The Federal Government has accepted all of the recommendations of a vocational education review undertaken by Professor Peter Noonan.
The Review of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), has recommended:
Senior secondary students can study subjects at school that count towards a vocational training qualification or university degree;
Recognition of micro-credentials to allow providers to offer short, highly-targeted courses;
VET and higher education to have clear and flexible entry and exit points, as well as pathways within and between, to allow students to mix and match the subjects they study to meet their education requirements.
Minister for Education Dan Tehan said the government was providing flexibility to the qualifications system to meet student and employer demand.
“We are providing structure and clarity to vocational education and higher education to reflect the real world,” Tehan said.
“We want to make it easier for Australians to move between vocational training and higher education and to earn micro-credential qualifications that will improve their productivity.
“These reforms will cut red tape and improve the operation and quality of education in Australia.”
Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Michaelia Cash, said the government would continue to work closely with the sector and state and territory Ministers.
“We will fully consider the recommendations in the context of our broader reform agenda, including the COAG VET Roadmap already underway,” Cash said.
“Our government is lifting the status of VET and there are clear benefits for both sectors working closer together – for example, someone studying engineering at university could benefit from hands-on experience by studying a site management course at a TAFE or private RTO.”