NewsVET & TAFE
Visions for VET
The COAG discussion of VET reform in April will implode, with most states rejecting Canberra’s attempt to control the VET agenda. The Victorian state budget, with Treasury usurping Peter Hall, will include a massive reduction in funds for VET, to compensate for the blow-out arising from the “entitlement” implementation, with TAFE to pay for the shortfall.
That is one of two scenarios our regular VET columnist Dr John Mitchell envisages could happen as we count-down to the April 13 COAG gathering. (see below)
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When is Australia going to wake up to the fact that consistency of standards requires moderation of assessment NATIONALLY. By this I mean agreeing the standard required for achievement. This does not mean all doing the same assessment! Outcomes based quals are open to variable interpretation because they rarely include any quantitative referents.
There should preferably be a move away from each training org awarding quals and towards a model where their assessment is externally moderated/validated by the body that awards the qual – & if these are state based then the state orgs should cross-moderate. The current system is open to serious misuse and is perhaps part of the reason that there are so many incompetent and sometimes dead “qualified” people around!
Even in public training provision (at least here in WA) there is a strong “competition” factor that makes training providers (understandably) reluctant to share and moderate between organisations.
As to training meeting industry needs – how about training meeting student needs! There is a tendency to disregard a primary stakeholder ie the student.