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Participants
Sectors contributing:
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AIG
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AIGTS
Manufacturing – Keech Australia
La Trobe University Bendigo
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Bendigo – Kangan TAFE
Access Employment Bendigo & Continuing Education Bendigo – RTOs
Bendigo Senior Secondary College –Years 11 & 12
Crusoe and Bendigo East Secondary Colleges –Years 7-10
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Charlton College – P-12
North West DET Region – Bendigo Office
Work Place Learning Manager – CVGT
Net School – Bendigo
Continuing Education Castlemaine – ACFE/Learn Local
Future Employment Opportunities – RTO
Skills Training VIC
Total Training Solutions
Job Skills Training
Goldfields LLEN

a. Match training delivery to the growing job opportunities in Victorian industries
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Vic – highest youth unemployment statistics with the exception of Tasmania and more prevalent in Victorian rural and regional areas
System funds an individual -VTG provides only; a forward advancement with qualifications
A balance re individual and industry needs for upgrading; strong industry focus
Regional profile needs promoting to ascertain trends in skill shortage areas – Environmental
Scans are important ( for example Goldfields LLEN Environmental Scan)
Regional needs not captured when needs are looked at from an Australian perspective; needs to be more contextual/local
How can we change a training package so it can allow/be flexible for localisation?
Public provider/TAFE – needs funds/grants/partnerships with industry to meet emerging industries
Manufacturing is ignored (in Bendigo;) still the largest contributor; massive and fast change is occurring; need to be included in the growth needs
VET provision (education & training) can’t be a nimble environment but needs to be to cater for industry needs
Massive gaps between industry and education/schools
Europe mandatory that there are links to industry and the development of courses in education/training
Need to embed training in industry

b. Ensure all government subsidised training is high quality
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Recent & critical press coverage relating to not acknowledging RPL , insufficient training and poor competency based learning
Standards required in industry are not being met
What is quality training?
Increasing regulations - won’t result in increased quality of training
Need to undertake audits in a different way – rather than with an administrative focus link to industry based competencies and quality ratings
Need to recommit to the quality of training
2012 – addressing skills shortages – good providers – hours of delivery and the financial resources were not commensurate; reduction in hourly rate had a significant impact in some areas
Lack of clarity re future planning re needs
Breakdown what is actually needed
Too many personal trainers
Age care training encouraged – appropriate?

c. Allow rural and regional communities to access training that meets their local needs
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Role for video conferencing etc to assist in the delivery of training
Need to make more use of technology
Course work on line and industry support re applied learning
Scale and efficiencies re technology - need to engage with industry
Logistics re technology – funding required
Govt cut the travel allowance and on the job training; impact as a result for young people
More expensive to fund in regional and rural; transport issues – access & costs for youth; need to factor this in
RDV to consider/advocate for
Secondary school teachers – older – outlying schools struggling to staff courses
Bold question – do we need qualified teachers here?
Continue education in multiple forums
Apprentice maintenance costs too high
Learn Locals/Neighbourhood Houses are dropping their RTO status – too difficult
Need to work together more; partnerships
New models of delivery; new partnerships; eg North Central Trade Training Centre partnerships with health providers and TAFEs
Govt contracts though making this more difficult re lack of resourcing; partnerships need funding
La Trobe – rapid contraction – first thing to go – reduction in VET; did support local school and outlying schools needs with study and training until cuts occurred

c. Allow rural and regional communities to access training that meets their local needs
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Hard also for student placements in rural settings
Govt needs to support industry placements – not to seen as a non-funded placement
$ss are required
Emerging industries – how to respond in a targeted manner – job by job re industry requirements; break down the requirements

d. Meet community service obligations to support vulnerable and higher needs learners to complete training and transition to employment
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TAFEs - no provision at this time for support services – no funding for hearing impaired yet if not provide support – discriminatory?
Extra support required – for example an interpreter service has to brought from Melbourne
Fighting for funding to support students; equity must still be part of our service
Needs to be funded
How can industry play a role with this?
Forward movement of qualifications for students (VTG) re $ss
Students don’t attract funding – sideways movement - to access level of training at point of need
VET does attract students requiring extra support
Need more flexibility; students can’t always more forward
Federal impact with other programs – for example, Youth Connections ceasing; removal of support to guide/navigate vulnerable students towards a relevant education/training pathway
Recent Deloitte study showed that 85% of students have some risk issues including comorbidity factors
Many Neighbourhood Houses and ACFE/Learn Local Providers have given up their RTOs status; not viable – a significant issue across Victoria

e. Build a strong and responsive public Technical and Further Education (TAFE ) sector
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Long term unemployed - payroll tax exemptions for industry in new growth areas
Cost structures different for TAFE – huge legacy costs; get rid of the legacy costs; needs to be addressed
Must level the playing field re differentiation with TAFE and RTOs
Costs of training differs – more expensive for TAFE
Industrial relations is an issue and overheads with infrastructure
Need more flexibility with training etc as required
Why does training need to be in an educational institution?
Tackle industrial relations e.g. the 800 hour rule for TAFE teachers.
Give subsidies for quality completion /performance – factored into pay and conditions
Subsidies for infrastructure costs – recurrent funding
TAFEs did have 77% of training market; now 23%
Training costs for TAFEs are not competitive
Competition in the private sector is also important; there is community pay back
TAFE doing the heavy lifting – subsidy rates are not adequate
Private RTOs able to be more nimble – less infrastructure
RTOs can/have cherry picked
Does TAFE provide any training that Private providers do?

f. Manage training expenditure within the existing vocational training budget while preserving a framework of student driven choices
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Framework of student driven choices – currently NOT student driven
Where is the fat in the system?
Where are the opportunities?
Degree of skimming occurring
Need to level the playing field?
No genuine review occurred re value of money proposition
Need to moderate student choice? More targeted to genuine pathway
Quality/current/skilled career practitioners to provide? Resourcing required
Community and industry needs – need to be a positive drive from community and industry to demonstrate pathways
Lack of ethics re some sign ups with students who have no idea what they are signing up for and the associated costs – some private RTOs
Often TAFEs have to try and resolve issues that occur as a result of these issues
$ss we have - to spend wisely; school age students – schools should manage
We must get away from being driven by the providers; driven by industry needs; providers mostly don’t know the pathways
Govt needs some level of safeguards re options for young people
Thorough assessment re real student choice
Assessment in the school rather than with the training provider
Do schools know how to implement a vocational assessment? Training of staff required

g.Recognize the public and private benefits of training and ensure fees and student costs are not a barrier to participation
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Need public and private providers
Private have the potential to respond and trial and innovate
Need both; public do the heavy lifting at the minute
Some very good private providers
Balance needed
Skilling for industry is paramount
Deregulation of tuition fees has skewed the market
Mix not right re private and public acknowledgement
Need some buy in from the student; some contribution required
Red flag if a course is offered for NO fees
Some student costs are prohibitive – need calibration
We need to be a clever country; federal funding with VET fee support if a student can’t pay?
Targeted pathway helps students if they can see a link to industry
ACS & Group Training Companies have targets to meet – they are players in the market
McDonalds – part time Traineeships at AQF Level III – no further opportunities left for the young person due to VTG up skilling
Pushing students up not always appropriate for students – sideways movement needed/flexibility, up skilling requirement for funding is a concern across a broad range of stakeholders

h. Ensure eligibility to access subsidised training is fair and well-targeted
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No capacity for up skilling – bridging – retraining if returning to work (women/men from family leave if already a degree holder) - discriminatory
If already done a Cert 3 and then offered a Pre App – student has to pay full fees then too prohibitive
How address this?
Ability to pay in the future when earning/
Look at how/why employers sign up young people
Encourage life long learning
Need of industry and individual - need more flexibility
Consider a time weighted eligibility re access to subsidised training to support a career change (particularly if matched to a skill shortage area)
Sponsor – an employer sponsor an individual to retrain?
Need to be a clever country!
How to encourage and support ‘life long learning’ with restrictions upskilling and the two course per lifetime rule at an AQF level.

I How other govt policy levers may be used to support the quality, stability and sustainability of the Victorian training market
Regulation of training providers
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Cuts to travel allowances – ramifications re access to training for some cohorts
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How can Bendigo support the new growth areas?
Social procurement process for the City of Greater Bendigo may help
Youth Connections ceased – no replacement service
Regional Development Policy needs to be accommodating/advocating for contextualisation/flexibility re regional and rural needs
RTOs thoroughly audited
Requirements for govt contracted training provision
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Minutia /compliance detracts from actual service – too much focus here
Won’t result in quality assurance/provision
Support for Learn Locals to engage here?
Information & decision support tools for students
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Federal impact with other programs – egYouth Connections ceasing
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Skilled career practitioners available
Highly skilled and fully funded/well paid School/Industry Liaison Officers
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Implications for national training policy
Come July 1, Work for The Dole and NEIS scheme – mandating training for unemployed & underemployed young people – VET study if combined with mandatory work obligations; implications?

k. The implications of recommended reforms for other directly-related areas of education in Victoria (including secondary schooling and the roll out of new Tech Schools and the higher education sector)
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ATC and Trades Training Centres here
How will this initiative deliver quality training etc…..
Pathways – articulated pathways
Some early work happening here – Health, Early Childhood and Agriculture
Centre for Sustainability – 4 semesters of training ; carpentry, engineering, electro-technology and plumbing?
Manufacturing Centre of Excellence?
Mobility to adapt - flexibility in what is needed
A lot of investment in infrastructure
Development with the capability of people crucial
Investment in the Trade Training Centres
Tech Centres around local need
Model proposed – service Years 7 – 12
VET completed more quickly; maintain student interest
Strong pull of industry required
Need far more focus on applied learning as well as providing the underpinning knowledge – literacy and numeracy
Over crowded curriculum; may take time then away from the practical areas

Some general reflections
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Really outstanding event with strong and intense input from those (many) attendees who were prepared to contribute. High quality and thoughtful points and remarks encouraged by the moderator at the front
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General and highly-specific information (including examples from known people and their situations from as recently as the current week) relayed by sector personnel and executives
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Showed critical importance of this whole "skills-building and training" impetus particularly in regional and rural Victoria. Reference made to "dodgy" and selfish RTOs and their moneymaking schemes, being run by ABC local radio listeners plus the national and Victorian press, in recent articles
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I took particular note of the emphatic statement by at least one of the contributors that what we are all talking about and trying to implement is and will remain a matter of
F U N D I N G. The amount that seems to have been denied to this sector in recent years; the de-funding of the popular TAFE movement, is extraordinary, even to a non-practitioner like myself