Skills for All is making very significant changes to South Australia’s vocational education and training system, and TAFE SA as the State’s largest training provider is changing too.
The changes are necessary for TAFE SA to operate in the new, fully contestable training market Skills for All will create.
Skills for All gives TAFE SA greater autonomy, accountability, more flexibility, and increased capacity to respond to market needs. Skills for All gives TAFE SA the opportunity to build on its reputation for quality training, employment outcomes and student satisfaction, attract more funding, and grow.
It is planned that TAFE SA will operate as an independent statutory authority under its own Act of Parliament with a target date of July 2012.
On Friday 17 February 2012 the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, the Hon Tom Kenyon MP released the TAFE SA Bill 2012 and the accompanying enabling Bill the Statutes Amendment and Repeal (TAFE SA Consequential Provisions) Bill 2012 for public comment. Consultation closed on 11 March 2012.
The original consultation documents and draft Bills are available for download below. The issues raised and suggestions made have been considered and have resulted in some changes to the Bills. The Bills including amendments made as a result of the consultation were introduced into the State Parliament on 5 April 2012, and are available for download on the South Australian Legislation website.
The accompanying second reading speeches and explanations of clauses are also available for download on the South Australian Parliament's General Hansard website.
In July 2011, the Office of TAFE SA was established with Elaine Bensted as its first Chief Executive, and an Interim TAFE SA Board was appointed. This transitional arrangement will remain in place until TAFE SA becomes a statutory authority.
The creation of a statutory authority will result in significant changes to governance as well as to how TAFE SA will operate.