Question 3
In broad outline, how do the governance
arrangements operate at national, sector,
province/region and local levels?
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What is the role of the government?
What is the role of organised social partners (e.g. employers and trade unions?
Community?)
What is the role of the education and training institutions?
Where statutory governance institutions are in place, a detailed description of their
composition, roles and functions (and scope of authority) would be very helpful. Where
non-statutory bodies play similar functions, these should also be described.
The Australian VET system has shifted from a decentralised system under the responsibility of states
and territories to a national system jointly funded and operated by cooperation between the
Commonwealth Government, States and Territories.
A range of decision making groups are responsible for setting policy, setting standards, monitoring
quality, gathering advice from the range of stakeholders and providing training. These bodies are
described in Figure 1. Employers and industry have a strong role in the governance of the system
through their representation on many of these bodies. Their input is organised across the sector
through industry forums, Skills Australia and industry skills councils. Table 1 provides a summary of
the roles of these groups
Figure 1
The structure of the Australian vocational education and training system.
Table 1 Decision making bodies in Australian VET
Council of Australian
Government (COAG)
COAG Standing Council on
Tertiary Education, Skills
and Employment
(SCOTESE)
National Advisory for
Tertiary Education, Skills
and Employment (NATESE)
Australian Qualifications
Framework Council (AQFC)
National Skills Standards
Council (NSSC)
COAG is the peak intergovernmental forum in Australia. It is
comprised of the Prime Minister, State Premiers, Territory Chief
Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government
Association. The role of COAG is to “initiate, develop and monitor the
implementation of policy reforms that are of national significance and
which require corrective action by Australian governments including
education and training.
SCOTESE sets national priorities and strategic policy directions for
VET, provides funding and performance measurement, oversights
national consistency and harmonisation of VET and higher education,
maintains strong industry leadership of and engagement in the tertiary
sector and oversights the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
Membership comprises Commonwealth, State, Territory and New
Zealand Ministers with responsibility for tertiary education, skills and
employment. SCOTESE is chaired by a representative of the
Commonwealth.
The National Advisory for Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment
(NATESE) provides the secretariat structure to facilitate and support
the key advisory councils of the COAG Standing Council on Tertiary
Education, Skills and Employment. NATESE also provides support to
the National Senior Officials Committee (NSOC), National Skills
Standards Council (NSSC), Flexible Learning Advisory Group (FLAG)
and National VET Equity Advisory Council (NVEAC).
The AQF Council oversights the development and implementation of
the Australian Qualifications Framework. It comprises members from
higher education, dual sector, VET, school sector, industry
(employers), industry (employees), a State/Territory government
representative and a New Zealand representative as an observer.
The NSSC develops and maintains national standards for regulation
of VET for approval by SCOTESE and to provide advice to SCOTESE
on development and implementation of the standards. It also provides
information, through SCOTESE, to the regulators of VET on the
implementation and interpretation of the national standards and on
issues of quality standards generally in the VET sector. NSSC also
provides advice to SCOTESE on the operation of the regulators of
VET. It provides information to the broader VET sector on national
standards and any changes to the standards. A key role is to endorse
Training Packages, which set out the industry endorsed competency
standards that are to be delivered through accredited qualifications.
The membership of the NSSC is drawn from academia, industry, the
VET sector and government. This includes nine expert members and
three ex-officio members. Members are appointed by the
Commonwealth in consultation with States and Territories.
Higher Education Standards
Panel
Australian Skills Quality
Authority (ASQA)
Tertiary Education Quality
and Standards Authority
(TEQSA)
Skills Australia
Industry Skills Councils
(ISCs)
National Centre for
Vocational Education
Research (NCVER)
State and Territory Training
Authorities and
Departments
Department of Education,
Employment & Workplace
Relations (DEEWR)
The Higher Education Standards Panel is responsible for developing
and monitoring the Higher Education Standards Framework. Panel
members are drawn from universities and the NSSC
ASQA is the national regulator for VET in Australia. It regulates
courses and training providers to ensure nationally approved quality
standards are met. It is an independent statutory agency comprising a
Chief Commissioner and two other Commissioners appointed by the
Governor-General.
TEQSA is an independent body with powers to register university and
non-university higher education providers, monitor quality and ensure
standards. It is a Commonwealth statutory body. TEQSA is
oversighted by five Commissioners.
Skills Australia is an independent statutory body that provides advice
to the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace
Relations on Australia’s current, emerging and future workforce skills
needs and workforce development needs. Members are appointed by
the Commonwealth Minister and must have experience in academia,
the provision of education and training, economics and industry.
Eleven Industry Skills Councils provide industry specific information
on current and emerging workforce skill needs and workforce
development needs. The ISCs are Agri-Food, Community Services
and Health, Construction and Property Services, ElectroComms &
Energy Utilities, Forestworks, Government & Community Safety,
Innovation & Business, Manufacturing, Services, Transport &
Logistics and SkillsDMC (Resources and infrastructure sectors)
NCVER is a not-for-profit company owned by state, territory and
federal ministers responsible for training. It is responsible for
collecting, managing, analysing, evaluating and communicating
research and statistics about VET nationally. A board of nine directors
represent state, territory, and Commonwealth governments, industry,
unions and training authorities manage NCVER.
Individual states and territories have their own policy functions while
working as part of the Commonwealth and national policy arena. For
example, Skills Victoria is the relevant agency in Victoria. It is located
within the Department of Education, Training and Early Childhood
Development.
There is considerable variation between state VET systems, which
also operate under national policy and guidelines.
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations
(DEEWR) is the Commonwealth Government department that is
responsible for schools, higher education institutions and research,
school to work transition programs, VET student and youth affairs,
indigenous employment and education, internationalisation of
Australia’s education and training systems, achieving an effectively
functioning labour market and increasing workforce participation.
Department of Industry,
Innovation, Science,
Research and Tertiary
Education (DIISRTE)
Public and private providers
Established in December 2011, DIISRTE was formed to encourage
the sustainable growth of Australian industries by developing a
national innovation system that drives knowledge creation, cuttingedge science and research, international competitiveness and greater
productivity. Areas of the role of DEEWR will transition into this
department.
Public Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Institutes and private
registered training organisations, or VET providers, have their own
policies and procedures to provide for quality of operations. These
policies and procedures are designed to ensure that the providers are
compliant with the terms of their registration as defined under the VET
Quality Framework (also known as the Australian Quality Training
Framework or AQTF in the states of Victoria and Western Australia).