Australia’s Skills Ministers have identified the opportunity to reshape Australia’s qualifications system to better support the different users of vocational education and training (VET) and their diverse needs.
Recognising that a robust qualifications system is crucial to workforce development and a resilient economy, the Ministers have established the Qualification Reform Design Group to undertake Qualification Reform.
With agreement from all Skills Ministers, the Qualification Reform Design Group has asked Jobs and Skills Councils (JSCs) to ‘be a co-designer and co-owner of reform as well as the main driver of implementation’.
Skills Insight is undertaking two projects to trial the proposed purpose-led approach: categorising a selection of existing qualifications and demonstrating the purpose 3 qualification concept.
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Proposed purpose-led approach
In its initial advice to Skills Ministers the Qualification Reform Design Group acknowledged that a ‘one size fits all’ approach doesn’t work for qualification design, proposing a system in which qualifications are recognised as having three distinct purposes:
Purpose 1
Qualifications leading to a specific occupation (for example a licensed trade).
Purpose 2
Qualifications to prepare learners for multiple occupations within an industry.
Purpose 3
Qualifications that develop cross-sectoral or foundation skills and knowledge which may be applied across industries or lead to tertiary education and training pathways.
Timeline
March
Publication of Qualification Reform Design Group’s advice to Skills Ministers
April
JSC Network, DEWR and Design Group workshop
June – September
All JSCs undertake Categorisation projects and select JSCs undertake Demonstration projects
September 27
JSC submit project findings to DEWR
End of 2024 / Early 2025
Design Group refines new model and timeline based on JSC findings
Categorisation Project
All JSCs will test the purpose-led qualification reform approach on a selection of existing qualifications within the industries they support. Each JSC will produce a report with insights and advice for the Design Group’s consideration.
Skills Insight is reviewing available data to create a model for categorising each qualification into one of the three purposes. We will then use this model to assign purposes to a test group of qualifications. A manual check of the categorisation outcome will be performed to analyse the success of the model and inform any further adjustments.
An interim report with initial findings has been submitted to the Design Group, with a final report due at the end of September.
JSC reports to the Design Group will seek to answer the following questions:
There is also space for JSCs to provide additional observations and insights. Information from all JSCs’ submissions will be used together to help shape the new qualification model and plans for its implementation.
Timeline
April – June
Data analysis
Qualification selection & initial categorisation
June 17
Preliminary report submitted to DEWR & the Design Group
July – September
In-depth review & categorisation of qualifications
Review & checking with key stakeholders
Identification of opportunities for future reform
27 September
Findings submitted to Design Group & DEWR
Demonstration Project
Some JSCs, including Skills Insight, are undertaking demonstration projects to show how qualification reform could be achieved using the three purposes and the Qualification Development Quality Principles (both described in the Design Group’s advice to Skills Ministers).
For our demonstration project, Skills Insight will develop a template for a purpose 3 qualification. The template will then be tested by converting the existing Certificate II in Rural Operations into a purpose 3 qualification. The Certificate II in Rural Operations provides learners with the foundational skills required for many roles across rural and regional industries. So, it suits well for trialing what is proposed for a purpose 3 qualification. This work will be supported by a steering committee of stakeholders with experience in VET delivery and/or the rural operations qualification.
While this work is happening, the existing Rural Operations Training Package Project will be paused, so that the qualification can be reviewed efficiently. The contributions of the project’s Technical Committee and other stakeholders to date have been highly valuable and will inform both the demonstration project and future updates to the qualification. Skills Insight will work with DEWR to advise when the work to review the Certificate II in Rural Operations can resume.
The outcomes of Skills Insight’s demonstration project will be submitted to the Qualification Reform Design Group, along with the contributions of other JSCs, to inform the future direction of Qualification Reform.
Timeline
April – June
In-depth analysis of Design Group’s recommendations
Early concept template development
June 28
Interim report submitted to Design Group & DEWR
July – September
Steering Committee workshops
Refinement of concept template/s
Testing templates with Certificate II in Rural Operations
27 September
Findings submitted to Design Group & DEWR
‘Skills Insight welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the qualifications reform process. It is important that qualifications are responsive, agile and flexible to address the evolving needs of the workforce, and that they are also attractive to deliver. Our industry needs the support of a wide range of training organisations to skill people and provide the knowledge needed for success in their chosen occupations and beyond.’
Michael Hartman, CEO of Skills Insight