The Albanese Government has taken decisive action against dormant vocational education and training (VET) providers, closing down more than 150 so-called ‘ghost colleges’ that had failed to deliver any training for over a year. This crackdown is part of a broader effort to clean up a sector plagued by integrity issues, many of which were uncovered in the 2018 Braithwaite Review and confirmed by the Nixon Review and Interim Report into International Education earlier this year.
These ‘ghost colleges’ had been operating under the radar, benefiting from a system that had grown increasingly lax under the former Liberal and National Government. The Albanese Government is not stopping there. Another 140 registered training providers (RTOs) have been issued warning notices and must prove they are delivering quality training by the end of 2024 or face de-registration.
This move is a significant step in ensuring that the VET sector maintains high standards, with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) playing a key role in monitoring compliance. The message is clear: those who fail to meet the required standards will be found out and shut down.
The broader aim of these measures is to restore trust in Australia’s VET system. By ensuring that only high-quality providers remain, students are better protected from exploitation, and businesses can be more confident in the qualifications of the people they hire. This not only saves time and money in the hiring process but also strengthens the overall reputation of Australia’s international education and training sector.
The crackdown on ‘ghost colleges’ was made possible by new measures introduced under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment, which was passed by Parliament earlier this year. These measures were first recommended by the Braithwaite Review but were not acted upon by the previous government.
The Albanese Government has also backed this effort with more than $37 million in investment to support the sustainability, quality, and integrity of the VET sector. This financial commitment underscores the Government’s determination to ensure that Australia’s VET system is robust, trustworthy, and capable of delivering real value to students and employers alike.
Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles, emphasised the Government’s resolve to rid the sector of unethical practices, stating, “We’ve weeded out and shut down over 150 dormant operators, and 140 more have been given a yellow card. Under our Government, there is no place for anyone who seeks to undermine the sector and exploit students.”
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