The Victorian government is upping the pressure on rogue training providers with a new investigations unit in the Department of Education and Training to put them under the microscope. The crack squad, headed by a former Victorian Ombudsman Principal Investigator, will conduct targeted and more detailed investigations into unscrupulous training providers to restore student and industry confidence to the sector.
African-Australian training graduate (Photo abc.net.au)
Many communities have often been targeted by unscrupulous training providers who are more concerned about getting money from the government than providing appropriate training to help people increase their chances of getting a job.
The newly established team at the Victorian Department of Education is expected to add capability to expose poor quality providers to ensure qualifications are meeting industry standards and making sure students are receiving the skills they need to do their job safely.
The new team is the latest initiative as part of the Labor Government’s crackdown on unscrupulous training providers to restore student and employer confidence in the training system. It will examine inappropriate low quality short course delivery, the quality of the course delivery from training providers, the suitability of a qualification for students and whether it leads to a job, the marketing practices of training providers and suspected fraud and refer to relevant authorities.
Minister for Training and Skills, Steve Herbert, state: The Victorian government is leading the country with stamping out rogue training providers and is working hard to restore confidence to the system prior to the introduction of a new funding system in 2017.. the government will not give providers a blank cheque for taxpayers’ money, especially when the safety of the community could be put a risk because of substandard training.
African-Australian Community leaders have applauded these measures as many training providers target individuals with limited skills and understanding of things, but who are eager to try to find a job. Raising the bar will ensure people will receive quality training and be better equipped for jobs to support their families.
