SESVA meets DFES to discuss Cancelled Courses
SESVA met with DFES’s training section at Forrestfield on 1 May to express Volunteers disappointment about training courses being cancelled by DFES. The SESVA are angry that these courses were cancelled without due consideration or consultation with the Volunteers. The SESVA also expressed their opinion that these courses could have carried on and any changes could have been addressed by a gap document. The SESVA is fully aware that the SES always had courses of a high level and there was never any risk to the RTO status by SES designed and conducted courses. There is no longer a head of SES in this state nor an SES section dedicated to designing and rolling out training packages.
Here is DFES’s official answer for your perusal and comment. DFES advised that the Generic Leadership and Land Search Team Leader courses have both been placed on hold after a review of them was commenced.
Land Search Team Leader
This was being reviewed as a result of changes to Westplan Search. During the review it was identified that the current format of the assessment was not suitable and the mapping to the national units of competency (NUC)was not sufficient. In addition to this, one of the NUCs obtained as part of the course has been superseded in the new PUA 12 Training Package and another has been deleted. With this in mind DFES decided to place delivery of the course on hold until these matters are resolved. DFES said that Land Search Team Leader will only by conducted if there is an immediate Operational requirement but as there are currently 79 personnel who have completed the training it is unlikely this will be required.
Generic Leadership
This was being reviewed by DFES to determine its suitability to be delivered across all career and volunteer groups. During this review it was identified that the mapping was not sufficient and the format of the assessment was not suitable and as this course results in a national unit of competency being awarded it requires a major review. Once completed it will be made available across all services. Delivery of the course was placed on hold whilst this major review is undertaken.
DFES stated that the approach of placing the delivery of the courses on hold seeks to protect both the volunteer and DFES. It is imperative for our RTO status that our courses are compliant particularly when national units of competency are being issued. Additionally I am mindful of not wasting volunteers time by having them undertake training that will require gap training/ RPL to be completed at a later date.
