QCTO reveals that they will be spending private training providers’ and entrepreneurs’ accreditation tariffs on their govt run TVETs and FETs.
CONTEXT: Articles on this website are generally for training providers who train short courses (skills programs and unit standards), who train OHS related topics, and who are private companies.
DATES: Dates matter, please see the date of each article you read. Dates matter because these are often developing situations.
These two articles precede this one, and provide further context:
Download: QCTO shared this job advert on their social media, download here. A total of 10 jobs are posted in the advert (note subsections)
Firstly, it is refreshing to see they are hiring some industry specialists for specific sectors, including health and welfare. This chasm in technical expertise in their quality assurance process was identified and explored in my article here. Kudos to QCTO for addressing that! The language of the advert also includes “skills programs” which is a welcome change from the norm.
They also advertised for an IT guy, which is almost good, but they’ve advertised for an ITC / equipment guy when I think they need an information systems / software guy to improve the system that receives learner enrolment and results data from SDPs. The data capture (from excel) process could easily be simplified and improved by even a junior programmer.
It is extremely predictable that the QCTOs favouritism of their govt run TVETs and FETs would be evident in their hiring practices.
What is a director? The public / government sector, and private sectors have different interpretations of what a “director” is. Personally, I feel QCTO’s use of the word “director” is a bit liberal, but it may be used to justify salary brackets. The one hiring is of a “deputy director”, but since the job description is identical and salary almost the same I’ve included it under director.
QCTO already receives tax appropriated money to run their organisation, and further tax appropriated money to run their govt TVETs and FETs. I mean, what is our tax and SDL even for?
That QCTO is now also charging SDPs accreditation tariffs was NOT well received by the 1000+ private SDPs that were allowed into the QCTO webinar (the rest could not enter because the meeting was full, who knows the true total of private SDPs that wanted to attend and have their say).
Some attendees were allowed to speak. Private SDPs who were allowed to speak had three categories of responses:
1. Doubtful they will receive any value for the tariffs charged: Tariffs would be ok if they were lower (they are MUCH too high) and if applicants would really receive value for money in the form of real service delivery (we’re talking much much better service delivery)
2. Vehemently against: QCTO already gets enough from tax payers, the tariffs must be shut down completely. E.g. “QCTO’s govt TVETs get a ‘TVET month’ when we can’t even get an email” implying there are resources but QCTO chooses not to use them for private SDPs.
3. Emotions like sorrow, outrage, anger: Complaints that QCTO are abandoning their duty to the previously disadvantaged, crushing small businesses, favouring large corporates, and favouring QCTOs govt TVETs and FETs. The move was also seen as anti-job creation (because of certificate delays and costs), and anti-education (as tariffs will increase education costs).
You are welcome to listen to the recording to test the truth of this (link above).
QCTO attempted to mitigate the blowback from the new tariffs announcement by holding the webinar to create the illusion that he public met with QCTO about it and we’re all on the same page. But it was actually just an opportunity for everyone to vent about the tariffs that are being imposed “like it or not”.
Private SDPs wanted:
Private SDPs are getting:
