Mission
The Institute for Trade Skills Excellence promotes and advances learning, teaching and training in Australian trades education and elevates the status of traditional trades and trades education as a career choice.
Strategies
The Institute for Trade Skills Excellence achieves its vision
and purpose through:
1. Developing strategies to improve the profile and status of trades and encourage the recognition of the importance of trades in the general community;
2. Recognising high-performing registered training organisations (RTOs) with preferred provider status; 3. Fostering and recognising excellent standards and teaching in trades education and training.
These strategies will focus on areas with skills shortages represented by eight Industry Reference Groups. These are Automotive, Building & Construction, Electrical, Manufacturing, Metals & Engineering, Mining, Hospitality & Personal Services, Rural & Farming.
Strategies in detail
1. Improve the profile and status of trades
In July 2007 the Institute launched SkillsOne, the brand, and a range of supporting initiatives to improve the profile and status of trades in the general community. These activities contribute to the Australian Government's effort to change cultural values in relation to traditional trades training among employers, training providers and the general community. They will aim to make trades a career of choice.
2. Recognise high performing RTOs
The Institute has developed a program that will recognise high performing RTOs with a star rating system. It is a voluntary system to support employers and provide guidance in the VET marketplace. The Provider Excellence Scheme is a mechanism through which industry can endorse or rate the quality of training and assessment of the various industry-based areas of a training provider. The rating will focus on excellence not compliance.
3. Recognising excellence in teaching in trades education.
There are various ways in which excellence is recognised in Australian VET such as national training awards recognising outstanding achievements by apprentices and trainees, training provision, successful employers and so on. Furthermore, each industry awards excellence through industry awards nights that are mainly focused on employers and employees.
While the awards landscape is crowded, there are very few awards in any industry which recognise excellent trade skills teachers: in most industries there are none. The Institute has developed Excellence in Teaching Awards Guidelines to foster and recognise excellent standards in trades education and training.
Find out more about The Institute at www.tradeskills.com.au
Background & Governance
The Institute for Trade Skills Excellence was established with funding from the Australian Government and is a partnership between the Government and Australian Business to promote and advance learning, teaching and training in Australian trades education.
