Background
Under the provisions of the Skilling Australia's Workforce Act 2005 and the terms of the 2005-2008 Commonwealth-State Agreement for Skilling Australia's Workforce, the Ministerial Council of Tertiary Education and Employment (MCTEE) has overall responsibility for the national training system. This includes strategic policy, priority setting, planning and performance, and key cross sectoral issues impacting on the national training system, such as skills forecasting, workforce planning (including skills needs) and articulation between higher education and vocational education and training.
The MCTEE was established in late 2005 and held its inaugural meeting in November 2005.
Membership
Membership of MCTEE is comprised of the State, Territory and Australian Government Ministers with responsibility for vocational education and training.
Current membership is as follows:
| Commonwealth
Chair | The Hon Julia Gillard, MP (Chair)
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Minister for Education
Minister for Social Inclusion |
| Commonwealth | The Hon Verity Firth, MLA |
| Vic | Senator The Hon Mark Arbib
Minister for Employment Participation |
| Qld | The Hon Rod Welford, MP |
| NSW | The Hon Verity Firth MP
Minister for Education and Training |
| VIC | The Hon Bronwyn Pike MP
Minister for Education
Minister for Skills and Workforce Participation |
| QLD | The Hon Geoff Wilson MP
Minister for Education and Training |
| QLD | The Hon Andrew Fraser MP
Treasurer
Minister for Employment and Economic Development |
| WA | The Hon Peter Collier MLC
Minister for Training |
| WA | The Hon Dr Elizabeth Constable MLA
Minister for Education |
| SA | The Hon Michael O’Brien MP
Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education |
| TAS | The Hon David Bartlett MP
Premier of Tasmania
Minister for Education and Skills |
| ACT | Mr Andrew Barr MLA
Minister for Education and Training |
| NT | Hon Dr Chris Burns MLA
Minister for Education and Training |
MCTEE Meetings
MCTEE meets at least once a year and the locations of meetings are agreed on a rotational basis. The Council also conducts its business by correspondence or out-of-session.
MCTEE Advisory and Support Structures
MCTEE is supported by the following key Committees in accordance with the national governance and accountability framework for the national training system:
- National Industry Skills Committee (NISC) - provides MCTEE with high-level advice on workforce planning, future training and priorities and other critical issues facing the sector
- National Quality Council (NQC) - oversees quality assurance and ensure national consistency in the application of the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) standards and audit and registration of training providers
- National Senior Officials Committee (NSOC) - as the administrative arm of MCTEE, NSOC is responsible for supporting the MCVTE, implementing its decisions, driving national collaboration on training matters and monitoring effectiveness of the system
- Action Groups - these groups are established by NSOC where agreed by the MCTEE on a needs basis and for a fixed period.
A small Independent Secretariat supports the work of MCTEE and NSOC. It is hosted within the Queensland Department of Education, Training and the Arts and is located in Brisbane. The Secretariat is jointly funded by the Australian Government (50%) and State and Territory Governments (50%).
Secretariat Contact details
Phone: 07 3227 8656
Fax: 07 3227 8651
Email: MCTEE Secretariat