Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) Media Release
Australia’s independent Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) that deliver high-quality training to international students face an existential threat due to the Australian Government’s failure to provide clear and consistent guidance concerning the international education sector’s future. The Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) is warning that business closures and job losses are the direct result.
The Australian Government’s approach to international education is to slash the number of overseas students who can come to study. The reduction in international skills training students is estimated by ITECA to be around 20% to 50%, with businesses guessing for more than six months what it means for them as Australian Government policy seems to be “made on the run”. Without firm guidance on the reduced number of international students, the commercial future of many quality RTOs is on the cards. The result will be the staff they employ will lose their job.
“This uncertainty is jeopardising as many as 30,000 jobs across the nation as quality RTOs grapple with significant reductions in the number of international students choosing Australia as their destination for education and training,” said Troy Williams, ITECA Chief Executive.
“The uncertainty has created a crisis of confidence, with ITECA members now questioning the future viability of their businesses. Many are contemplating drastic downsizing measures, which would result in the loss of thousands of jobs of hard-working Australians in the sector,” Mr Williams said.
According to ITECA, the most alarming situation is the disconnect between Canberra’s political leaders and the reality faced by RTOs, many of which are small businesses, that deliver quality student outcomes.
“ITECA members have a sense that politicians either do not care or do not understand the profound impact their indecision and inaction have on the international skills training sector and the jobs now at risk. The Government’s inability to address these issues head-on is not just a policy failure but a complete disregard for the livelihoods of countless Australians who depend on this industry. These staff and their families deserve better from our political leaders,” Mr Williams said.
Australian Government advice that decisions on the number of international students to take up quality skills training programs are now dependent upon data to be released in the coming weeks from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research is astounding, according to ITECA.
“This reflects policymaking on the run. If this was the timeframe, why wasn’t it communicated to our members months ago? What is worse, nobody in the Australian Government can provide a date for when ITECA members will be given their 2025 international student intake,” Mr Williams said.
The overwhelming feedback from quality providers is that political leaders do not understand how businesses work and need clear direction to protect the jobs.
“This crisis of confidence, and the job losses that will inevitably follow, is entirely of the Australian Government’s own making. It is a political failure that could have been avoided with clear, decisive action and a commitment to supporting the independent RTOs that play a crucial role in our nation’s skills training system,” Mr Williams said.
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