The Federal Government has announced a significant crackdown on dormant vocational education and training (VET) providers, shutting down over 150 “ghost colleges” as part of an effort to restore integrity in Australia’s VET sector.
This action follows the findings of the Braithwaite Review (2018), the Nixon Review (2023), and the Interim Report into International Education (2023), which highlighted severe integrity issues that were ignored under the previous Liberal and National Governments.
Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles, emphasised that the government’s action is aimed at eliminating rorts and loopholes that have plagued the VET sector for too long.
He stated, “The Albanese Government is calling time on the rorts and loopholes that have plagued the VET sector for far too long under the former Liberal and National Government.”
“We’ve weeded out and shut down over 150 dormant operators, and 140 more have been given a yellow card.”
The government has also put an additional 140 registered training organizations (RTOs) on notice, requiring them to resume quality training by the end of 2024 or face deregistration.
The initiative is part of broader efforts by the Albanese Government to restore the integrity and quality of the VET sector, backed by more than $37 million in investments in VET integrity initiatives.
The National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment, passed earlier this year, has strengthened measures to improve the quality of education in Australia.
These actions are designed to ensure students receive training from reputable providers and that businesses can trust the qualifications being awarded, ultimately saving time and money in the hiring process and preventing student exploitation.
Minister Giles further added,
“Under our Government, there is no place for anyone who seeks to undermine the sector and exploit students.”
He says this decisive action demonstrates the government’s commitment to cleaning up a sector that has been marred by issues for over a decade, ensuring that Australia’s VET system remains robust, trustworthy, and effective in delivering quality education to students.
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