The changing needs of students and employers is being considered by a review of Australia’s qualifications framework.

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is internationally recognised and sets out the high level descriptions for the qualification types students acquire from senior secondary school, vocational education and training (VET) and higher education.

Minister for Education Dan Tehan said a person’s qualifications should be recognised for what they represent, regardless of how they use that qualification.

“Under the Coalition Government our economy has created more than one million jobs, and we need to ensure employers can have confidence in the people they are hiring based on their qualifications,” Mr Tehan said.

“The review of the AQF will ensure Australian qualifications reflect the kinds of knowledge and skill levels which are increasingly in demand among graduates of all levels and across all sectors.”

Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education Michaelia Cash said employees were looking for new ways to gain the skills needed for their work.

“We want to see Australians able to return to their education throughout their working life, to re-skill themselves to grow their careers and reach their career goals,” Ms Cash said.

The three final members of the AQF Review Panel, nominated by the COAG Education Council and COAG Industry and Skills Council, are:

• Marie Persson – Chair, Industry Reference Group of the NSW Skills Board
• Allan Blagaich – Executive Director, School Curriculum and Standards, WA Department of Education and Training, and
• Leslie Loble – Deputy Secretary, NSW Department of Education.

They will join the other panel members who have been previously announced. They include:

• Professor Peter Noonan (Chair) – Professor of Tertiary Education Policy, Victoria University
• Megan Lilly – Head of Workforce Development, Ai Group
• Professor Sally Kift – Former Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), James Cook University, and
• Professor Elizabeth More AM – Dean, Australian Institute of Management Business School.

A discussion paper is expected to be released later this year and will be followed by public consultation. Terms of reference for the review are available at www.education.gov.au.