ASQA Update - September 2022

Welcome to the September edition of the ASQA Update

Last month, ASQA published its Corporate Plan for 2022–23, which sets out our strategic direction for the next four years. The corporate plan has been shaped by the expectations of government and expert advice from the National Vocational Education and Training (VET) Regulator Advisory Council – and outlines our purpose, how we will achieve this purpose, and how government, our stakeholders and the community will know that we have achieved our intended outcomes as we embark on what can only be described as a transformational period for the VET sector in Australia.

Last financial year, ASQA’s focus was in four key areas – supporting the shift in our regulatory approach towards provider self-assurance and excellence in training outcomes, enhancing our educative approach and engagement with the sector, and maturing, in partnership with our stakeholders, our approach to identifying regulatory risk and using an appropriate mix of our educative, compliance and enforcement tools and approaches to prevent and manage realised risk. These areas of focus were foundational for ASQA’s Corporate Plan 2022-23 – which is and remains, a maturity journey not only for ASQA as the regulator but for the sector as a whole. Building on enhancements introduced last year, ASQA’s Corporate Plan for 2022–23 also presents a refined performance framework with key actions and accountabilities that will support us to deliver on the outcomes we have committed to in the plan.

Last month, ASQA also published our Regulatory Risk Priorities for 2022-23. We apply a risk-based and data-driven approach to allocating our regulatory effort and managing risks proportionately. This year, our regulatory priorities look a little different, and have been considered in the context of four overarching regulatory themes – Aged Care and Disability Support Training, International, Market Performance and Economic Factors.

Within each of these themes, we have signalled a number of regulatory risks that will see focused investment and regulatory effort this year, with treatments including education, monitoring, compliance and enforcement activities. In particular, we will use education about these risks to promote providers’ examination of risks within their own business and support providers to assure themselves that they are managing these risks and meeting their obligations in these areas. Look out for more information in these areas over the coming weeks and months.

As the national regulator of VET, ASQA’s job has never been more important. Following the Jobs and Skills Summit earlier this month, key outcomes were agreed with the primary aim of ensuring that Australia’s VET system can support current skills challenges and drive Australia’s future economic growth. With such a vision, it is understandable that all stakeholders are seeking assurance that VET is delivered to a quality standard that is reflective of this critical role. ASQA is essential to providing such assurance – enabling public confidence and trust in the VET sector and supporting the improvements and quality outcomes that are expected and indeed critical, to deliver on government’s ambitious agenda.

Stay safe and well,

In this edition

• ASQA Corporate Plan 2022–23

• ASQA’s response to Jobs and Skills Summit

• Pathways and Perspective Publication

• Phase 3 report: A working model for self-assurance

• Reminder about superseded HLT First Aid Units

• Sector feedback drives improvement

• Transition extensions

and more