Edition 60, September 2008

Victoria announces reform of VET sector

Last month Victorian Premier John Brumby announced Securing Jobs for Your Future, the largest ever single investment in Victoria's vocational education and training system.

The $316 million initiative includes major reform of the Victorian VET system including the implementation of a HECS-style loan system.

The loan system, which comes from the extension of the Commonwealth FEE-HELP to the Victorian training sector, will be made available to students studying diploma and advanced diploma qualifications.

A key part of the plan is the Victorian Training Guarantee which will see every eligible Victorian guaranteed a training place so long as they keep moving up the qualification scale for skills.

Other key features of the initiative include:

  • the creation of up to 172,000 additional training places
  • the hiring of an extra 900 teachers and 500 non-teaching staff
  • greater student choice by enabling eligible students to train at either public or community providers, including a much broader range of private providers
  • a new fee structure under which fees for basic courses such as maths, reading and writing will be reduced, while fees would be increased for diplomas and advanced diplomas.
  • the creation of the opportunity, for the first time, for students to access finance to study in TAFEs and private registered training organisations
  • the boosting of the workforce and IT capacity of the TAFE and Adult Community Education sectors
  • support for businesses to make the training system easier to access for their workforces
  • a redesign of the system to make VET easier to navigate for students and business.

Other parts of the upgrade of Victoria's training sector include:

  • $52 million to deliver Skills for Growth - a new workforce development program to help Victorian businesses develop the skills of their workforce
  • $20 million investment into boosting broadband capacity in TAFE
  • $10.8 million to boost the capacity of Adult and Community Education providers right across the state
  • $8 million to make it easier for students, the community and employers to access information on training options, employment trends and skills shortages
  • $4 million to boost the Industry Training Advisory Boards to improve industry input to policy and decision making at the highest level
  • $2.5 million to train 250 industry practitioners as teachers in the training sector; along with broadening the skills of 1000 existing teachers.

For more information visit www.skills.vic.gov.au/corporate/directions/skillsreform

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