Important reforms will be made to the Government’s VET FEE-HELP student loan program to prevent unscrupulous marketers targeting vulnerable Australians and exploiting taxpayers to the tune of billions of dollars. Assistant Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham today announced a rolling campaign of legislative and other changes to deal with rogue training providers…
The Australian Government is supporting new economic and job opportunities in the South Australian and Victorian communities affected by the wind down in domestic car manufacturing, with a $6 million investment in a series of projects worth $16 million from the first round of an innovative transition programme. Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane…
Businesses and community organisations can now apply for support to boost the skills of youth under youth stream pilot programmes through the Industry Skills Fund. Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham today named the regions where youth unemployment will be tackled head on with a $44 million Australian Government commitment. “The Training…
Legislation will be introduced into Parliament today to further crack down on unscrupulous Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers and improve training quality. Assistant Minister for Education and Training Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham said the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment Bill 2015 would: Enable the Australian Government to create new quality standards…
Targeted audits of Registered Training Organisations(RTOs) will address allegations of unscrupulous marketing and other practices intended to exploit the Australian Government’s VET FEE-HELP program. Assistant Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham said the national regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), would undertake a total of 23 audits of RTOs including of providers…
Assistant Minister for Education and Training Senator Simon Birmingham has urged Australian employers to take part in the Survey of Australian Employers being conducted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) over coming weeks. The survey aims to ask 9,000 employers from across the country and from all industry sectors about their experiences…
An innovative retail training initiative to support employer-led training that focuses on job outcomes will be launched in Melbourne today by the Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Senator Birmingham. “The New Retail Series is developing ‘fit for purpose’ training and involves employers in the development of qualifications and training requirements,” said Senator Birmingham. “Two…
The new $70 million Independent Public School Initiative will help local government schools to become more independent by increasing their own local governance and community and parental engagement. Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham and Member for Herbert, Ewen Jones, met with the administration team at Townsville’s Hermit Park State School, which…
Assistant Minister for Education and Training, Senator Simon Birmingham attended face-to-face consultations in Queensland about the future of Vocational Education and Training. “Our government is embarking upon an ambitious program of VET reform to lift the quality of both training providers and their courses, so as to further enhance the contribution VET makes to the…
Businesses in Queensland can apply for support to boost the skills of their workforce under the Abbott Government’s new $476 million Industry Skills Fund. “I urge growing Queensland businesses to access support to upskill or retrain their employees to boost their business productivity and competitiveness. With around 20% of Australian businesses located in QLD, it…