Department of Prime Minister Cabinet

We've seen how My School and My Hospital are helping to bring choice and transparency to school education and hospital care. The VET sector trains 1.8 million students a year, so it merits the same open and accountable approach. Under the government's reforms, we will establish a single website, My Skills, so people can have vital information on training courses and training providers. Over time, the My Skills website will provide individuals and employers with real time information on things like course options, employment outcomes, audit reports and fees. We want business and individuals to have ready access to information that will allow them to choose the training organisation that best suits their needs. We also recognise that such a big and diverse sector can be hard for students to navigate. So we will introduce a Unique Student Identifier, a single ID number that will enable students to track the skills and qualifications they have achieved. It will bring all their training history together in a single, portable record making moving courses or providers easier. It was also make it simpler for them to obtain recognition of prior training and skills when they enrol in a new course. Lastly, we will be asking the States and Territories to do more when it comes to student retention and learning outcomes. We want to re-set the benchmark of achievement in training. A test of this reform will be not just how many students sign up for training - but how many complete. At the moment only 30 per cent of students, on average, complete a VET course. That is an enormous waste of public funds, a big loss of potential skills, and a human tragedy as well. With better approaches to training content and delivery, teaching quality and student support, I believe we can vastly increase the completion of VET qualifications. Indeed we are negotiating measures with the States and Territories to ensure that around 375,000 additional students will complete their qualification over the next five years. Friends, these are Australian Government proposals that come with the endorsement of my Cabinet and my own lifelong commitment to the importance of education. But the truth is the States and Territories remain the majority funder for VET training and share a profound interest in delivering quality outcomes. So these are reforms requiring the support and endorsement of the whole Federation. Accordingly, I will be presenting these proposals to my fellow First Ministers at the COAG meeting on April 13.