Setting our risk priorities
We use a risk-based approach to determine the most significant risks to achieving ASQA’s purpose, which is to ensure quality VET and the integrity of national qualifications issued by training providers.
This approach recognises that we cannot mitigate every risk, so we use a rigorous process to determine our risk priorities.
We conduct extensive research and synthesise data and information from a range of sources to understand what the greatest risks to the VET and ELICOS sectors are.
We call this an environmental scan and the insights we gain from this process are invaluable.
The scan involves a combination of surveys; face to face interviews; engagement with a range of stakeholder groups. This includes consulting with providers; industry and sector peak bodies, state and territory governments; and analysing regulatory data and data from other sources.
How we prioritise
Our process of prioritising the risks we identify involves analysing the risks in different ways. These help us to determine where our regulatory effort will be best placed. Here are some examples of the tools we use.
We look at all of the risks we identify and consider them against these criteria.
Changes or challenges in environmental settings, market responses, government policy and funding, or regulatory settings.
We’re focusing on risks created by the COVID pandemic, technical change, new business models, and changes in consumer preferences or behaviours.
High value outcomes are possible
We’re focusing on areas where our research shows that we are likely to be able to achieve strong outcomes by leveraging an appropriate mix of stakeholder engagement, educative, compliance and enforcement tools.
Emerging or known issues that affect multiple providers, a geospatial area, or a measurable proportion of students.
We’re focusing on risks that affect a high number of providers, students or a large area.
Another process we go through is to look at all of the risks we identify and consider whether they are provider risks or systemic risks. This helps us to ensure that we target a combination of both with our regulatory effort.
Provider risks
These are provider practices or behaviour that can present a risk to the quality of student outcomes and the reputation of the VET sector.
Systemic risks
These are risks that are likely to affect a significant proportion of providers or relate to a particular cohort of providers across the VET sector or specific industry sector.
Our Intelligence Analysts use these and a variety of other tools to analyse and prioritise all of the potential risks to the VET and ELICOS sectors.