Acquire in ASQA spotlight

06/11/2014 by
Acquire Learning

The Australian    |     6 November 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The marketing practices of Acquire Learning, chaired by former AFL chief Andrew Demetriou, are being investigated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) following complaints about cold calling and inappropriately ­enrolling jobseekers who had ­applied for positions advertised on the Seek employment website. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......……  Acquire itself is not a registered training organisation, but works as a broker allocating students to individual providers. Its website lists a number of registered training organisations that it has partnered with, including Avana, a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ASQA, VET, Vocational education & training Tagged With: , , ,

TDA Newsletter | 28 July 2014

29/07/2014 by

ASQA reveals failure rate among training providers More than a quarter of all audits conducted by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) since it was established in 2011 have identified serious compliance problems with registered training organisations (RTOs). Its latest Provider Rountable report shows that ASQA completed 3,652 audits between July 2011 and June 2014, with 72% compliant, 22% non-compliant and 6% discontinued or awaiting a decision from an ASQA Commissioner. The audits resulted in ASQA refusing 134 applications to set up a new RTO, 124 applications to re-register an existing RTO and 380 applications to add a new course. Almost 7% of applications from existing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ASQA, International, LH Martin Institute, NCVER, TAFE, TAFE Directors Australia, The Scan, VET, Vocational education & training Tagged With: , , , ,

iCollege sails close to the wind

20/07/2014 by

The Australian    |   16 July 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… iCollege, an online education start-up, has defended its claims to be accredited by an international accreditation agency - the International Vocational Standards and Accreditation Agency (IVSAA) - that is registered to its own address, saying an equivalent couldn’t be found so they had to set up their own. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......… Victor Hawkins, managing director of the newly ASX-listed company, said its claim that it “has adopted the IVSAA’s “Code of Professional Conduct” is not duplicitous, even though its website does not make clear the IVSAA is registered to the same Subiaco Perth … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ASQA, The Scan, VET, Vocational education & training Tagged With: ,

Pow Wow folds

07/07/2014 by
Pow Wow

The Australian    |    5 July  2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Pow Wow Australia, a Melbourne-based RTO the subject of quality concerns, has gone into voluntary liquidation. It had about 500 students. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… In 2012, ABC TV ran an item sharply critical of standards and practices at Pow Wow, quoting a student, a client and a former trainer, which Pow Wow denied. The program raised questions about regulatory oversight of taxpayer-subsidised training. Last year, Pow Wow won a Federal Court reprieve because of a procedural fault in ASQA’s decision to not renew Pow Wow’s registration. ASQA’s spokesman said Pow Wow had handed over … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ASQA, Quality audits, VET, Vocational education & training Tagged With: , ,

ACPET National Monday Update 30 June 2014

30/06/2014 by

In Focus Our new Quality Support Team initiative kicks off tomorrow I could just have easily entitled this week's article: 'Quality, quality, quality' - because following Minister Macfarlane's key note address to the National Skills Summit last week and his release of new draft Standards for NVR RTOs, and the ASQA Process Review - it's clear that changes are coming to VET regulation. This, combined with the changes the government is attempting to make to the way TEQSA operates as a regulator, and an upcoming review of the ESOS Act mean sensible regulation might just be on its way for the sector. What do I mean by sensible regulation? Simple: for me it means less red tape for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ACPET, ASQA, Coalition policies, Government, International, Notices, Professional Development, Qualifications, Quality audits, VET, Vocational education & training Tagged With: , , , ,

ACPET National Monday Update – edition 554, 19 May 2014

20/05/2014 by
Print

Broadening horizons and opportunities Edition 554, 19 May There was much discussion last week about the measures announced in the Budget – some good and some not so good for private providers and their students. I sent email advice on Tuesday evening to all members and had a further opportunity to discuss the changes with members during Friday’s In Conversation with the CEO webinar. This week’s article moves beyond the Budget, although no doubt we’ll come back to the Budget measures in the weeks ahead and I welcome members’ comments and questions. For those working in the higher education sector, this week’s Symposium presents a crucial opportunity to understand the coming changes and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ACPET, Budget, Commonwealth policies, Government, Higher education policy, International, Professional Development, Qualifications, TAFE, The Scan, VET, Vocational education & training Tagged With: , , , ,

ASQA’s performance in the spotlight

03/03/2014 by
Chris Robinson (2)

The Australian      |     2 March 2014 …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………  Chris Robinson, the chief commissioner of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), has told Senate Estimates that ASQA received 2625 complaints in the first 30 months of its operations, which began in mid-2011.. …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… The agency had received 17,500 applications to register new training organisations, re-register existing ones or permit them to offer new courses. It had rejected 17% of applications for new organisations — almost one in five — and 7.4% of applications from existing organisations. Government senator David Bushby also grilled Robinson … [Read more...]

Filed Under: ASQA, Commonwealth policies, Quality audits, TAFE, VET Tagged With: , ,
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