ARC Crackdown on Dodgy Training Organisations

The Australian Refrigeration Council (ARC) has welcomed plans to strengthen the powers of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to crack down on dodgy training organisations.

A new bill that was introduced to the Federal Parliament on 7 February 2024 by the Minister for Skills and Training, Hon Brendan O’Connor, responds to integrity and quality issues in the VET sector.

GALLERY  

In his opening address, Brendan said: “The bill empowers ASQA to take decisive action against the minority of non-genuine or unscrupulous registered training organisations. The bill targets those organisations that use their business operations as a veil of legitimacy for fraudulent activity or to circumvent the regulatory requirements for the delivery and assessment of vocational education and training.”

He added that the bill will enable ASQA to take swift action to deter and remove non-genuine or unscrupulous registered training organisations (RTOs).

The ARC welcomed the bill’s introduction and stated in a release: “The National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment (Strengthening Quality and Integrity in Vocational Education and Training No. 1) Bill 2024 is designed to tackle non-genuine providers and improve the integrity of the nation’s vocational education and training (VET) sector.

“It provides for a five-fold increase in maximum penalties for breaches, intended to deter RTOs that currently see penalties as a risk worth taking or a ‘cost of doing business’.”

ARC chief executive officer Glenn Evans says that planned legislation would boost ASQA’s powers to take more decisive action against RTOs that circumvent regulatory requirements.

“The permit scheme is competency-based and reliant on qualifications, so training quality is critical,” he explains.

“ARC and ASQA have long been allies in the battle to shut down these courses which are a blight on our industry and we hope this legislation is passed as it would strengthen our hand considerably.”

Image courtesy of Sigmund on Unsplash.

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