VET Products for the 21st Century - National Skills Standards Council

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5 . 2 Q u a l i f i c a t i o n sThe consultations revealed overwhelming supportfor retaining Training Packages and AccreditedCourses as the single organising framework forqualifications in the VET system. There was,however, a desire for packaging rules to beharmonised as much as possible and to allow forthe widest choice of elective units from within andacross Packages and from accredited courseswhere appropriate. There is a strong commitmentto allowing enough flexibility in qualificationstructures to ensure that one single industrydefinedsystem meets all needs. The differingnature of industries, from traditional trades (oftenhighly regulated) to newer or unregulated industriesin which the requirements are more difficult todefine, was also recognised, but it was felt thesedifferent needs should be addressed within a singlecohesive system. There is also support forensuring a stronger focus on preparatory andenabling qualifications aimed at building generalworkforce capability and entry to a range of jobs inindustry and occupational areas. This could beachieved by explicitly incorporating suchqualifications into the national framework in a moresystematic way.Consultations with industry groups and withproviders also highlighted the importance ofunderpinning knowledge or theory in thedevelopment of competence, noting that this isespecially true for qualifications which require highlevels of knowledge and theory to underpincompetency. Many of those consulted believed thatthe knowledge components of units of competencydo not receive enough attention in training. Thekey issue appears to be the extent to which theknowledge requirements are made explicit inTraining Packages. While some Training Packagesexpress the knowledge component effectively atthe unit level, others do not identify it as clearly.Consultations did not address whether theknowledge components are comprehensive andsufficiently forward-looking and this will requirefurther investigation during the design anddevelopment phase. There is overwhelmingsupport however, for knowledge to be presentedclearly and in a form within the unit and/orqualification that its importance is recognised byRTOs, funders and other stakeholders.RecommendationsThat the NQC:5. Reaffirm a single organising framework for VET qualifications comprised of Training Packages andAccredited Courses and allow for qualifications that achieve or contribute to occupational outcomes orfoundation skills [i.e., Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) and general education].6. In order to maximise consistency, flexibility and responsiveness, undertake a full and comprehensivereview of:• packaging rules as applied in Training Packages to ensure maximum flexibility and consistency withinand across Training Packages and Accredited Courses, where both possible and appropriate;• the use of units from accredited courses within Training Packages; and• the process for developing and approving Accredited Courses including:- how duplication of training package content and coverage is identified and resolved;- improving consistency between state accrediting bodies and across the ISCs.The report on the outcomes to go to the September COAG meeting and include detailed changes to beimplemented by the NQC as a matter of urgency. 107. Ensure that units of competency are efficiently utilised within and across industry in order to avoidduplication wherever possible.8. Ensure a stronger focus on preparatory and enabling qualifications aimed at building general workforcecapability and entry to a range of jobs in industry and occupational areas by explicitly incorporating suchqualifications into the national framework in a more systematic way.9. Ensure that Certificates I and II are clearly identified as either preparatory or entry-level qualifications.10. Allow VET qualifications to provide for identified knowledge and preparatory units of competency asappropriate.10Refer to page 9 for additional resolution from MCVTEVET PRODUCTS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY - 15
5 . 3 A s s e s s m e n t r e q u i r e m e n t sThe combination of defining competency as ‘theability to perform particular tasks and duties to thestandard of performance expected in theworkplace’ coupled with the requirement for eachTraining Package qualification to have ‘a distinctoccupational outcome’, presents challenges for theVET sector in meeting the needs of the diversegroup of learners identified. For example:• There can be limited capacity to acquire and have competence assessed for those studentspreparing for entry to the workforce and for further learning and returning to study as theymay not be in the workforce;• Many international students may be disadvantaged due to employment opportunities and/or visa requirements;• Many VET learners in work are employed in occupations that may not be relevant to theirareas of training; • Students undertaking programs to articulate to Higher Education may not be seeking aspecific occupational outcome from VET; and• Different VET learners enrolled in the same qualification may have significantly different levels of experience in the workplace.Challenges such as these, relating to the access ofVET learners to a relevant workplace, are likely tointensify as the economy turns down and the labourmarket contracts.The consultations reinforced the need for clearerdirection on the contexts in which competence canbe demonstrated. Some must be demonstrated in aworkplace context, whilst others may best bedemonstrated in simulated environments orassessed in other ways. Some of those consultedpointed out that the nature of some workplacesmeant that, even there, it was difficult todemonstrate the full dimensions of competence. Awide range of assessment approaches is needed toassess the understandings that underpin workplacebehaviour and performance in a range ofoccupational areas, while other areas are moreskills-oriented.As a result, the JSC recommend that the context ofassessment be clearly specified in TrainingPackage units of competency, especially where theindustry can identify and demonstrate that there arekey risks in deeming someone as competent toperform in a workplace environment when theyhave not been assessed in one. The JSCrecommends that industry must make a case forthis to the National Quality Council at the time ofTraining Package endorsement.RecommendationsThat the NQC:11. Design and develop the specifications for the proposed endorsed component relating to AssessmentRequirements.12. Ensure that the context of assessment is clearly specified in Training Package units of competency wherethe industry can make a case for each such targeted Unit to the National Quality Council at the time ofTraining Package endorsement.5 . 4 C r e d i t a r r a n g e m e n t sThe extent to which current arrangements forrecognition of current competence are effective hasbeen the subject of considerable debate inAustralia in recent years. Credit systems havebeen, or are being, developed in a number ofcountries to formalise credit arrangements or makethem more consistent and transparent, and to allowindividuals to accumulate credit at the unit ormodule level towards full qualifications. Theytypically achieve this by assigning value to units ormodules in terms of their level of complexity andthe amount of learning involved acrossqualifications frameworks.VET PRODUCTS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY - 16
Page 1 and 2: ContentsVET PRODUCTSFOR THE 21 STCE
Page 3 and 4: L e t t e r f r o m t h e C h a i r
Page 5 and 6: human capital and COAG has establis
Page 7 and 8: 1 . 6 R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s
Page 9 and 10: 2 . I n t r o d u c t i o n2. Intro
Page 11 and 12: 4 . M e e t i n g d i v e r s e n e
Page 13 and 14: 5 . P r o p o s e d p o l i c y f r
Page 15: 5 . 1 D e f i n i t i o n o f c o m
Page 19 and 20: 5 . 6 N e w d e s i g n f o r T r a
Page 21 and 22: 5 . 7 I n d u s t r y e n g a g e m
Page 23 and 24: Targeted stakeholder consultations

VET Products for the 21st Century - National Skills Standards Council

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