The Victorian Government is building a modern vocational training system that will have more people confidently building skills that lead to better jobs. This means that the whole system that delivers vocational training in Victoria needs to change.

The system needs to:

• provide for as many people as possible to develop skills that lead to jobs
• give people confidence in the training system and know that getting a qualification will lead to a better job and a more certain future
• give businesses and industry confidence that they can access the skilled people they need to strengthen their businesses
• ensure that government can properly monitor training providers and the quality of training delivered
• be easier to understand and navigate
• be responsive to changing workforce needs in Victoria.

So the Government has:

• provided budgeted funding for training delivery at the highest ever level of $1.2 billion per year
• provided better information to students and employers
• changed the way vocational training is subsidised, in order to make sure that government supported vocational training is targeted and is a reliable pathway to a better job
• safeguarded quality by giving new powers to the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), improving the entry standards for training providers wishing to deliver government subsidised training, and establishing the Market Monitoring Unit.

Next Steps:

On 12 March 2013,  the Premier and the Minister for Higher Education and Skills announced the next steps in vocational training reform, relating specifically to the state’s 14 TAFE institutes and four dual-sector universities.

These initiatives are based on expert advice from the independent TAFE Reform Panel, which the Government commissioned to advise on ways to foster a strong, sustainable TAFE sector in an open and competitive training market.

For more information, see: Supporting the TAFE Network