The discussion paper supporting this consultation phase posed questions to prompt feedback and engagement across 4 key themes:

• boosting student success
• placing TAFE NSW at the heart of the system
• delivering VET in NSW
• preparing VET for the future.

The independent VET Review panel made 7 recommendations to the government in its interim report. These recommendations focus on TAFE NSW at the centre of the vocational education system and VET delivery in NSW. A high-level summary of these recommendations includes:

1. The NSW Government should clarify the role of TAFE NSW in the NSW training system through a TAFE NSW Charter.
2. TAFE NSW should develop a revised operating model that aligns educational delivery with industry needs, prioritises local and community engagement and enhances support for teachers.
3. TAFE NSW and the NSW Department of Education should work together with education regulators to pilot self-accreditation of selected and agreed Australian Qualifications Framework courses. The pilot should include an evaluation process for future TAFE NSW self-accreditation.
4. The NSW Government should consider ways to rebuild TAFE NSW capacity to offer training. These include removing TAFE from the contestable funding market, streamlining its funding, ensuring funding for TAFE reflects operating costs and establishing clear guidelines for TAFE NSW so its assets can maximise public good and be used appropriately for commercial purposes.
5. The NSW Government should ensure governance arrangements for the NSW VET system are strengthened and set up to represent provider, industry, and workforce expertise.
6. The NSW Government should increase the number of permanent roles for TAFE teachers and convert temporary roles to permanency within the NSW education system and TAFE NSW.
7. The NSW Government should audit the condition, age, and geographic distribution of VET infrastructure across NSW. The audit should include TAFE NSW, public schools and all other government-owned or funded VET assets and see if there is alignment between major tertiary education infrastructure announcements and VET needs.

The NSW Government welcomes the findings of the interim report and will consider its recommendations. Work has begun on preparing a TAFE Charter to set the future direction for TAFE NSW, and TAFE NSW is working on a revised operating model.

While the interim report focuses on the immediate challenges for TAFE NSW, the final report has a stronger focus on the broader VET system.

The independent VET Review panel made 21 recommendations to the government in its final report. These recommendations focus on the challenges and opportunities across the entire VET sector. A high-level summary of these recommendations includes:

1. The NSW Government should regard its role in the NSW VET system as a steward.
   
   
2. The NSW Government should, through its departments and agencies, establish dedicated arrangements to enact stewardship.
   
   
3. The NSW Government should reform skills governance to ensure there is a single governance body with expert knowledge and skills, a dedicated consultative advisory forum, and alignment between specific industry bodies and the new national architecture.
   
   
4. The NSW Department of Education should implement changes to pricing and fee settings to support priority cohorts, student outcomes and to address areas of critical skills shortage.
   
   
5. The NSW Government should undertake an independent review of pricing and fees to support the introduction of a new needs-based funding model.
   
   
6. The NSW Department of Education should implement new performance-based contracts that provide greater funding certainty, incentivise capacity building and innovation and better reflect diverse student needs.
   
   
7. The NSW Government should ensure the NSW Skills Plan has a clear vision for skills, a Performance Outcomes Framework, and a Skills Insight Data Asset.
   
   
8. The NSW Government should establish industry compacts across government skills priorities that are driven by statements of commitment, co-investment, governance structures, and research and innovation.
   
   
9. The NSW Government should develop and implement a new regional skills approach to meet the training needs of regional communities.
   
   
10. The NSW Government should transition to a system-wide, student-centred approach to VET student support.
    
    
11. The NSW Government should increase provider capacity, particularly for Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations (ACCOs) and Aboriginal-owned registered training organisations (RTOs).
    
    
12. The NSW Government should work with the Australian Government to design and achieve a more integrated and student-centred tertiary sector.
    
    
13. The NSW Government should work with TAFE NSW and NSW public universities to determine credit transfer arrangements for key occupations and industries.
    
    
14. The NSW Education Standards Authority should ensure that curriculum for VET for Secondary Students is underpinned by industry relevant curriculum, strengthened recognition of VET qualifications, increased unit credit recognition and clear articulation pathways.
    
    
15. The NSW Department of Education should embed the school-based apprenticeship and traineeship (SBAT) pathway as a core offering within secondary schools.
    
    
16. The NSW Department of Education should improve the quality, consistency and availability of careers advice in schools.
    
    
17. The NSW Department of Education should reinforce the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Roadmap by establishing public-facing targets for NSW apprenticeship and traineeship (A&T) outcomes and prioritising actions that would support this.
    
    
18. The NSW Government should position itself as a model employer of apprentices and trainees, particularly in regional, rural and remote NSW, by embedding its employment of apprentices and trainees past the current 1,000 A&T commitment.
    
    
19. The NSW Department of Education and TAFE NSW should support the current VET teaching workforce by immediately implementing activities that reduce unnecessary administrative workloads, align regulation and compliance requirements across the NSW VET system, prioritise investment in upskilling and reskilling the current public sector VET workforce in areas of high skill demand, and pilot collaborative workforce arrangements at select secondary school and TAFE NSW campuses.
    
    
20. The NSW Government should work with the Australian Government to develop and implement initiative(s) under the emerging VET Workforce Blueprint that enable and promote multiple entries and pathways for new VET teachers.
    
    
21. The NSW Government should use the findings of the NSW VET infrastructure asset audit to inform the development of an overarching NSW Government strategic capital investment model for public VET infrastructure and NSW Government VET guidance and protocols for networked assets and facilities sharing.

The NSW Government welcomes the findings of the final report and will consider its recommendations before providing a response.