VET FEE-HELP legislation update

In 2014 the Australian Government embarked on an ambitious reform agenda to lift the quality of training providers and their courses. The reforms were implemented to enhance the very significant contribution that vocational education and training (VET) makes to both the job prospects of students and to the competitiveness of Australia’s economy, as well as to lift the status of VET amongst families, students, employers, industry and community.

As part of the broader VET reforms, the Government introduced a series of reform measures in early 2015 to the VET FEE-HELP loan scheme which included a number of changes to the way the scheme is administered.

These reforms to the VET FEE-HELP scheme aim to control growth and lift the performance of training providers ahead of a more fundamental redesign of the scheme to a new model (to be introduced from 2017) that will better reflect the unique nature and practice of the VET sector.

Amendments to the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and the recently endorsed Higher Education Support (VET) Guideline 2015 enact new measures from 1 January 2016 to further strengthen the scheme.

For further information about the VET FEE-HELP reforms please visit www.education.gov.au/vet-fee-help-reforms