Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA)
Article Tuesday 6 October 2020
The 2020 Australian Government Budget makes a substantial investment in vocational education and training, programs to support careers selection, plus regulatory reform.
The massive investment in vocational education and training set out in the 2020 Australian Government budget will help set tens of thousands of school leavers and jobseekers on the path to a new career believes the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA), the peak body representing independent providers in the higher education, vocational education, training and skills sectors.
ITECA has welcomed initiatives in the 2020 Australian Government budget, some new and some announced in the past month, that include:
| ◾. $2.8 billion to support the wages of apprentices and trainees …..already in work; ◾ .$1.2 billion to support the wages new (and recommencing) …..apprentices and trainees; ◾. $0.5 billion for the JobTrainer initiative to help school leavers and job …..seekers get new qualifications (with additional matched contributions …..by state / territory governments); ◾. Suspension of the FEE-HELP and VET Student Loans tax to 30 June 2021. |
The 2020 Australian Government budget also includes some important funding measures that support structural reforms to the vocational education and training sector.
| National Careers Institute: $29.6 million over four years from FY2020-21 to support the ongoing role of the National Careers Institute to simplify and strengthen career information, promote VET pathways, and enhance partnerships between industry, employers, schools and tertiary providers.
National Skills Priority List: $1.7 million over four years from FY2020-21 for the development of a National Skills Priority List for Apprenticeships to replace the current three lists with a single list based on a skills shortage methodology. Joyce Review: The Government will provide $263.0 million over four years from FY2020-21 to continue to improve the quality of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) system and to respond to the 2019 Expert Review of Australia’s VET System. Regulatory Reform: $75.9 million over four years from 2020-21 in additional resourcing for the Department of Education, Skills and Employment to support the implementation of the Skills Reform Package. LLN Support: $52.3 million over three years from 2020-21 to expand the Skills for Education and Employment program to support additional places for basic foundational language, literacy and numeracy skills training. A scoping study would also be undertaken to inform development of a new national framework for foundational skills. |
According to ITECA, the massive skills investment will also support around 200,000 jobs with independent Registered Training Organisations (RTOs).
“The nation’s independent vocational education and training sector has done it tough in recent times with job losses attributed to Covid-19 related temporary campus closures and the international student downturn. The budget’s investment in skills will support jobs in the vocational education and training sector,” said Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.
The measures in the budget are of considerable importance to independent RTOs that support around 80% of the 4.2 million in vocational education and training.
Stakeholders from around the independent tertiary education sector will receive a full briefing in the 2020 ITECA Australian Government Budget Briefing to be held on 12 October 2020 via webinar.
