On 28 February 2013, the National Skills Standards Council endorsed a new Foundation Skills Training Package (FSTP) which will bring foundation skills training into the mainstream of the VET system.
This is great news for RTOs working in this space.
The FSTP was developed by Innovation & Business Skills Australia (IBSA) with Australian Government funding, and comprises three new qualifications and 91 new units of competency that can easily be packaged into vocational qualifications and skill sets across all Australian Qualifications Framework levels.
Once implemented, the new package is expected to result in significant benefits for the VET sector including improved standards for foundation skills training; improved learner pathways into vocational qualifications; and better collaboration between specialist foundation skills practitioners.
The Australian Government has also funded each of the eleven ISCs (and Auto Skills Australia) to develop and implement a range of industry-specific strategies to support the FSTP including new support materials and relevant professional development.
The FSTP is breaking new ground and a review is expected after 12 months to evaluate its effectiveness. The endorsed training package is now available at www.training.gov.au and information on the case for endorsement is on the IBSA website.