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Purpose
CAP is firmly committed to achieving best practice in the provision of vocational education and training in South Australia by providing accessible and equitable vocational education and training.
Target groups include women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, people of non-English speaking backgrounds, people with physical or intellectual disabilities, the long term unemployed and the rurally isolated. This policy aims, to achieve best practice by promoting the establishment of strategies and processes, which effectively redress past disadvantage and improve the position of all groups.
This policy also provides a framework for the development of policies and strategies, which are aimed at achieving equal educational and vocational outcomes for target groups.
Commitment
CAP's unreserved commitment to the principle of access and equity in vocational education and training gives practical expression to the Australian National Training Authority goal of improving the knowledge, skills, and quality of life for Australians, having regard to the particular needs of target groups.
In keeping with this commitment CAP will strive to ensure that programs and services are relevant, accessible, fair and inclusive by:
- promoting programs and services to the South Australian community in a manner that includes and reflects the diverse client population, to ensure that all prospective students are well informed on the options available to meet their individual training needs
- increasing the skills base of the unemployed in the community to improve employability in line with the skills requirements of industries and enterprises in South Australia
- providing an effective range of vocational and training programs to the community
- ensuring that those groups traditionally under-represented in vocational education have the opportunity to participate and achieve the same outcomes as other members of the community
Legislative Obligations
The Access and Equity Policy also acknowledges CAP's legal obligations under State and Federal equal opportunity law, the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act, 1986, the Equal Opportunity Act 1984 and the Training and Skills Development Act 2003 to ensure that our working and teaching practices are fair and equitable, and our working and learning environment is non-discriminatory.
The Equal Opportunity Act, 1984 (SA), the Racial Discrimination Act, 1975 (Cth), the Sex Discrimination Act, 1984 (Cth) and the Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 (Cth) makes discrimination and harassment in the provision of education, employment and the provision of goods and services unlawful. The Equal Opportunity Act makes it unlawful for anyone to be treated unfairly or discriminated against on the grounds of sex, sexuality, race, physical or intellectual impairment or age. Equal Opportunity law also makes lawful the establishment of special processes, measures or schemes, for the benefit of employees or students from equity targeted groups, which are designed to redress past disadvantages.
The Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act, 1986 also requires that all employees and students are provided with a safe and healthy working and learning environment. This means a working and learning environment free from discrimination and / or harassment.
Roles and Responsibilities
Directors and Managers are change agents and are therefore responsible for fostering the implementation of access and equity best practice by ensuring that the organisation's mission statement and corporate goals clearly define its role in meeting the vocational needs of equity target groups.
- equal opportunity policies are in place, widely dispersed and understood
- barriers to access and participation are identified and strategies developed to overcome them
- key staff have identified responsibility and expertise in equal opportunity matters
- all students are provided with information about access and equity issues and the organisation's complaint resolution processes
- staff are aware of progress in the participation and outcomes for equity target groups and action plans are developed and put in place to meet any deficiencies
- staff are responsible for ensuring that they understand and implement the policy and behave in a courteous, sensitive and non-discriminatory manner when dealing with other staff, students and clients
- students are responsible for behaving in a courteous, sensitive and non-discriminatory manner when dealing with other staff, students and clients
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