The oversight of VET teacher-education in Australia

Much has been written about Australian VET teacher-education at different qualification levels -primarily the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment delivered in the VET sector, and university qualifications, which have far fewer enrolments. But the ways in which these qualifications are overseen or governed has not previously been examined. The paper analyses the systems in place, using several sources of evidence: literature, government documents, a comparison with other education sectors, and the author’s first-hand experience in the policy and practice fields in both sectors over several decades. The paper finds an omission in governance: a seeming lack of interest from governments and from the VET sector itself in the nature of delivery of the qualifications, particularly, but not only, the higher education qualifications. In the paper, the word ‘oversight’ is applied in both of its major senses (governance and omission), positing that VET teacher-education has been overlooked as an area of importance to the VET system. Suggestions for appropriate action and for further research are proposed.