QVET, a non-profit membership organisation, is soft launching this August, with providers going through a rigorous quality audit before being admitted to the group.
The organisation founder, Vivek Sharma and its COO Jonathan Marshall, are currently working with a core group of roughly 40 providers from different states and aim to build QVET’s membership to over 1,000 providers by 2026. 聽
鈥淨VET membership is open to everyone, but qualified auditors will audit providers with the same rigour and depth as the national regulator, ASQA. Once we are satisfied and they are admitted as members, that鈥檚 where their journey starts,鈥� Sharma told 小瓢虫传媒.
鈥淎udit-based membership entry itself sets us apart because no one does it in the industry… but we wanted to change that,” said Sharma.
Troy Williams, chair of the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia, which represents private VET providers, maintained that ITECA’s “rigid membership criteria” includes a clean regulatory record, an assessment of financial performance and a verification of directors and senior management integrity.
“Those collaborating with others under the community of practice that ITECA provides share approaches to quality, innovative teaching approaches, and best practices when it comes to student welfare,鈥� he added.
Once providers are admitted as members to QVET, they will start on their quality certification path, benefitting from tools, workshops and one-on-ones to improve their services and become certified.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about ticking boxes to reach the regulatory compliance… it’s about a change of mindset and we want to instil in them a culture of quality,鈥� said Sharma.
鈥淲e have designed a new framework which incorporates all the existing standards and goes some level above to encourage and promote quality practice, and the providers that we talk to are searching for this and understand that it is automatically good for productivity.鈥�
It’s about a change of mindset and we want to instil in them a culture of quality
Vivek Sharma, QVET
Alongside QVET鈥檚 quality endorsement and member services, it aims to be a collective voice of the sector to lobby the government and protect the rights of its members.
鈥淭here鈥檚 been no consultation with the private sector at all about recent legislative changes… There鈥檚 been so much negative publicity, but providers don鈥檛 know who to talk to or how we can separate the good providers from the bad providers,鈥� said Sharma.
According to Williams, “the sector is drowning in consultation”, but other stakeholders have raised concerns about insufficient VET regulation allowing bad operators to flourish and eroding public confidence in the sector. 聽
鈥淭he fact that the national regulator ASQA has been unable to distinguish between Australia鈥檚 quality VET providers and those with deeply unethical practices, who鈥檙e often just masquerading as offering training, is deeply problematic,鈥� VET expert Claire Field, former head of ITECA鈥檚 predecessor, ACPET, told 小瓢虫传媒.
鈥淲hat we are dealing with now is not just poor practices such as a provider not having the newest equipment for students to use or not having the most engaging online content 鈥� what we have seen is criminal behaviour, which is much, much more serious.鈥�
鈥淲hile establishing and running a membership organisation is not an easy task, those providers wanting to come together to lift quality in the sector by setting rigorous benchmarks are to be applauded and hence I wish those working on the new QVET agency all the very best,鈥� said Field.
According to its founders, QVET has held focus groups, engaging with small and large providers, as well as ASQA and government ministers. It hopes to hold a national conference for all levels of the sector to convene annually.
鈥淚t will be something very unique and something very disruptive to the sector … I know it鈥檚 a big task and a big challenge for us but eventually the organisation will run itself, it鈥檚 a public company and it will be a self-propelling organisation,鈥� said Sharma.
According to an ASQA spokesperson, the regulator has been undertaking 鈥渃ompliance blitzes focussing on unlawful behaviour, including targeting non-genuine providers that may be exploiting international students and the visa system鈥�.
鈥淲hile it is pleasing to see ASQA, in its new for the sector now committed to weeding out these criminal operators, up until recently they had identified issues such as too much online learning and the transition to new Training Packages as the facing the sector,鈥� said Field.
According to ASQA, the national regulator has issued a higher number of sanctions in the past 12 months compared to previous years, and is encouraging the education community to report any concerns about VET providers to the body.
