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

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There are mixed views about whether or not to staywith the status quo or to introduce a nationalsystem. It is generally agreed that there is a needto strengthen national approaches to credit transferand articulation between the VET and HigherEducation sector, but less agreement on. how thisshould occur. The consultations found that there islittle support for complex and administrativelyburdensome credit arrangements, however there isstrong support for developing a simple, nationallyconsistent approach to credit transfer andarticulation.Given that the Australian Qualifications FrameworkCouncil (AQFC) is currently working to the DeputyPrime Minister’s brief ‘to improve articulation andconnectivity between the university and the VETsectors to enable competency-based and meritbasedsystems to become student focussed’ andthe critical VET expertise in this area that can beoffered by the NQC. The JSC recommends that ajoint working group of the AQFC and the NQC beformed to progress work on the AQFC projectsrelated to pathways and strengthening theAustralian Qualifications Framework.In the meantime the JSC recommends taking a ‘fitfor purpose’ approach during the design anddevelopment of Diplomas and Advanced Diplomasto include articulation arrangements whereappropriate.RecommendationsThat the NQC:13. Establish a joint working group of the NQC and the Australian Qualifications Framework Council (AQFC) toinvestigate introducing a national credit system through the work on AQFC projects related to pathwaysand strengthening the Australian Qualifications Framework.14. Ensure that Training Package developers include articulation arrangements in the design and developmentof Diploma and Advanced Diplomas where appropriate.5 . 5 L a n g u a g e , L i t e r a c y a n d N u m e r a c yThe consultation acknowledged that there are arange of arrangements for addressing the needsof learners with low level basic language, literacyand numeracy (LLN) skills (including theAustralian Core Skills Framework, and AdultBasic Education qualifications). LLN peakbodies, practitioners and administratorsemphasised however, the importance of havingthese arrangements located under the umbrellaof the national framework and integrated intoTraining Packages themselves.It was also felt that the exclusive use ofaccredited courses to deliver stand alone LLNtraining would decrease the status and value ofLLN provision. Many feel that the development ofLLN skills needs to be grounded in learning thathas a purpose, such as vocational learning,rather than solely in general programs. LLNshould not just be considered as purelypreparation for entry-level programs, but also asa component of the continuing cognitivedevelopment associated with higher levelcompetence. Those consulted believe thatdespite the opportunities and programs alreadyavailable, the levels of LLN possessed bystudents remain far too low to meet competencyrequirements and are not being adequatelyaddressed. They also believe that this situationis equally the case for ex-school entrants to VETand the workforce, and for older workers seekingto upgrade their skills.Therefore, there is underlying support for makingbasic competency in language, literacy andnumeracy, knowledge and core skills (such asoccupational health and safety), as defined bythe relevant Training Package, a requirement forparticipation in qualifications at Certificate III andabove.RecommendationThat the NQC:15. Ensure that Language, Literacy and Numeracy requirements are made more explicit in the development ofoccupational and foundation qualifications.VET PRODUCTS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY - 17
5 . 6 N e w d e s i g n f o r T r a i n i n g P a c k a g e s a n d A c c r e d i t e dC o u r s e sPrevious NQC work and consultations havehighlighted stakeholder concerns regarding the sizeand complexity of National Training Packages intheir current form both in relation to the size ofsome units of competency and the amount andlevel of detail in supporting material and guidancefor RTOs. Industry and enterprise groups have alsoexpressed concern that the development andcontinuous improvement process does notsufficiently engage enterprises due to its complexityand that National Training Packages in the currentform cannot be easily used by enterprises includingfor broader human resource processes (e.g. usingcompetency standards to create job profiles andcareer paths etc).Stakeholders want a more streamlined structureand less unnecessary detail. They also wantTraining Packages to be arranged in ways that are‘fit-for-purpose’ to the needs of particular groups.They especially want clarity to enable betterinterpretation of requirements.Simplifying the design of the Unit of Competency isconsidered a priority. It is suggested that the unit bestripped of most additional material which hasaccumulated over time and is advisory in nature,and moving this, where retention is warranted, toother parts of the Training Package. This processcould also include consolidation of suchcomponents as range statements. In addition, thepresentation of units (and their packaging asqualifications) should be in simple plain English tobetter engage industry practitioners in the TrainingPackage development and improvement processand to give providers a clear overview of theoutcomes to be delivered. Those consulted alsosupport the further consolidation of Units ofCompetency to eliminate duplication.There is also a desire for rationalising other units ofcompetency that are generic to many occupationsand industries. For example, units of competencythat relate to first aid, customer service skills, orcommunication skills that are required acrossindustries could be rationalised so that not everytraining package needs to provide its own particularunits of competency in these areas. Onesuggestion is for Industry Skills Councils toexamine how best to retain relevance to specificindustries’ occupations and jobs while enablingindividuals to more readily ‘transport skills’ acrossoccupations. Another suggestion is for a concertedeffort to identify in a systematic way those skills thatare similar in nature but applied to differentcontexts (for example, skills for process controlsystems, enterprise logistics, management andsupervision, and information systems). It isimportant to note that ISCs have alreadycommenced work in this regard by assigningleadership for developing and maintaining particularsets of units that have cross industry application.It is felt that moving the preliminary information willhelp to make the Training Packages moreaccessible. This includes information regarding thevocational competence of the trainer, thedevelopment of the assessment tools, informationon recognition of prior learning, and other deliverystrategies. Nevertheless informants tell us thatmuch of the material currently in Training Packageswhich is regarded as duplicative or advisory shouldremain available even if presented separately or indifferent formats.Another desired simplification relates to theaccessibility and inclusiveness of language used inTraining Packages. Participants want to ensure thatjargon free plain English is used and that it isworkplace friendly. This is felt to aid interpretation,as well as understanding, for employers andpractitioners alike. Many feel that it is important toimprove the accessibility of the Training Packagecontent. This includes a re-arrangement to suit theneeds of different audiences or users, so thatemployers, RTOs, and individuals will be able toquickly find the information that pertains to them.There is considerable (but not unanimous) supportfor separating performance standards fromguidance and supporting information for RTOs.Participants in favour of such separation believethat it would reduce the bulkiness of TrainingPackages and streamline information to make itmore relevant for particular users and groups.Having the guidance documents as separatevolumes is also felt to enable the provision of muchmore specific information. Supporters also believethat because Training Packages are in on-lineformats it would be easy to provide guidanceinformation via links within the unit of competencyitself. There is also a case for re-designing the onlineformats themselves through the opportunitycurrently available in the re-development of thenational register (training.gov.au).Other views provided suggest rearranginginformation into short form or comprehensivevolumes according to requirements of differentaudiences (employers, RTOs, and learners). Theresource implications of such an approach arepotentially considerable.There was also overwhelming support for TrainingPackages to have the ability to incorporate theVET PRODUCTS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY - 18
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 and 16: 5 . 1 D e f i n i t i o n o f c o m
Page 17: 5 . 3 A s s e s s m e n t r e q u i
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

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