CONTENTS

Aspiring to Excellence: Report of the Inquiry into the Quality of Vocational Education and Training in Australia

CONTENTS

Members of the References Committee (PDF format) (Word format)
Terms of Reference (PDF format) (Word format)
Preface (PDF format) (Word format)
Overview and Recommendations (PDF format) (Word format)

CHAPTER 1 (PDF format) (Word format)
    Introduction
CHAPTER 2 (PDF format) (Word format)
    CONDUCT OF THE INQUIRY

      Process
      Approach
      Evidence considered by the Committee

    Committee’s approach to assessing quality in VET

      Defining Quality in VET

CHAPTER 3 (PDF format) (Word format)

    Vocational Education and Training in Australia

    Characteristics of the VET system

    Roles and Responsibilities

      ANTA structures and arrangements
      ANTA Chief Executive Officers Committee
      The Commonwealth role
      The states and territories

    Planning and Accountability Arrangements

    VET Funding

      Funding sources
      Commonwealth contribution
      State-sourced funding
      TAFE fee-for-service activities
      Enterprise expenditure on training
      Individual expenditure on VET
CHAPTER 4 (PDF format) (Word format)

    The Emergence of a National VET System

    Evolution of the VET system

      Kangan
      Toward ANTA
      Establishment of the Australian National Training Authority
      The ANTA Agreement
      Evaluating the first four years of ANTA

    Development of Apprenticeships and Traineeships

      Apprenticeships
      Traineeships

    Recent Developments

      New Apprenticeships
      The National Training Framework
      The Australian Recognition Framework
      National Training Packages
      User choice
      VET in Schools

CHAPTER 5 (PDF format) (Word format)

    OUTCOMES from vocational education and training

    Participation in vocational education and training

      Growth in participation
      Unmet Student Demand for Vocational Education and Training

    Achievements in Vocational Education and Training

      Qualification levels
      Module Outcomes
      Australia’s qualifications profile

    Meeting the needs of employers

      VET skills and qualifications needed by employers
      Employers’ views on the relevance of skills acquired through VET
      Skill shortages
      Non-completion of New Apprenticeships
      Understanding apprentice and trainee movements and transactions

    Meeting the needs of individuals

      Participation and attainment by client groups in VET
      Summary
CHAPTER 6 (PDF format) (Word format)

    National Policy Framework

    Effectiveness of national policy structures and arrangements

      ANTA Ministerial Council
      ANTA Board
      The ANTA Agreement
      Responsibility for quality

    National Policy Objectives and Priorities

      National Objectives
      National Priorities
      Place of New Apprenticeships in VET
CHAPTER 7 (PDF format) (Word format)

    Growth, Funding and Competition in VET

    The ‘growth through efficiencies’ policy

      Impact on quality
      Funding growth in New Apprenticeships
      Funding Future Demand for VET

    Establishing the vocational education and training market

      Support for User Choice
      Impact on TAFE and Quality
      Inconsistencies in implementation
      Making informed choices
      Balancing individual needs and industry needs
      Pricing of training
      Reduced funds to actual delivery
      Resource allocation between VET and New Apprenticeships

    Industry investment in VET

      Creating a training culture
      Level of industry investment in training
      Impediments to the development of a training culture
      What should be industry’s share of training investment?
      Increasing industry investment in training
CHAPTER 8 (PDF format) (Word format)

    ASSURING QUALITY IN VET PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES

    The National Training Framework

    The Australian Recognition Framework

      Adequacy of Standards in the Australian Recognition Framework
      Australian Recognition Framework implementation by states and territories
      Australian Recognition Framework capacity to achieve national consistency
      National Code for Quality in VET
      National Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority
      Legislative basis for regulating quality in VET

    Maintenance of strong role for ANTA

    National Training Packages

      Support for National Training Packages
      Training Package Development
      Inconsistencies in implementation
      Strengthening Support Materials to provide implementation options
      Narrow job-readiness versus underpinning knowledge and skills
      Provision for the achievement of the Key Competencies
      Implementation timetable
      Customisation vs labour market mobility
      Assessment Issues
      Consistency and parity of qualifications
      Entry to higher education
      Licensing and trades recognition
      Resourcing Implementation

    Restoring the skills and qualifications of VET teachers/trainers

    Investigative studies and research relating to National Training Packages

CHAPTER 9 (PDF format) (Word format)

    New Apprenticeships

    Quality of apprenticeship and traineeship training delivery and outcomes

    Outcomes

      Participation in New Apprenticeships

    Client Satisfaction

    Performance of Registered Training Organisations

    Customisation or tailoring of training to meet enterprise-specific needs

    On the job and workplace training and assessment

      Employer obligations
      Content of training and the learning experience of fully on the job training
      Support for integrated on and off the job training

    Implementation of Training Agreements and Training Plans

      Protection of apprentices and trainees

    Performance of New Apprenticeship Centres

      Conflicts of interest

    Impact of Commonwealth’s New Apprenticeships employer incentives program

      Effectiveness of incentives in influencing employers
      Employer incentives for existing employees
      Possible misuse of incentives
      Should existing employees attract New Apprenticeship employer subsidies

    Target audience for New Apprenticeships

      Recognition of Prior Learning
CHAPTER 10 (PDF format) (Word format)

    Vocational Education and Training in Schools

    National policy and the role of the Commonwealth

    The role of states and territories in providing VET in schools

    Schools and industry

    The view from the schools

    Award certification

      Matriculation status for VET courses
      Training Packages and matriculation
      Final year certificates and the Australian Qualifications Framework
      Schools and TAFE

    Impediments to school-based VET programs

      Funding
      New Apprenticeships
      Weaknesses in school-based VET
      TAFE sector criticisms of VET in schools
      Teacher qualifications
      Western Australian case study
      An equity issue
      Industrial issues
      Teacher union concerns

    The need for fundamental policy review

GOVERNMENT SENATORS' REPORT (PDF format) (Word format)

AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRATS SENATORS' ADDITIONAL COMMENTS (PDF format) (Word format)

APPENDIX 1 (PDF format) (Word format)
    LIST OF SUBMISSIONS
APPENDIX 2 (PDF format) (Word format)
    WITNESSES WHO APPEARED BEFORE THE COMMITTEE AT THE PUBLIC HEARINGS
APPENDIX 3 (PDF format) (Word format)
    DOCUMENTS TABLED AT PUBLIC HEARINGS
APPENDIX 4 (PDF format) (Word format)
    FURTHER INFORMATION
APPENDIX 5 (PDF format) (Word format)
    SUMMARY OF KEY VET MINISTERIAL COUNCIL AGREEMENTS ON
    NATIONAL TRAINING FRAMEWORK