The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) has recently published clarification on the requirements for ASQA registered training organisations (RTOs) wanting to deliver elective units.

As a general rule, ASQA RTOs can offer/deliver units as electives within the packaging rules of a qualification on their scope of registration even if the units are not drawn from a qualification. The RTO is registered to provide, and not drawn from the training package that hosts the qualification into which the unit is being drawn as an elective —without notifying or formally applying to ASQA.

However, there are some conditions of which RTOs should be aware. For more information, read the Fact sheet—RTO delivery of elective units.

http://www.asqa.gov.au/media-and-publications/publications.html

Service Skills Australia has developed a series of Training Package User Guides to help registered training organisations (RTOs) effectively implement our training packages, and deliver training that meets industry’s needs.

This is a free resource for RTOs which aims to improve the quality of training and assessment.

Industry believes in quality training and assessment, and these resources will help achieve that.

The focus is to clearly set out industry views and expectations about how training and assessment should occur. This resource will help ensure good practice in skills and knowledge development.

Industry has its own part to play in ensuring quality outcomes and effective skills development-by facilitating work placement and by pro-actively working with registered training organisations to develop and improve training programs.

Service Skills Australia have developed the following user guides:

• Hairdressing Training Package User Guide
• Retail Services Training Package User Guide
• Tourism, Hospitality and Events Training Package
• Beauty Training Package User Guide

For more information visit: http://www.serviceskills.com.au/resources

The Construction, Plumbing and Services Training Package (CPC08) was endorsed by the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC) on 26 October 2011, and published on Training.gov.au on 29 November 2011.

The Construction, Plumbing and Services Training Package can be downloaded from the Training.gov.au website.

For more information about the Construction, Plumbing and Services Training Package, including a complete summary of changes visit Construction & Property Services Industry Skills Council.

The Financial Services Training Package Version 2 (FNS10) was endorsed by the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC) on 8 July 2011, and published on Training.gov.au on 24 November 2011.

Some changes include:

• FNS30710 Certificate III in Life Insurance – Qualification removed as not required. Elective units added to Certificate III in Financial Services as a more appropriate entry level qualification.
• FNS51811 – Diploma of Financial Services and FNS41811 – Certificate IV in Financial Services – new qualifications.

The Financial Services Training Package can be downloaded from the Training.gov.au website.

For more information about the Financial Services Training Package, including a complete summary of changes visit the Innovation & Business Skills Australia website.

Interested in finding out what training packages are currently reviewed, going through the continuous improvement process or have been submitted to the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC) for endorsement?

Then have a look at the following:

Service Skills Australia:

• Tourism, Hospitality and Events Training Package (SIT07)
• Sport, Fitness and Recreation (SIS10)
• Retail Services Training Package (SIR07)

Community Services & Health Industry Skills Council:

• Health Training Package (HLT07)
• Community Services Training Package (CHC08)

Agrifoods Skills Australia:

• Animal Care and Management (ACM10)
• Agrifood Industry (AGF07)
• Agriculture Horticulture and Conservation & Land Management (AHC10)
• Food Processing (FDF10)
• Meat Industry (MTM11)
• Racing Industry (RGR08)
• Seafood Industry (SFI11)
• Sugar Milling (SUG02)

Innovation & Business Skills Australia:

• Library, Information and Cultural Services (CUL11)

EE-Oz Training Standards Australia:

• Gas Industry Training Package (UEG11)

A partnership between Government and Australian enterprises to up-skill existing workers and lift enterprise productivity has been hailed as a watershed by the nation’s 11 Industry Skills Councils (ISCs).

In strained economic times, one of the first areas of expenditure to come under scrutiny is often an organisation’s training budget. However early results from the Australian Government’s ‘Enterprise Based Productivity Places Program’ (EBPPP) are showing that where policy settings empower individual businesses to drive the ‘what, when and how’ of training, companies from right across the economy will secure their intentions and strongly invest.

ISCs are the industry led, not for profit bodies charged with driving the skills and workforce development agenda for their respective industries in Australia. In addition to developing and maintaining the nation’s vocational qualifications, ISCs also work on the ground with individual enterprises to build their capabilities in workforce development and planning. As coordinators of EBPPP, the ISCs commissioned ACIL Tasman to look into the early stage impacts of EBPPP.

The program works on the notion of co-investment with a sliding scale of support from Government according to business size. Focused on upskilling existing workers in priority occupations to Certificate III and above, the ACIL Tasman study confirmed EBPPP is delivering impressive results. As at 30 June, enterprises had contributed $18.9m to the cost of training places for existing workers with Government contributing a further $36.9m. Of the 13,715 workers enrolled since the program began, over 13,000 are either continuing in their training or have already completed their qualification.

As a program that has responded to all industry sectors, locations and with 48 per cent of learners being from small business, ISCs are keen to see its key features adopted systemically for the training of Australia’s existing workforce:

1. A demand-driven funding model which puts enterprises in the driving seat of negotiations with training providers;
2. A sliding scale of Government/ enterprise co-investment commensurate with enterprise size;
3. A broader workforce development context which enables holistic, evidence based solutions within an enterprise;
4. Recognition of Prior Learning which recognises workers’ existing skills and eliminates wastage of employees’ productive time and financial resources;
5. The role of ISCs as trusted, expert intermediaries;
6. The extensive goodwill and flexibility demonstrated by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations in response to the evolving nature of enterprise requirements.

For more information visit: http://www.skillsdmc.com.au/News%20and%20Events.aspx

The National Skills Standards Council (NSSC) has endorsed version 2.0 of the Training and Education Training Package (TAE10).

The package includes the new Diploma of Vocational Education and Training which is significantly different, and not equivalent to the ‘old’ Diploma of Training and Assessment.

To help navigate the new package, professional workshops are being organised by Innovation and Business Skills Australia (IBSA) for early 2012.

 Workshop Program

1. Key features of TAE10 v2.0; its content and intent.
2. The new TAE50111 Diploma of Vocational Education and Training
• the qualification for experienced trainers and assessors
• how to gather evidence for the core units
• how to approach the elective choices.
3. The new TAE50211 Diploma of Training Design and Development:
• for those wishing to develop skills in learning design
• how it is different from the Diploma of Vocational Education and Training
4. Developing learning and assessment strategies to meet the requirements of these new
   qualifications.
5. AQTF requirements for trainers and assessors, including recent changes by the NSSC.
   What do they mean for RTOs?
6. Next steps in TAE10.

http://www.ibsa.org.au/products-and-services/workshops-and-events/news/tabid/481/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/501/TAE10-Training-and-Education-Training-Package-Diploma.aspx

The completion date for the HR Review has been extended to the 30th September 2012 to incorporate the findings of a number of global research projects currently in progress, these include:

• HR Competency Study – release of the sixth round results of a global HR study conducted by Dave Ulrich and Wayne Brockbank of the University of Michigan
• HR Capability framework review – a desk audit and literature review of HR competency frameworks globally including comparative models from US/UK institutes, other commercial and academic frameworks and current research on the topic

These projects will provide the opportunity to pull together a broader perspective around global HR competencies, which in turn should add significant value to the final outcomes of the review.

Feedback should be provided by no later than COB Friday 23 March 2012.

http://www.ibsa.org.au/news-and-projects/current-projects/12-18.aspx

Innovation and Business Skills Australia (IBSA) has contracted Ability Associates Australia to undertake the review of the Project Management qualifications and units of competency within the Business Services Training Package.

The review aims to identify whether the qualifications and units of competency sufficiently address industry’s requirements. The project involves research, interviews and consultation with key stakeholders regarding the structure, demand and take up of the suite of qualifications.

A Discussion Paper will be available on the IBSA website in February 2012 with consultations taking place nationally from that date and continuing throughout the life of the project. The review is scheduled for completion by 30 June 2012.

 http://www.ibsa.org.au/news-and-projects/current-projects/12-19.aspx

A glimpse of soon-to-be released Kitchen and Bathroom learning and assessment resources at the recent Furnishing Teachers’ Advisory Group (FURNTAG) conference held in Albury.

{Draft version}

http://www.kbcabinetmaking.com.au/