New legislation to crack down on dodgy Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers passed the Senate yesterday.
The National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment Bill 2015 is part of a range of reforms being introduced by this government including new standards and $68 million to strengthen the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
Assistant Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham said passing the Bill sends a clear signal that the government will take strong action against those who seek to take advantage of vulnerable students and taxpayers.
"The Bill requires anyone, including brokers and other third parties, who is marketing a VET course to clearly identify which registered training organisation (RTO) is providing the qualification,” he said.
"This will enable the national training regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to take action against an RTO, where they, or their marketing agent, fail to provide clear information to a prospective student about the qualification they are signing up for, where the training will be undertaken, how long the course will take, what support services are available and the costs associated with them.
"This includes any debt that may be incurred, when repayment is required and under what conditions, in line with the requirements of the government’s tough new national Standards for RTOs 2015.”
The Bill enables the government to set new Quality Standards to allow swift action to be taken in response to any concerns students, employers, ASQA or the states and territories may have about the quality of VET providers or courses.
The Bill also extends the registration period for RTOs from five years to up to seven years to enable ASQA to redirect resources away from re-registration audits, and toward the early detection of non-compliance.
"These laws will provide better protection for students, taxpayers and the reputation of the national VET system,” Birmingham said.