South Australian Skills Regulations and Standards

About

We want your feedback on proposed new regulations and standards to support a flexible training system, that is easy to navigate and reflects our workforce needs.

What’s being decided?

The updated South Australian Skills Act 2008 (the SAS Act) is expected to come into operation on 1 July 2021. These updates came about from consultation on an amendment Bill in 2020.

To help support these updates and replace the current Training and Skills Commission Guidelines, we have drafted the:

• South Australian Skills Regulations (Regulations) 
• South Australian Skills Standards (Standards)

An overview of the Regulations and Standards will help you understand how these changes will impact your work, business or vocational education and training. 

We want your thoughts on the draft Regulations and Skills Standards to ensure they provide an effective framework to implement the new Act.

Together, the SAS Act, Regulations and Standards will better support regulation of apprenticeships and traineeships, growth of future industries and workforce demands.

Get involved

Read the Overview of the Regulations and Standards, which includes key feedback questions at the end of each section.

The Regulations, Standards, and Fees Notice are also available to assist in preparing your submission.

Have your say by:

• joining the online discussion
• attending an information session on the Regulations and Standards 
• providing a submission to DIS.TSDAct.Review@sa.gov.au

Your submissions may be made publicly available on the Department for Innovation and Skills website unless you indicate that you wish for these to remain confidential.

Any responses that are made on a confidential basis may still be subject to access under Freedom of Information laws.

How can your input influence the decision?

We will collate feedback from this consultation to inform the final drafting of the Regulations and Standards.

The SAS Act has been adopted as legislation so this consultation process will focus on implementation of the Act through the Regulations and Standards, rather than influencing the Act itself.

What are the next steps?

Once finalised, the Regulations will be made by the Governor and introduced to Parliament. The Standards will be approved by the South Australian Skills Commission. They will take effect from 1 July 2021.

We will publish a summary of the feedback received during consultation outlining how it influenced the final Regulations and Standards on this website.

Contact details

General inquiries can be directed to DIS.TSDAct.Review@sa.gov.au

Closing date: 5pm, Monday 17 May 2021

Background

Changes to industry structures, the nature of work and the tools and technologies used in the workplace are rapidly transforming how businesses operate.

Reforms have been underway in South Australia to develop a more responsive, flexible training system, that is easy to navigate and geared towards workforce needs.

This involved a review of the Training and Skills Development Act 2008 (Act), the legislation which governs vocational education and training, apprenticeships and traineeships and adult community education in South Australia.

The review of the Act responded to key recommendations from the Training and Skills Commission’s Skills for Future Jobs 2020 Series: Future-proofing the Apprenticeship and Traineeship System report. The amended Bill, being passed through Parliament in late 2020. The Extended Explanation of Changes outlines the amendments in full detail.

That Bill is expected to come into operation from 1 July 2021, along with supporting Regulations and Standards. The legislation will set out the regulatory framework for apprenticeships and trainees and for the complaint handling, mediation and advocacy services provided by the South Australian Skills Commission, in accordance with the amended Act.

Key changes introduced by the South Australian Skills Act 2008 (SAS Act) include:

• establishing the South Australian Skills Commission – in line with the national emphasis on skills to support economic recovery
• establishing a South Australian Skills Commissioner – building on the success of the Industry Skills Councils
• expanding the scope of trades and declared vocations
• streamlining employer registration, including ability to declare an employer a prohibited employer
• introducing a fee for employers on transfer of a trainee or apprentice
• balancing obligations on parties to an apprenticeship or traineeship
• recognising other trade training.

In preparation for the SAS Act commencing, Regulations and Standards which will replace the current Training and Skills Commission Guidelines) have been drafted for consultation.