The NQC will cease operations on 30 June 2011 and the NSC will commence from 1 July 2011 subject to a formal decision of the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment. Responsibility for endorsement of Training Packages will then rest with the NSC.

In keeping with the 21 days available for the NQC to consider a case for endorsement, as described in the NQC Policy for the Training Package Development and Endorsement Process, the NQC will be unable to consider any Training Package case for endorsement received after Wednesday, 8 June 2011 (i.e. 21 days before 30 June 2011).

Similarly, the incoming NSC members will require a period of time to take up their responsibilities in regard to the Training Package endorsement process. The NQC, therefore, has advised ISCs that neither the NQC nor the NSC will be able to consider a Training Package case for endorsement between the period of 9 June 2011 and 22 July 2011.

The NQC notes its decision of 9 December 2010, in which ISCs were given until 30 June 2011 to meet all the requirements of the new flexible packaging rules policy. Given the above, ISCs have been encouraged to submit their cases for endorsement for consideration by the NQC before 9 June 2011 or for consideration by the NSC on 22 July 2011. Training Packages submitted on 22 July 2011 will be treated as having complied with the 30 June 2011 deadline.

The Construction and Property Services Industry Skills Council has developed assessment and delivery guides to assist with the implementation of the Property Services Training Package.
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The 2011 E-Scan will be available on the Skills Council website at the end of February. Supplementary scans for each of the following sectors will be released progressively from that time:

• Logistics, Road Transport and Warehousing
• Aviation
• Rail
• Maritime
• Ports

Click on the link for more information :https://www.tlisc.com.au/index.php?menuID=522

MEM05v3 also includes ISC upgrades to all qualifications to comply with flexibility and sustainability requirements, and to include Employability Skills Summaries. At the same time, imported units have been updated where possible and miscellaneous errors corrected. The modified Case for Endorsement is available on the MSA Website

To date Pink Slips have been developed and implemented for selected qualifications in 3 Training Package areas:

- Hospitality (SIT07)
- Aviation (AV108), and
- Graphic Pre-Press (ICP05).

Qualifications were selected which were regarded for various reason as high risk. The current Pink Slips are mandatory for CRICOS providers.

The Pink Slip concept allows industry experts to assess a registered training organisation’s resources and facilities to deliver the specified qualifications, prior to VETAB’s consideration of an application.

The process involves the Industry Skills Council working with VETAB to design a checklist of essential resources and facilities, forming a panel of industry experts, providing information to RTOs. For CRICOS providers, the student capacity is also calculated by the industry expert.

Pending Pink Slips

The following Pink Slips are under development:

- EE-OZ Industry Skills Council – units of competency from the UEE07 and UET09 Training Packages. These units are common to many high risk qualifications – electrician, lift systems, instrumentation, renewable energy, etc. Intended national application.

- Racing NSW – RGR08 qualifications for jockey, harness driver and trackwork rider. Qualifications have been linked to licences and will be compulsory from 2012.

- Service Skills Australia – Beauty Pink Slip, for the new SIB10 Training Package.

- The Community Services and Health Industry Skills Council is interested in developing a Pink Slip for Children’s Services and Aged Care.

Six industry skills councils (ISCs) have been selected by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations to promote the Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) Program, and to develop new WELL training projects in 2010-11.

The six ISCs selected are:

• Community Services and Health
• Construction and Property Services
• EE-Oz Training Standards
• Transport and Logistics
• Forestworks
• SkillsDMC.

Under the Australian Government’s $119.2 million Foundation Skills Package, $15.7 million over four years has been committed for approximately 9,500 additional WELL training places from 1 July 2010.

As part of this commitment, funding has also been made available to the selected ISCs to undertake WELL brokerage activities that connect employers with these additional places.

For more information on the WELL program, visit the WELL website.
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ForestWorks Industry Skills Council and Forest and Wood Products Australia are accepting applications for scholarships for Indigenous people to undertake training in the forestry sector.

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The Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Committee is conducting an inquiry into the functions and responsibilities of Australia’s industry skills councils.

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The future priorities for Australian Workforce Development were discussed at a meeting in Canberra on 1 June 2010. Board Members and Chief Executives of 10 Industry Skills Councils along with Board Members from Skills Australia and State Training Board Chairs met to discuss future priorities for the work of the Skills Councils based on the need for sustainable economic growth across the nation.
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The eleven national Industry Skills Councils have released their 2010 environmental scans…read more