in focus 6 september 2010

Who are we and what do we do?

Some of you may be worried that the title of this week’s In Focus article is evidence I’ve become consumed by existential angst... perhaps in waiting for the election results to be announced, I’ve slipped into the pages of Beckett’s well known play ‘Waiting for Godot’.

I’m pleased to let you know that that’s not the case. However, having been privileged to attend both the ACT and South Australian Training Awards last week – questions relating to how well the wider community understands the vocational education and training sector – ‘who we are and what we do’ have constantly come to mind.

Within the VET sector, I think we’re pretty clear about who we are and what we do. We recognise a role for private, public and enterprise training providers. We also recognise that private training providers include a range of for-profit and not-for-profit entities. We recognise delivery by a myriad of providers across all States and Territories, from our busy metropolitan areas to the outer suburbs and a range of regional and remote areas, as well as many and varied offshore locations. In all of these locations Australian RTOs are there delivering important life chances to individuals, and the skills needed by employers, communities and the economy. Within the VET sector the transformational role training providers play in people’s lives is an accepted truth. It is one that we come together to celebrate annually at both the state and national level through the Australian Training Awards.

And yet the question remains – how well understood and valued is our work by the broader Australian community? Sadly, I think we still have an enormous amount of work to do, for our contribution to be recognised and valued in the way that it should be.

Many economic commentators talk about the mining, manufacturing, or increasingly the service industries as being the ‘backbone of the economy’. To my mind the work that the VET sector does – providing skills for enterprises across all industry areas, strengthening communities and changing the lives of individual learners – make it the real backbone of our economy. And yet if, like me, you’ve tried telling strangers from outside the sector about the work that you do or the Awards ceremony that you’re off to, chances are it only becomes meaningful to them when you linked it to the traditional trades. And while the traditional trades are critical to Australia’s success they are now only a part of what the VET sector offers and the difference it makes.

So what’s to be done?

The VET sector needs to start thinking seriously about a joint investment from government, industry and providers to educate and inform the community about the sector and what it does. In my mind this means more than a website with student completion rates on it (although sensible initiatives to enhance transparency and individual choice are supported). It is also more than a scheme to recognise the Top 100 large training providers. And it is certainly more than the advertising and promotional activities of individual RTOs. Instead we need a system-wide approach to recognise and reward excellence amongst learners, trainers, providers and the enterprises that employ our learners. The Training Awards are an important part of the system but success at the awards needs to be less about a ‘one off’ night of celebration and recognition and more about building a culture of continuous improvement and excellence amongst providers; recognition which provides ongoing rewards for them, their trainers, and the learners who study with them.

And, with a tertiary sector now very much being debated in both policy and regulatory circles, and a Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment, we need to consider expanding the focus of the Training Awards to recognise excellence across the tertiary sector by including higher education providers in the awards.

Finally, too many of the small providers and high performing ACPET members I have spoken to this week have indicated that the paperwork required for submitting an application to the Awards is too onerous. While many had contemplated submitting applications, their focus as small and medium sized businesses has to be first and foremost on the successful running of their business. Next year, this is an area ACPET will look to provide real and meaningful help to our members in preparing applications for the Awards – your hard work and outstanding efforts deserve recognition.

In the meantime I would like to offer my warmest congratulations to all of the winners at the Western Australia, ACT, South Australia and Tasmanian Training Awards; and particularly the ACPET members – winners and highly commended finalists in the ‘Small Training Provider of the Year’ category in the ACT and South Australia: Wisdom Learning (runners up Newskills Learning & Development), and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Education Centre.

Please do not hesitate to contact me (Claire [dot] Field [at] acpet [dot] edu [dot] au (click to email )Claire [dot] Field [at] acpet [dot] edu [dot] au (Claire Field)) to discuss any of the above or to provide your ideas and input into the ongoing development of the Council.

Claire Field
Acting Chief Executive Officer
6 September 2010