ASQA’s operating environment is shaped by supporting the Government’s priorities, including by taking a proactive approach to risk management by monitoring market settings and provider behaviours.
Moving on from its transformative year following the rapid review of its performance, ASQA’s CEO Saxon Rice said that “our regulatory approach [is moving] towards provider self‑assurance and excellence in training outcomes, enhancing our educative approach and engagement with the VET sector.”
The principles underpinning their best practice regulatory approach
The Corporate Plan lists the following 3 principles underpinning ASQA’s activities and approach. These are:
- Continuous improving and building trust by “adopting a whole-of-system perspective, continuously improving [ASQA’s] performance, capability and culture to build trust and confidence in Australia’s regulatory settings.”
- Being risk-based and data-driven by managing risks proportionately and maintaining essential safeguards while minimising regulatory burden, and leveraging data and digital technology to support those ASQA regulates to comply and grow, and finally
- Using collaboration and engagement: so that ASQA’s staff “are transparent and responsive communicators, implementing regulations in a modern and collaborative way.”
ASQA’s purpose and strategic objectives
The Corporate Plan for 2022-23 states that ASQA’s purpose is “to ensure quality vocational education and training so that students, employers, governments, and the community have confidence in the integrity of national qualifications issued by training providers.”
To achieve its purpose, 5 strategic objectives have been put forward in the plan, with associated KPIs. These objectives are focused on (1) promoting a culture of self-assurance and continuous improvement in providers (and the Plan has a reasonable amount to say about self-assurance), (2) having a regulatory approach that is “best practice, integrated, risk-based and proportionate,” and (3) being transparent and accountable. Objectives 4 and 5 are focused on consultation, engagement and partnerships to improve regulatory practice and outcomes and finally (5) being an organisation that is efficient, effective and continually improving.
There is a fair amount of detail on the key activities for each of these strategic objectives throughout the Plan, so that’s worth a look.
In a speech at the recent Community Colleges Australia conference in Sydney ASQA’s CEO outlined the regulatory risk priorities for 2022-23. These include international education and aged care and disability support training. She also highlighted the forthcoming report on the strategic review of online learning, and we will be sure to cover that in VDC News when ASQA releases it. Finally, she pointed to a pilot they are conducting into a new approach to the annual declaration providers submit.
Her presentation also included a diagram setting out a working model of the self-assurance process, which we have reproduced below. At its centre it is concerned with effective training and assessment delivery and quality outcomes and achievement. There are four foci: staff capability and development, industry/community engagement, student engagement and provider leadership and governance. All of these are built around a continuous improvement process.
If you haven’t already done so, it might be worth taking a look at a recent NCVER report on the quality of VET delivery and measuring that quality. We highlighted that report in VDC News here.
