Federal Government to overhaul automotive qualifications across industries

The Mining and Automotive Skills Alliance (AUSMASA) plans to reform vocational education and training (VET) packages, becoming one of the first Jobs and Skills Councils to do so.

AUSMASA will examine 15 different Certificate II pathway qualifications in the automotive training package. Qualifications will be redesigned based on their purposes to respond to changing workplaces and industries.

This follows guidance from the Qualification Reform Design Group which proposed a revised system that moves away from a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach.

Federal Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor says this reform reflects the analysis by Jobs and Skills Australia that identified common skills across occupations and industries.

“This would recognise and value what workers already know, and not force them to slide down the snake to start up a new ladder at the bottom,” he said.

AUSMASA chief executive Dr Gavin Lind says the proposed reforms have the potential to reduce the number of qualifications and units of competency while simultaneously broadening the skill sets of graduates.

“We are committed to applying the Qualification Reform Design Group’s innovative model to strengthen automotive sector qualifications,” he said.

“By embracing the Design Group principles, we’re steering automotive education towards a future where transferability and cross-sector skills are at the forefront.

“We’re redesigning the way qualifications are delivered for a new era of the automotive industry.”

The reforms are intended to support industry to draw on a larger pool of entry-level candidates and provide better career options and job mobility for learners across the sector.