that two thirds of secondary schools in Australia offer VTE programs and courses (higher in government schools at 80%) and that 1 in 4 secondary students participate in a VTE program or course.
What is a training package?
A Training Package specifies the knowledge and skills required by workers to be competent in the workplace for a specific industry. Training packages are developed in consultation with industry by National Skills Councils, endorsed by the National Quality Council (NQC) and implemented by state ITABs.
A Training Package consists of endorsed:
- Competency standards - a compilation of the skills and knowledge, defined by industry, that workers at different levels and in different sectors of an industry need
- Assessment guidelines - a framework of how to assess these competencies to ensure that judgments are valid, reliable, flexible and fair
- Qualifications framework - what qualifications may be awarded. These are aligned to the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF)
A Training Package is not a set of training/teaching resources, that is, it does not prescribe how an individual should be trained or how the training should be delivered. Trainers and/or teachers develop learning strategies or resources depending on the industry’s and learners' needs, abilities and circumstances.
There are more than 65 endorsed Training Packages covering a wide range of industries, such as automotive, bunisess services, coal, construction, retail, sport and many others. Two of these relate to our industry; they are CHC08 Community Services Training Package and HLT07 Health Training Package.
What is DEEWR?
DEEWR stands for Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
Originally, the Australian National Training Authority (ANTA) was the Commonwealth statutory authority, established in 1994, to provide a national focus for vocational education and training. On Friday 22nd October 2004, the Prime Minister announced that, from 1 July 2005, the responsibilities and functions of ANTA would be transferred to the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST).
DEEWR was created on 3 December 2007, bringing together elements of the former Departments of Education, Science and Training, Employment and Workplace Relations and the Youth and Early Childhood functions from the Department of Family, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs.
DEEWR is responsible for the policy development, management and promotion of a national vocational education and training system. It is DEEWR that funds the development and implementation of training packages, strategies to address skills shortages and supports a variety of training pathways such as the Industry Training Strategies Program for employers.
The Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education (known as MINCO) is made up of the Commonwealth, State and Territory Ministers responsible for vocational education and training. It makes decisions on strategic policy and planning, including funding, and national objectives and priorities.
For more information visit the DEEWR website at http://www.deewr.gov.au/deewr/Training/.
What is the AQTF?
AQTF stands for the Australian Quality Training Framework.
It is a set of nationally agreed standards to ensure the quality of vocational education and training services throughout Australia.
AQTF Standards for Registered Training Organisations
AQTF 2007 builds on the existing AGTF framework standards and encourages RTOs to focus on their core business of training and assessment. It includes three Essential Standards for Registration:
- Conditions of registration – nine conditions which must be met covering areas such as governance, insurance, compliance with legislation, marketing, financial management, issuing of qualifications and national recognition
- Standards – three standards containing a number of elements
- Standard 1: RTO provides quality training and assessment across all its operations
- Standard 2: RTO adheres to principles of access and equity and maximizes outcomes for its clients
- Standard 3: management systems are responsive to the needs of clients, staff and stakeholders and the environment within which the RTO operate
- Quality indicators – three quality indicators are designed to provide information about the RTOs performance
- Employer satisfaction
- Learner satisfaction
- Competency completion rate
AQTF Standards for State and Territory Registering/Course Accrediting Bodies
They describe the way that States and Territories carry out registration and audits.The NSW registering and accrediting body is Vocational Education & Training Accreditation Board (VETAB).
For more information visit www.training.com.au/aqtf2007
NTIS stands for the National Training Information Service. The NTIS is a website of database information providing up-to-date information on:
- recognised vocational education and training
- endorsed Training Packages and their components:
- competency standards
- assessment guidelines
- qualifications and
- any support materials
- Registered Training Organisations and their scope of registration i.e. the Training Packages and courses they are registered to offer.
For more information visit the National Training Information Service (NTIS) website at www.ntis.gov.au .
AQF stands for Australian Qualification Framework. The AQF is like a staircase of qualifications in post-compulsory education and training incorporating school, industry vocational and academic qualifications into one system.
These qualifications have been designed in a sequence to allow changing from one qualification to the next. It supports a variety of flexible education and training pathways between schools, registered training organisations and universities, training in the workplace and lifelong experience. The emphasis is on having the required knowledge and skills not whether they were obtained in a classroom, on the job or in some other way.
However depending on individual experiences and the industry, learning can start at a variety of points on the staircase. For example, in NSW, in Community Services, qualifications for all direct care workers who have client contact begin at a Certificate III (AQF3).
Qualifications usually exist if there is a vocational outcome at that level i.e. a relevant job. Consequently not all levels exist for all industry sectors. People can move up or down the staircase to gain relevant qualifications. In fact, more people who are university trained decide to complete VET qualifications, than VET graduates decide to access or “articulate” to university.
For more information visit the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) website at www.aqf.edu.au/aboutaqf.htm or see the Useful Contacts section for contact details.
In 2005, a Vocational Graduate Certificate and Vocational Graduate Diploma were added to the AQF in the VET sector and are positioned at the same level as the higher education Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma.
These qualifications have been added to the AQF to expand learning pathways oriented to the specialised needs of industry at graduate level. They are different from other graduate qualifications as they are more focussed on industry outcomes, with less emphasis on an academic discipline than the higher education Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma.
More information can be found at http://www.aqf.edu.au/vgc_vgd.htm
RPL stands for Recognition of Prior Learning. RCC stands for Recognition of Current Competence.
Many experienced workers have gained skills and knowledge on the job but have no qualification to reflect their ability. Under the National Training Framework workers are encouraged to have their skills recognised by having them assessed. The RPL or RCC process involves showing evidence to an assessor of skills or knowledge learnt on the job, in training or previous work or personal/life experience. If the worker can demonstrate their competence, they can be awarded the appropriate qualification or a statement of the skills they have.
Skill Sets are nationally recognised units of competency or combinations of units of competency in a training package that link to a licence or regulatory requirement, or defined industry need. They are designed to build on a relevant qualification to build on or broaden a candidate's ability to undertake required or additional job roles.
A traineeship is a job that combines work and training. Training and assessment can take place in the workplace, or in combination with some off the job training. All traineeships include paid employment, a training contract between employer and trainee and a training program delivered by a contracted training provider. The training cost is provided for approved traineeships by NSW Department of Education and Training (DET). As well, there are State and Federal employer incentives and subsidies that assist in the employment of a trainee.
The traineeship system in NSW is regulated by the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Act 2001 and is administered by DET. Lists of relevant community services and health traineeships are found in the Community Services Training Package and Health Training Package sections of this Information Kit.
VETAB stands for Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board.
In NSW, VETAB is the state recognition authority and is part of the Department of Education and Training (DET).
Registering and Quality Auditing Training Organisations
All training organisations (including TAFE) that want to issue AQF qualifications or statements of attainment or statements of competencies achieved, must be registered by their State (or Territory) recognition authority.
VETAB is the recognition authority in NSW and it grants recognition for 5 years to training organisations that meet their guidelines.
VETAB also conducts quality audits of training organisations as part of the registration process. Concerns about an RTO can be addressed directly to the RTO or VETAB for consideration.
Accrediting courses
Some RTOs accredit their courses with VETAB. This means that the course conforms to the National Accreditation Principles and to the Australian Qualifications Framework by:
- ensuring course content and standards are appropriate for the qualification
- meeting the purpose for which it was developed and
- ensuring the course does not replicate a training package qualification
A major aim however is to ensure the accredited course does not simply duplicate a training package qualification. While courses can include some national competency standards, new courses are only accredited if they can be shown to be sufficiently different and not lead to or replicate a national training package qualification. Courses can be accredited for up to 5 years. All accredited courses are listed on the National Training Information Service (NTIS) database at www.ntis.gov.au .
For more information on registration, course accreditation and VETAB, visit the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board (VETAB) website at www.vetab.nsw.gov.au or see the Useful Contacts section for contact details.
RTO stands for Registered Training Organisation. (Refer to previous section What is VETAB? Registering and Quality Auditing Training Organisations for more details)
Registered Training Organisations:
- can issue national qualifications
- are eligible to tender for public funding for vocational education and training
- can use the VETAB logo
- could form partnerships with other (unregistered) businesses or organisations to issue qualifications on their behalf
All RTOs are listed on the Internet on the National Training Information Service (NTIS) website at www.ntis.gov.au .
What is scope of registration?
Scope of registration refers to all of the courses, services and training package qualifications or competencies that an RTO is registered to deliver i.e. the range or breadth of their registration. RTOs must ensure they have the competency and resources to deliver all of their scope. They must also ensure they meet all the legislative, licensing and training package requirements relevant to their scope.
The scope of registration may be very broad and include many qualifications and courses or very specialised with one course or a couple of competencies.
CSHISC stands for Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council. Funded by DEST, CSHISC is responsible for the development and review of the:
- Community Services Training Package and
- Health Training Package.
NOTE: CSHISC was known as CSHTA (Community Services and Health Training Australia) prior to 2004.
WELL stands for the Workplace English Language and Literacy Program. The WELL program aims to provide workers with English language, literacy and numeracy skills. It provides funding for language and literacy training that is integrated with vocational training.
The following groups may apply for WELL funding:
- Enterprises (including Government Business Enterprises);
- Representative Bodies (Industry Training Advisory Bodies, employer organisations and trade unions);
- Local Governments; or
- Registered Training Organisations.
The WELL Program is funded by the Commonwealth Government Department of Education, Science and Training. More information on the program may be found at www.dest.gov.au/ty/well
UNAVOIDABLE ACRONYMS in the training arena………
ACE
Adult and Community Education
ANTA
Australian National Training Authority (now part of DEST)
AQF
Australian Qualification Framework
AQTF
Australian Quality Training Framework (national standards)
ATP
Australian Training Products
BVET
Board of Vocational Education and Training (State Training Authority)
CSHITAB
Community Services and Health Industry Training Advisory Body (NSW ITAB)
CSHISC
Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council
DEEWR
DEST
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
Department of Education, Science and Training (Commonwealth)
DET
Department of Education and Training (NSW)
ITAB
Industry Training Advisory Board/Body
MINCO
Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education
NTF
National Training Framework
NTIS
National Training Information Service
NQC
National Quality Council
RCC
Recognition of Current Competency
RPL
Recognition of Prior Learning
RTO
Registered Training Organisation
STA
State Training Authority
TAFE
Technical and Further Education
VET
Vocational Education and Training
VETAB
Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board
VTE
Vocational and Technical Education (Secondary schools)
WELL
Workplace English Language and Literacy