Anonymous - 21

Response:

One of the biggest issues with industry engagement is the ability for industry to find time to participate whilst running businesses, and in addition to find the time to become well versed in the system in order to provide useful input and feedback.

There is a tendency for an over-representation of 'big industry', unions and associations and therefore decisions are skewed in that direction.  This over-representation also means that training packages become loaded with 'everything' that 'may' need to be covered within a job role and this alienates smaller or niche businesses.

Industry engagement means "all of industry" and finding a way to make that happen, it means hearing the voice of all players, from the 1 person business to the large organisation.

How do we involve the sole entity operator? Does this look like actually attending their place of work, working alongside them whilst they carry out their day to duties, asking questions/observing, getting a feel for the 'real world'.  

Response:

Yes

Response:

These arrangements skew towards those that have time, which tends to be the larger organisations, unions and associations.

I have been involved on boards and committees for these organisations and whilst the intent is definitely pure the data that is being collected, the wants, needs and wishes of industry are often not the true voice of industry.  Training Package units are unwieldy and act as catch all's that often represent more than a job done by one person, which requires an employee to be learning skills not required for their current job which further alienates small employers. 

There is cross-collaboration across sectors that are controlled by IRC's but not outside these.

Response:

Do industry's want to lose their talented workforce to other industry's?

Is the will within actual industry's there?  Not just associations, unions and large employers

What makes the most sense is to identify fundamental employment skills at each level of employment and ensure these are equivalent across training packages - this work has already been attempted.

Response:

Many units within qualifications, due to trying to cover a vast array of possible circumstances, ask for more than a normal worker may ever do in a lifetime in a job, and ask for this to be demonstrated as part of assessment of competence.

Regardless of whether the assessment needs to be conducted in the workplace (which is often impossible), or is able to be done via simulation - the skills are never used or practiced within the workplace and therefore lose their relevance anyway.

Many of these units are 'core' and therefore must be delivered regardless of relevance to the job.  Employers question this, and RTO's have to get 'creative' in how they build assessment tools.

More flexibility within training packages (less core units) would make this issue a little easier to navigate, also more flexibility within a unit when a Performance Criteria might not apply would be a great improvement.

An example from a unit that MUST be delivered to Residential Care Workers in Victoria:

Performance Evidence
The candidate must show evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit, manage tasks and manage contingencies in the context of the job role. There must be evidence that the candidate has: worked from a trauma informed care perspective with at least 3 people with mental illness.

With above - there are privacy, security, respect and a gamut of other issues with this requirement.  Who determines the mental illness, what records need to be kept, what if the learner is in a unit with only 1 person who does not have a mental illness etc.  A learner cannot complete this training unit without evidence of having actually worked with at least 3 people with a mental illness, how would an employer view this?  How does an RTO assess this?

The above is an example of the views of one section of industry and what they may require for a person to work in their organisation being incorporated into units and qualifications, as opposed to another where those requirements just don't apply.

Getting things right - even across just a small section of an industry is difficult - more flexibility is required to allow training, assessment and qualifications to better reflect actual job roles.

Response:

No response provided.