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

5 . 7 I n d u s t r y e n g a g e m e n t a n dIndustry leadership is believed to be fundamental tothe achievement of VET objectives. There isongoing support for industry to continue to identifyand determine the skills and knowledge andstandards required for the development andassessment of ‘workplace competence’. A greaterrole for industry to engage in verification of RTOassessments, and in assessment moderation, hasalso been suggested.The development of relationships betweenemployers and providers is seen to be an importantstrategy for ensuring currency and involvement. Itis also seen as a key to providing a system that isresponsive to the needs of the labour market.p r o f e s s i o n a l p r a c t i c eIt was often emphasised that in order to train andassess Training Package-based competencies wellrequires considerable knowledge of the policies,concepts and requirements of a TrainingPackage—in addition to everything required of aprofessional teaching to a curriculum. There is astrong view that this is quite a requirement to placeon a workforce which has become increasinglycasualised with many sessional teachers, and thatmany fall short of the expected standard.In order to implement the proposedrecommendations a much stronger focus onprofessional practice and using\building ofprofessional networks will be needed to understandand realise the change.RecommendationThat the NQC:21. Implement the proposed recommendations by acknowledging and building on existing professionalnetworks and supporting collaborative arrangements between industry and providers in improving thequality of assessment outcomes.VET PRODUCTS FOR THE 21 ST CENTURY - 20