Dodgy operators in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector have been put on notice, with the skills and training minister unveiling an integrity unit to go after providers attempting to rort the system and exploit students.
On Tuesday, Brendan O’Connor announced the federal government would spend $37.8 million setting up the new integrity squad within the agency responsible for regulating the sector, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).
“A significant boost to ASQA’s capacity will enable a compliance blitz on unlawful behaviour as we combat the unethical and badly performing training providers,” the minister said in a statement.
“These actions are aimed at stopping domestic and international students and graduates from being exploited by unscrupulous operators.”
The announcement coincided with a speech O’Connor made to the National Press Club (NPC), where he described a small group of non-genuine VET providers — numbering more than 12 but less than 100 operators — as “bottom-feeders”.
The minister said he would pursue law reform to all relevant VET legislation to give the regulator the powers it needed to block and remove non-genuine training organisations from the sector.
“The sense of drift regarding VET is over.
“[These providers] seek to exploit people and traduce the integrity and reputation of the entire sector in the process,” O’Connor said.
The government investment will equip ASQA with technology, digital and data-matching capabilities to undertake compliance checks and deliver a safer VET sector for both domestic and international students.
The integrity unit’s work, which includes intelligence gathering and sharing with other agencies, will also be assisted by Home Affairs, the Australian Federal Police and other commonwealth and state law enforcement agencies.
Home affairs minister Clare O’Neil said the measures were part of broader efforts to restore integrity to Australia’s international education and migration systems. This included implementing recommendations from the Migration Review and Christine Nixon’s rapid review into the exploitation of Australia’s visa system.
“Dodgy training providers have no place in VET, international education and our migration system,” O’Neil said.
“These measures support actions we are looking to take under the ESOS Act to issue suspension certificates to high-risk education providers.”
Other changes to strengthen and improve Registered Training Organisation Standards and Standard Fit and Proper Person requirements have also advanced the tools AQSA has to deal with unreputable VET providers.
A new tip-off line for VET students, staff and other whistleblowers will also be available from Wednesday, October 4 as part of the changes.
The government said the tip-offs could be made safely and anonymously either online or by telephone, and was a way for people to report training organisations for alleged inappropriate or fraudulent practices or serious non-compliance.
The regulator welcomed the funding, noting that it built on the compliance, investigative and enforcement capabilities of Operation Inglenook.
“The boost to our capability … reflects the seriousness of the changing nature of our intelligence and the assessment of our current operating environment,” a statement from ASQA read.
“These measures will be supported and strengthened by our ongoing performance assessment, monitoring and compliance activities, and our education and overall work with providers to build their capacity and uplift their practices for assuring their own delivery and continuous improvement of quality training.”
Another meeting with the federal, state and territory skills ministers will discuss further proposed reforms at a meeting in November.
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