ASQA is increasing scrutiny on new applications for registration from 1 July 2018
Vocational education and training (VET) and the education of overseas students make a significant contribution to Australia’s economy. More than four million people undertake VET in Australia each year and the quality of the training sector has a direct impact on students, the workforce and the Australian community.
ASQA’s aim as the national VET regulator is for providers to deliver high-quality training and assessment so that all VET students can receive the training experiences they expect and deserve.
ASQA also seeks to support good-quality training providers through protecting the integrity and reputation of the training sector. This includes requiring all applicants to meet stringent requirements to enter the market.
To further protect the quality and reputation of the VET and international education sectors, from 1 July 2018, ASQA will apply even greater scrutiny to all applications to establish new training providers.
Why is ASQA changing its approach to initial registration applications?
ASQA’s 2017-18 Regulatory Strategy identified the implementation of stronger controls on new training providers entering the market as a key priority.
On average, ASQA rejects around one in four applications for initial registration. ASQA receives approximately 500 applications for initial registration each year and spends a considerable proportion of its regulatory resources on these applications. However, many of these applications are submitted by organisations without the educational capacity or the financial resources to deliver quality training.
The changes to the application and assessment process for initial registration will help people considering entering the VET and/or international education training market determine if they have the resources and skills needed to seek initial registration.