ASQA Stakeholder Liaison Group Communiqué March 2024

Over the 3rd quarter for 2023-24 ASQA and the Stakeholder Liaison Group (SLG) met 3 times.

On 7 February 2024 we held the first SLG sub-group of the year, focussing on the regulatory risk priority of student work placement. The SLG sub-group members provided feedback on the Industry Consultation FAQ and shared their concerns on potential exploitation in the workplace, particularly for vulnerable students. We discussed the need for clarity over roles and responsibilities, including: 

• organisation of placement
• student safety
• third party agreements in work placement
• induction documentation
  responsibility for student assessment 
• the collection of evidence in the workplace.

We also engaged in conversation over rural challenges and RTO responsibilities for compulsory hours and simulations that need to reflect industry standards.

On 5 March 2024 we met to discuss the regulatory risk priority of governance through change, including the role ASQA plays in educating the sector to understand risk management and whether we should draw provider attention to focus on strategic planning and risk assessment. SLG Members agreed that providers need to use feedback loops and mechanisms for self-assurance and to understand that internal audits can be used to implement continuous improvement. We discussed the sector’s current understanding of the Early Changes to the Standards and how ASQA can lift the maturity of the sector, e.g. the timeliness of scrutinising the fit and proper persons form.

On 20 March 2024 the ASQA Regulatory Policy team invited the whole of SLG membership to engage over the NVETR Bill implementation update and the proposed ESOS Bill. We discussed the sector interest in not only reforms that will tackle integrity, but also to uplift quality and to position the sector for opportunities into the future.

We appreciate the expertise, perspective and input from our SLG VET sector professionals and look forward to further discussions with the valued members of our Stakeholder Liaison Group.