Last week, I spent three great days with over 300 delegates at the ITECA Conference at Gold Coast. ITECA is the prime association to represent independent providers in Vocational Education and Training industry.
My takeaway from the conference:
The country is currently going through a skills shortage, and the government needs to reskill Australia before creating jobs. The private sector plays an essential role in reskilling with a higher overall student and employer satisfaction level but a smaller percentage of government funding. We need to change the conversation with the new government based on outcomes that private providers achieve and demand better funding for independent providers.
Required Skills: Demands in emerging industries require new skills, and digital skills are essential for any industry. We are not talking about high end IT companies, but a basic certificate III with digital skills to align with real-world needs. The employers want an apprentice trained, not just a worker on the desk who does not know what to do. Microcredentials are also offering great opportunities for the existing workforce.
Staff Shortages: Attracting and retaining trainers is more challenging than ever. Possible strategies include training a current trade to become a trainer assessor, contacting a previous student to become a trainer, or returning and reskilling the retired workforce.
Regulation: Regulator’s focus is on Self Assurance and engaging in continuous improvement. ASQA does not want to force or tell the industry how to comply but wants to teach how to comply. It expects providers to be familiar with the obligations and rewards training providers who fit in the low-risk category. A lot of improvements are implemented for easy compliance.
It was an excellent conference. The speakers provided great value in the sessions, and I hope you enjoyed the snapshot.
Reach out if you need assistance with completing the FVRA tool or financial/accounting advice.