john dawkins to head vet national quality council

Minister for Education Julia Gillard today announced the appointment of the Hon John Dawkins AO as the Chair of the National Quality Council, which oversees Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) sector.

The National Quality Council is tasked with ensuring all VET students receive a quality education that will help them secure a good job and help this nation grow smarter, stronger and fairer.

Ms Gillard said Mr Dawkins was well qualified to chair this important council having served as a senior minister from 1983 to 1994 in the roles of Finance Minister; Trade Minister; Employment, Education and Training Minister; and finally, Treasurer.

In 1988 Mr Dawkins chaired a ministerial conference on Education and the Economy which repositioned OECD perspectives on education and training and in 1993 Mr Dawkins was Chairman of the OECD Ministerial Council.

Since 1994 Mr Dawkins has worked with the World Bank, UNESCO and a number of universities and state and foreign governments on education and training reform issues.

Mr Dawkins is currently Chair of the Australian Qualifications Framework Council, which advises the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE) and chairs the Board of Governors of the Institute for International Trade at Adelaide University.

Ms Gillard said Mr Dawkins was well qualified to guide the council as they provide valuable guidance to providers in the application of the Australian Quality Training Framework standards for the registration and audit of training providers.  The role also includes chairing the TVET ministerial company.

The Minister thanked the previous chair Mr Patrick McKendry for his leadership of the National Quality Council from 2006 to 2009.  Ms Gillard also thanked Deputy Chair Mary Hicks who assumed the role of Acting Chair in the first half of 2010.

The council is a subset of MCTEE and includes representatives from state and federal governments, industry and training providers.

Australia’s VET sector is vital in the Rudd Labor Government’s commitment to provide all Australians with the best education available.

The National Quality Council will be central to the rollout of our reforms in the vocational education sector, which includes significant improvements to the quality and transparency of the sector, as detailed in the Skills for Sustainable Growth package in the 2010-11 Budget.