The regulator is pleased indeed that it will oversight training packages. TAFE Directors Australia appears resigned

The Australian Skills Quality Authority will have approval authority over training packages from the new Training Cluster organisations, set to be established regardless of the election outcome (CMM March 24).

This appeared to mightily please CEO Saxon Rice last week, who assured anybody interested that the agency would, “leverage our deep understanding of Australia’s national training system and draw on our extensive regulatory skill set and capability,” (CMM March 24).

However TAFE Directors Australia’s Jenny Dodd suggests, “many eyebrows were raised around the sector last week when ASQA’s new authority was announced.”

“The regulator approving the products that it will then regulate is an interesting decision.”

But in what appears a spirit of working with what the training community has got she adds, “there was little alternative other than ASQA for an independent approval body. If ASQA sticks to their brief of approving Industry Cluster training products against standards and policies, then the model is likely to be successful.”