Minister for Education Adrian Piccoli today welcomed the Federal Government’s crackdown on unscrupulous marketers locking unsuspecting students into “VET FEE-HELP” loans.

Mr Piccoli, said, “the Federal Government’s new measures will complement the tough requirements NSW has introduced for training providers receiving NSW Government funding”.

Mr Piccoli  added,  “I welcome the strong stance of the Commonwealth Government and I share Assistant Minister Birmingham’s concerns. We must protect vulnerable students and taxpayers from unscrupulous and unethical marketers and training providers,”

We know that the majority of providers do the right thing, which is why it is so discouraging when a few providers act unethically.

Mr Piccoli, said, “the new measures complement the approach in NSW that has set a high bar through the NSW Quality Framework”.

Mr Piccoli added, “All providers are required to comply with the terms of their contracts which include provisions related to ethical marketing. Any unethical behaviour, including inappropriate enticements or fee reductions will see action taken against the provider,”

All providers need to meet high performance standards to receive funding under Smart and Skilled. Provider performance is monitored closely and we will take action where performance does not meet our standards.

The NSW Department of Education has the capacity to cancel provider contracts if significant performance issues cannot be rectified.

The NSW Government has already committed to working closely with the Federal Government training regulator to maintain course quality, give students better information about their studies and provide a clear complaint process.

I am confident that the Commonwealth’s measures, combined with work already being done in NSW, will go a long way to arresting the practices of those few training providers who engage in unethical marketing.