The second tranche of legislation that establishes the new government agency, Jobs and Skills Australia, needs amendment to strengthen its governance arrangements. That's the view of the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA), the peak body representing independent providers in the skills training, higher education, and international education sectors.
In advice to the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee that is reviewing the Jobs and Skills Australia Amendment Bill 2023 (Cth), ITECA has advised that the effectiveness of JSA will be judged, in no small part, by its engagement with the independent tertiary education sector. Independent providers support over 87% of the 4.3 million students in skills training, including more than half of all apprentices and trainees.
Senior members of the ITECA policy advocacy team appeared before the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee yesterday to [17 April 2023] highlight the importance of engaging independent Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in the governance structure of JSA.
"The failure to involve independent skills training providers in the governance structure of JSA would pose significant strategic challenges to the agency's ability to create an effective workforce skills plan that can actually be delivered," said Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.
According to ITECA members, the strategic insights of independent RTOs are needed to ensure that JSA's ambitions for the skilling, reskilling and upskilling of the Australian workforce can be delivered.
"Independent skills training providers bring a wealth of expertise and knowledge to the development and delivery of workforce skills plans. ITECA members have experience delivering training and education programs to a wide range of workers and future workers, and understand the specific skills and knowledge required by different industries and sectors," Mr Williams.
ITECA's advice to the Senate was that the legislation is a missed opportunity to create a governance architecture that creates an agency with the strategic insights needed to align workforce development plans with skills training policy.
"ITECA believes that the JSA legislation should be amended to create a stronger and more inclusive governance structure to ensure JSA's effective decision-making, transparency, and accountability – one that includes the strategic insights that independent skills training providers have" Mr Williams said.
In advice to the Senate committee, ITECA noted the symbiotic relationship between JSA's ambitions and the capabilities of the independent skills training system.
"ITECA members have the infrastructure, expertise, and resources to deliver high-quality training to workers and future workers, which is essential for ensuring that the plan is successful. A failure to cement the voice of independent skills training providers in JSA's governance structure will compromise the integrity of JSA's work as it will not have the capacity to deliver training and education programs, making it difficult to implement effective workforce skills plan," Mr Williams said.
