Summary —

Data released today from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows that private Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) outperform their public sector counterparts when it comes to employer satisfaction with nationally recognised training.

Key Issues —

Of significance is that the NCVER once again demonstrates that on all key measures of employer satisfaction with nationally recognised training, private RTOs achieve higher levels of employer satisfaction than their public sector counterparts.

The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) argues that this latest NCVER, when coupled with other data on student satisfacton and course completion rates, showss that independent skills training is great for students, great for employers, and great for Australia.

The following table, drawn from the NCVER Employer’s Use And Views Of The VET System report shows significant levels of employer satisfaction with the nationally recognised training delivered by private RTOs.

		NCVER Data — Employer Satisfaction With Nationally Recognised Training
		NCVER Employer Survey Metric:	TAFE	Private RTO
		Relevance of skills taught	80.1%	85.7%
		Condition of equipment and facilities	74.1%	84.9%
		Cost-effectiveness of the training	72.8%	80.6%
		Flexibility of the provider in meeting your needs	66.9%	86.8%
		Trainer’s knowledge and experience of your industry	76.8%	86.3%
		Standard of assessment	72.9%	87.8%
		Overall satisfaction with training	76.6%	85.9%

ITECA has written to the Australian Govertnment showing that, as businesses across the nation continue to grapple with skills shortages, the survey data shows that they have confidence in the work of ITECA members that deliver quality skills training.

ITECA argues that the NCVER data on employer satisfaction is a strong argument for a major reset in government skills training policy and funding priorities.

"Currently, there is a significant push by the government to put 'TAFE at the heart' of the skills training system, which many employers are pushing back against. Instead, ITECA firmly believes in putting students at the heart of the system, where their freedom to choose their preferred training provider is backed by the government," said Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.

ITECA emphasises that the data, consistent with results from previous years, accentuates the importance of placing students at the heart of the skills training system. This would enable them to choose between government-funded skills training at an independent RTO or a public TAFE college based on their preferences.

Getting Involved —

The ITECA Skills Training National Policy Committee provides advice and guidance on engagement with the Australian Government to highlight how independents RTOs are the leading provider of skills training.

Further Information — This advice is one of the many ways that ITECA empowers your team with the information to make sound business decisions.  If you'd like to discuss this matter further, the ITECA team would value the opportunity to talk to you.  Simply send an email to policy@iteca.edu.au or telephone 1300 421 017.  Stay up to date via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Disclaimer & Copyright — This information may be reproduced in limited circumstances under a Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.  Information published on this webpage is intended for general information only and no warranty is providers as to accuracy or completeness thus any reliance you place on this material is therefore strictly at your own risk.