Welcome to the July edition of the ASQA Update
ith the commencement of the new financial year, I’d like to briefly remind you about some key priorities, as well as share expectations we have for ourselves and the sector in the coming months.
As you know, invoices for the Annual Registration Charge are issued this month. Please take the time to ensure your scope of registration is up to date. This will ensure you are charged appropriately, and that we have a good understanding of the courses you are delivering, as well as improved visibility of delivery across the sector as a whole.
For several months I have emphasised ASQA’s continued focus on delivery to overseas students, including unethical recruitment practices of third-party education agents. July marks the end of flexibility arrangements for providers delivering courses to overseas students. From 1 July we expect CRICOS providers to meet their legislative obligations under the ESOS Act and National Code. We have published a range of information to support providers to comply with their requirements and will continue to actively engage across government to support compliance activities, surveillance and monitoring activities where concerns around provider practice are raised.
Last month I also provided an update on our revised Service Charter. I am pleased to announce that the Charter is now available on our website. The Charter sets out revised service standards and commits us to providing a high level of service which reflects our values. You can expect us to act with honesty and integrity, respect and courtesy, confidentiality, procedural fairness, competence, due care and diligence.
The Charter also sets out what we expect in return. We ask that you are cooperative and respectful in your dealings with us, that you provide us with accurate, complete and timely information, and that you allow us the time set out in this Charter to respond to you. We are committed to improving our performance against both the revised service standards and the Charter and look forward to receiving feedback and being held to account to deliver on what we have said.
Looking forward, I am keen to share with you that in the coming months ASQA will be undertaking several regulatory campaigns. These will be focused on international student delivery and the expectation that providers have returned to compliance and targeted monitoring of delivery in in certain industry sectors that are linked to licensed outcomes or qualifications that present high risk, such as childcare. We have identified these risks through our environmental scans, sector research, issues raised by consumers and internal data collection and analysis.
Like all campaigns, this will involve a range of activities, including resources and guidance to assist the sector to mitigate these risks, as well as targeted regulatory activities to ensure we maintain appropriate regulatory oversight. This includes being able to identify providers who are failing to meet their obligations and using the regulatory tools at our disposal to support these providers to return to compliance or exit them from the sector where they are unable or unwilling to deliver quality outcomes. We will share our insights with you at the conclusion of each campaign.
Finally, last month I had the pleasure of joining Katrina Quinn, Director of the Policy, Research and Engagement Group at the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, to present on moving towards an integrated tertiary education system at ITECA’s annual conference. We spoke about the challenges and opportunities for closer alignment between our regulatory frameworks and shared how we work together to tackle compliance challenges with skills training and higher education providers.
Stay safe and well,
In this edition
Our new Service Charter and revised Service Standards
Our risk priorities
Improving the collection and use of VET data
Update on Dual Sector Reference Group
and more
