Queensland commits to “stamping out dodgy training providers” as part of crack down

The Queensland Government has announced that the provision of quality training for the state’s residents, including those pursuing early childhood education and care (ECEC) qualifications, remains an ongoing priority, and that it “won’t hesitate to take action against dodgy providers”.

State Government funding for private registered training providers (RTOs) has experienced significant drops over the last four years, shifting from almost 720 providers being funded four years ago to 460 today. 

Queensland Minister for Training and Skills Development Shannon Fentiman outlined that in the last 12 months alone, funding agreements have been terminated for 60 Queensland providers, pulling no punches when she stated “anyone who doesn’t measure up will lose their ability to access public funding”.

“Quality training for Queenslanders is a top priority for the Palaszczuk Government – and we won’t hesitate to take action against dodgy providers,” Ms Fentiman said, adding that all complaints received by the Department “are taken seriously”.

A new Skills Assure program was introduced by the Queensland Government this year, Ms Fentiman said, which proactively audits every training provider in Queensland to ensure they meet strict standards.

Complaints of fraud from RTOs are referred to police, with three matters of suspected fraud the subject of ongoing investigation relating to activities over the past two years. 

“We also refer any complaints about registered training organisations to the Australian Skills Quality Skills Authority (ASQA) as the federal government is responsible for the overall regulation of the training sector,” Ms Fentiman outlined. 

The Training Ombudsman will continue to work with ASQA and other regulatory bodies to ensure complaints about bait advertising are thoroughly investigated.

For more information about the compliance measures for Queensland based RTOs, please see here.