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Welcome to your new August 2020 edition of VETinfoNews!
Missed an earlier edition? Catch up here >
 

We welcome your feedback and contributions. Please email us at vetinfonews@dtwd.wa.gov.au.

We are currently publishing our VETinfoNews newsletters to coincide with important news and announcements,
rather than to a monthly schedule. You can follow us on social media to keep up with all the latest VET news.
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What's in this edition?
August is the start of Djilba — the season of conception and growing in the traditional Noongar calendar.

It’s the time of year when our beautiful WA wildflowers start blooming as the days start to warm up — look for the bright yellow acacias — and we see and hear newborn native wildlife out and about with their parents. The woodland bird babies are still nesting, including the koolbardi (magpie), djidi djidi (willy wag tails) and chuck-a-luck (wattle birds).

Djilba artwork by Nate Stuart of the Rockingham Jobs and Skills Centre. 





The Albany Jobs and Skills Centre has teamed up with the Albany CCI and Regional CCI WA (RCCIWA) as part of their Working Together initiative which is focused on providing information, support and advice to business owners and operators to attract, recruit and retain young Aboriginal employees.

This video features Tanya Panic from Albany JSC, a passionate advocate for Aboriginal employment. Tanya is talking with Nathan from the Albany CCI about the range of services the JSC can offer employers and business in the Great Southern, and how they support Aboriginal jobseekers with advice about training and career development. Back to top

 


Six new infection control skill sets containing selected units of competency from the HLT (Health) and CHC (Community Services) training packages are now available through the Skills Ready program.

ALL INFECTION CONTROL UNITS ARE 100% FREE* FOR ALL STUDENTS 

The skill sets are aligned with priority industry areas, with delivery tailored for workplace context, and are ideal for those wishing to gain entry level employment as well as workers who need to upskill in infection control.


Covers essential skills and knowledge for any healthcare setting; including the chain of infection, identifying infection hazards, managing contamination risks, cleaning and hygiene, and responsibilities and reporting. Ideal for those working in direct client care, community care, community services, in-home care, disability care and other work environments where support and care is provided to individuals or groups of people. Covers the unit HLTINF001 Comply with infection prevention and control policies and procedures.


For entry-level employment in a personal support role within the aged care or disability support sectors. Covers three units selected from the HLT Health and the CHC Community Services training packages.


For an entry level support and basic direct client care role within the aged care and disability support sectors. Covers three units selected from the HLT Health and the CHC Community Services training packages.


For roles in front of house and/or food handling in restaurants, commercial kitchens, cafés and other food service businesses with a focus on food service, preparation and packaging, food and equipment storage and stock delivery. 


For workplaces such as supermarkets, specialty stores and department stores, community stores, shopping centres, cinemas and game arcades, petrol stations, and retail areas within beauty salons, gyms and hairdressing salons. 


For workplace settings such as transport depots, customer sites, distribution centres, roadside service areas, customer service centres, stock rooms, public transport, commercial and residential buildings and storage facilities.

The Food handling, Retail, and Transport and logistics skill sets cover the unit HLTINFCOV001 Comply with infection prevention and control policies and procedures, with delivery contextualised to be industry-specific.

 Find out more about the free infection control skill sets

*Some eligibility conditions apply for free training. Students must be 18 years of age to enrol in the COVID-19 Direct Care Skill Set. 

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In response to COVID 19's impact on WA's workforce, an urgent review on skills, training and workforce development was launched in May this year. The review was completed recently and presented to State Government. The review team was asked to engage with industry and business to identify practical and responsive training solutions for the post COVID-19 recovery period; and over the review period met with over 238 stakeholders in 70 meetings. 


The Review Report made 46 observations and recommendations under the following five key themes.

1 — New futures for Western Australians
2 — 21st century apprenticeships
3 — Maximising skills from Government investment
4 — Live-learn-work in regional WA
5 — Next generation training



The State Government has confirmed its commitment to advancing immediately almost all of the Review recommendations, and implementation has already commenced in some areas.

Please visit our website for a summary of the review process and its findings, and to download the full report. The recommendations from the review have been considered by the WA State Government, and their response to the recommendations is also available.
 

 



The job ready skill sets and half price course fee qualifications available through the new Skills Ready program have been extremely well received! The program focuses on training for jobs, to support the recovery of WA's economy. The 16 job ready skill sets — which are 100% free for eligible students — have been particularly popular, with reports of wait lists already in place.

The additional half price course fee qualifications that were added to Lower fees, local skills on 2 July — bringing the list up to over 70 qualifications in priority industry areas where the jobs are — are also receiving a lot of interest; in particular pre-traineeships and Certificate II level courses, many of which — for concession students — have their course fees reduced to under $200. Course fees for some of the Certificate IV and Diploma level qualifications are reduced by up to 72%, offering significant savings. 

Jobs and Skills Centres can provide free advice and information about these courses. A list of all available courses and training providers for the Skills Ready courses and Lower fees, local skills qualifications is available on the Jobs and Skills WA website.

 Take a look at the free job ready skill sets and half price qualifications
The new Broadacre Harvest Operations skill set has been designed to deliver job ready skills for the agricultural industry, with a particular focus on harvest operations in the broadacre sector. The skill set covers the operation of a range of agricultural machinery used for harvest, and how to undertake agricultural crop harvesting.

This skill set is ideal for anyone wanting to gain employment as a farm worker during harvest, or as a starting point for a career in ag. It's perfect for school leavers, career changers, or anyone wanting to update their skills according to current industry practices and equipment. And as part of the Skills Ready program, it's 100% free for eligible students!

 Find out more about the new skill set

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After a ten-year career in horticulture, Chloe Baigent turned to VET to achieve her passion for empowering youth, and completed a Certificate IV in Youth Work. During her training Chloe found three placement positions, and was offered a position from two. She chose to work for Local Government as a Youth Development Support officer.

Chloe's achievements as a VET student led to her winning the WA Training Awards Vocational Student of the Year in 2019, and she represented WA as a finalist at the Australian Training Awards for her category that year. 

Chloe now works on youth-based events and is involved in the operation of a drop in youth centre. She has also recently taken on a new part time role for the WA Department of Education as a Participation Coordinator, where she supports secondary school leavers into further education pathways such as VET courses or joining the workforce.

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The $5.5 billion WA Recovery Plan outlines how Western Australia will bounce back from the impacts of COVID-19 to reposition itself as a thriving and innovative place to live, work, visit and do business. It has a strong focus on training and creating jobs. 

The plan has 21 priority streams, each underpinned by direct commitments including investment, resourcing and programs of work. The scope is comprehensive; ranging from new technologies, local manufacturing and training to tourism, health and community care and the environment, and aims to support those most impacted by the pandemic – regional WA, young people, women and remote Aboriginal communities.

 View and Download the WA Recovery Plan

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The WA Recovery Plan makes a significant commitment to the VET sector, with a total $62 million support package to help thousands of people access courses through Skills Ready and Lower fees, local skills, and incentives to encourage employers to reengage displaced apprentices and trainees. 



On 28 July, the Rebuilding our TAFEs program was announced. At a total $229.2 million, it is the biggest program in history for WA TAFEs and includes a record $167.4 million investment in capital works projects to build new training centres and facilities, and upgrade existing infrastructure, to create world class training facilities across Perth and regional WA. 

 To read more about these projects, visit our news page

 To keep up with all the latest announcements, follow us on Facebook
 






TAC's going regional! 
TAC is happy to announce two workshops happening in September as part of a special regional event for Port Hedland. 

Designing and using assessment tools
Tuesday 8 September, 9 am—1 pm
This session provides both practical and specific information on the design and development of assessment tools to gather evidence that can be used to make judgements of competence.


 

Driving quality through good RTO business practice
Tuesday 8 September, 2—4.30 pm
This session will cover the broader issue of RTO governance and will include RTO business processes, record management and third party agreement management.





TAC Education Program — Upcoming sessions for September

Design and development of an assessment system 
Tuesday 15 September, 9 am—12 noon (online)
This workshop will provide RTOs with practical and specific information on the design and development of an assessment system with an emphasis on; the fundamentals of competency-based assessment, key drivers of the assessment system, shaping the assessment system and documenting an assessment system.




The audit experience: Facts and fiction
Friday 25 September, 9— 11.30 am (face to face or online) 
Undergoing an RTO audit can be a stressful experience, but it doesn't have to be if you are well informed and prepared. This webinar will provide you with information that will help you to understand why and how the Training Accreditation Council implements the audit process, and what you can do to help make the experience a positive one for your organisation. This webinar is delivered by TAC auditors, and introduces you to information and resources you can use to help with audit preparations, to participate in the audit effectively, as well as how to approach your audit results. The webinar does not address compliance with the regulatory standards.



 

 See what's coming up next in TAC's 2020 Education Program

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A number of significant initiatives have been announced for regional WA, as part of the WA Recovery Plan. To date, the announcements include upskilling and training opportunities, creating local jobs, growing new industries, local business and local manufacturing, developing new technologies, investing in infrastructure, supporting small businesses, and boosting tourism. Regional recovery plans have so far been announced for the Kimberley, Goldfields-Esperance, Wheatbelt, Great Southern, Gascoyne and Peel regions.

 Read about the regional recovery plans here

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An investment of $150 million has been committed to boost WA's tourism industry, with a number of projects to upgrade and revitalise some of our most iconic natural attractions and tourism drawcards and create new tourism experiences across the State. The investment will see scores of tourism-focused projects and initiatives getting underway, and will also lead to the creation of job opportunities in the tourism and hospitality sectors. Great news for the industry, and for training!

 Read about the boost for tourism here

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Creating jobs in conservation, land management and the environment

As part of the WA Recovery Plan, $60.3 million will be invested in the WA Government's Green Jobs Plan over the next three years. The plan will support projects that will protect our environment and create more than 1,000 jobs in the areas of conservation and land management, and environmental sciences. 

 Find out more about the Green Jobs Plan

2020 Review of the Disability Standards for Education 2005

The Disability Standards for Education help to make sure students with disability can access and participate in training.

The Standards are currently under review. DESE would like to hear from anyone with an interest in making sure students with disability can access and participate in education and training. They are particularly interested in the experiences and views of current, former and prospective students with disability, their families and carers, advocates and educators. 

 Contribute to the review

ASQA plans move to self-assurance for RTOs
The Australian Skills Quality Authority is inviting feedback on its planned move to a system of self-assurance, where training providers take on more of the onus for managing risk and driving quality improvement. 

“The concept of self-assurance requires providers manage their business to ensure a focus on quality, continuous improvement and ongoing compliance with standards set by governments.”

ASQA is now seeking input on our proposed approach to developing self-assurance capability and practice for providers. Your feedback will inform the design and implementation of initiatives that aim to build a culture of effective self-assurance in the sector. The consultation period will run until 31 August,

   View the consultation paper

   Have your say on self-assurance for RTOs

Australia's STEM Workforce Report 2020

The Office of the Chief Scientist has released its second Australia’s STEM Workforce Report, which provides a comprehensive analysis of our trained workforce. The 2020 report builds on data from previous years; updating analyses of the demographics, industries, occupations and incomes of Australians working in STEM.

It provides some interesting insights into training and career pathways for VET STEM, including the areas of work and occupations and industries within STEM where VET qualified people are, and statistics on VET participation in STEM. 

  View the STEM Workforce Report

AISC approves new ICT skill sets
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, a suite of new skill sets in ICT have been developed and fast-tracked to approval through the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC),

The skill sets have been developed to meet priority workforce needs in areas including cloud design and maintenance, cyber security, data analysis and the Internet of Things.

 Find out more

New apprenticeships guide for school students

The Australian Apprenticeships and Traineeships Information Service (AATIS) has released The Australian Apprenticeship Schools Guide. 

The guide explains VET pathways for secondary school students and provides information on the different career outcomes, training courses and general information to help prepare students on what to expect throughout their apprenticeship.

 Take a look

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 VET conferences and events

National Science Week is Australia’s annual celebration of science and technology. This year's NSW features more than 1,000 events around Australia, and this year the whole event is taking place online so you can participate in over 500 presentations and other events covering all aspects of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. There's 146 events to choose from in Western Australia, including a number of in-person workshops and events at local libraries.

 Take a look at the lineup for National Science Week 2020

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National Skills Week is dedicated to raising the profile and status of VET, dispelling outdated myths and showcasing career opportunities. The week is dedicated to raising the status of practical and vocational learning. Find out more about how you can get involved and/or participate in this year's event. 

 Visit the NSW2020 website

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Training package consultations

PUA Fire and emergency aviation
The Fire and Emergency Aviation TAC is now seeking validation of final draft materials; twelve new UoCs and five reviewed units.

 Have your say


TLI Naval shipbuilding (NSB) integrated logistics
Training package materials and seven new UoCs have been developed and are now available for review. 

 Provide your feedback

Endorsed for implementation
  • BSB Business services: Version 7.0
    Implementation support workshops are available in October — Register your interest here
  • CPC Construction, plumbing and services: Releases 5.0, 6.0 and 7.0 
  • CPP Property services: Release 11.0 
     

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