ASQA Stakeholder Liaison Group Communiqué (December 2024)

Stakeholder Liaison Group (SLG) Annual Face to Face Meeting

On 21 November 2024, we held our annual face to face meeting with the SLG. Our SLG members play a critical role in shaping our regulatory, education and communications approach.

Meeting in-person allowed us to build on discussions from this year’s online sessions, which focused on risks to quality and integrity in the VET sector, covering topics such as work placement, governance through change, international delivery and the revised Standards.

ASQA CEO Saxon Rice’s opening statement set the scene by emphasising that the Standards based framework underpins ASQA’s purpose and place in the sector. She noted that the revised Standards present an opportunity and reflected on the need to recognise change management and the sector’s maturity journey. She further reiterated a commitment to a shared responsibility between the sector and the regulator.

Director of Intelligence, Greg Simmons gave an overview of the work of ASQA’s Integrity Unit and facilitated a conversation on how we identify and treat risks to VET quality and integrity.

Members participated in several workshops with our DCEO Christina Bolger and staff from our Policy and Engagement group. In the sessions, member groups reviewed our draft educational content for the revised Standards across Governance and Student Support focus areas. Each group used their diverse experiences to brainstorm with an ASQA representative before rotating to another focus area to consider:

• What is important to include in our guidance?
• What are the key considerations for providers to evidence compliance? (What does good look like vs. what does great look like)
• What risks to achieving the outcomes of the Standards should we highlight in our guidance? (What does poor look like?)

The work of our members in these workshops will guide and shape our guidance materials to ensure they support providers to progressively adapt to outcomes-based standards.

The day concluded with a discussion on future SLG commitments and potential opportunities for us to engage with SLG to uplift the sector.

We look forward to collaborating with SLG members over the coming year to create practical guidance material that ensures our regulatory approach is transparent, proportionate and effective.
Thank you to all members and attendees for your shared passion for improving the VET sector and your continued commitment to ensuring quality training outcomes for students. We truly value your efforts and dedication to co-create effective and practical educational content to address sector needs.