With the re election of the Morrison LNP Government in Australia, there may be renewed emphasis on sector four skills development. This, of course, is in contrast to the now failed proposal by Labour to invest millions in the TAFE system as a means a restoring skills training.
The current Government review of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) has proposed ‘short form’ credentials being considered in any revised structure. In a discussion paper from December 2018 the review considered:
” Opening up the option for organisations to seek recognition of shorter form credentials through the AQF would make them part of the existing quality assurance mechanism. This could give providers more confidence and capacity to grant credit for those credentials towards full qualifications.
Including shorter form credentials in the AQF could make their relationship to existing Australian qualifications transparent. It may also help these credentials to be recognised in Australia and internationally.
Employers and workers are looking for credentials that are affordable and timely, that can help people to retrain and upskill as the workplace changes. The Productivity Commission believes that the rise of micro-credentials needs a framework to certify and quality assure these courses.”
The full Discussion Paper can be found here.
Campus Morning Mail says that ‘this looks like it could include micro-courses offered by higher and VE providers, in cooperation with corporate suppliers from outside the accredited spaces.’
The big risk is that inclusion in the AQF will throw a wet blanket on flexibility, and bog skills development down in the name of credential recognition. To date, the growth in sector four has been precisely to avoid these constraints. Interesting time ahead!