10 Dec How do TAE40116 and the holiday season go together?
2016 has come and (almost) gone, yet there remain zero RTOs with permission to offer Australia’s (no longer new) 2016 version of the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment… Whatthe!?
So what does the delayed introduction of TAE40116 mean for RTOs and students?
In some ways the delay is good:
- ASQA is being careful—this is a good thing!
I, for one, am sick of experiencing first-hand (and hearing stories of) RTOs having to cut corners to in their Cert IV TAE program delivery, just to compete with the plethora of ‘short ‘n shonky’ programs that have emerged in recent years. If ASQA needs some time to make sure they’re choosing truly quality providers, I’m willing to give it to them… but I’m starting to wonder just how much time they need? - I like to think that the delay is an attempt to be fair
I have a hunch. It’s only a hunch. It is based on nothing I have heard or read. My hunch is that the ‘powers that be’ are waiting to release the names of all successful RTO applicants at the same time, on a mystery day that only reindeer know. To me, this makes sense, as the first RTOs permitted to offer the new 2016 qualification will have a distinct market advantage over RTOs who continue to offer the 2010 version. If my hunch proves true, I’d like to be a reindeer with at least a clue as to when the mystery release day will be.
There are also negative side effects of this delay, and these negatives continue to grow with each passing day:
- The teachout period for TAE40110 will soon expire—then what?
RTOs have until October 2017 to train, assess and issue TAE40110 (the 2010 version of our training and assessment qualification). With each passing day, RTOs offering TAE40110 face increasing risk. Students who do not complete TAE40110 before the end of the teach-out period cannot be issued with their qualification; they run the risk of being stranded between two qualifications. Most RTOs have already thought of this, and some are offering students an easy transition across to TAE40116 (the 2016 version of the qualification). But here’s the catch… RTOs can’t make this promise until they know if their application to offer TAE40116 is approved. So in the words of Joseph Heller, it’s a Catch-22 situation. - While we wait, RTOs offering ‘short ‘n shonky’ programs continue to profit from undermining the integrity of our training and assessment qualification, and the VET system in general
Once we can get some quality TAE40116 programs up and running, we can offer some quality competition.
So please, Santa, all I want for Christmas is a list of RTOs with TAE40116 on scope… listed here!
Goodness, that IS a sad Christmas wish, isn’t it? Okay, I’ll add good health, happiness and a modest yacht to my wish list, also!
I’ll take a short break over the holiday period and will be back up and running in January. To anyone who reads this, all the very best for Christmas and the holiday season, and see you on the other side of it!