About

The Aboriginal Community Controlled (ACC) and First Nations Led/Owned (FNL/O) Registered Training Organisation (RTO) sector has contributed economic, social and educational dividends to Australia’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) system for decades.

The Coalition of Peaks led the national Sector Capability Analysis Project (the Project) to achieve a robust understanding and breakdown of the ACC and FNL/O RTO sector and its impact. The Project included engagement with ACC and FNL/O RTOs and the collection of data, to map the current sector footprint, assess its operational and strategic capacity, and identify opportunities for strengthening. This established evidence base deepens the understanding of:

·       the ACC and FNO/L RTO sector’s operational needs to support First Nations student outcomes, and

·       the cross-government roles and responsibilities in supporting the ACC and FNO/L RTO sector within the VET system.

The Project was an initiative funded by the Commonwealth Department of Employment Workplace Relations (DEWR) under the National Skills Agreement (NSA). This Project will inform the commitment under Clause A100 of the NSA, for the Commonwealth, State and territory governments to partner with First Nations organisations to scope the development of a Sector Strengthening Plan for the ACC and FNO RTO sector.

The timeline

Nov 2025 – March 2026
Project Launch & Site Visits Conducted

Mar 2026
Data Analysis & Reporting

Jul 2026
Final Recommendations & Publication

How

The Coalition of Peaks has engaged the Human Services Skills Organisation (HSSO) to work with us on the project, which will be progressed in 2 phases:

    • This will involve the HSSO conducting site visits to a selection of ACC and FNO/L RTOs across jurisdictions, and virtual visits with the remainder of the ACC RTOs.

    • The project will analyse all ACC RTOs, either in-person or virtually, with a representative sample of FNL/O RTO chosen for site visits for comparative analysis and data analysis for all, to culminate in a holistic picture of the sector.

    • This will be coupled with desktop analysis, including analysis of NCVER and other data, to create an accurate picture of the operation of your RTO.

  • This will involve the HSSO conducting a strategic and operational analysis alongside Equity Economics conducting a social and economic impact study to measure the additional value of ACC and FNL/O RTOs based on their approach and provision of wrap-around services identifying:

    • The current state of sector, the ACC RTO and FNL/O led footprint and key themes across the sector, including current government funding and policies that have influenced sector growth and sustainability

    • Identifying the factors that distinguish ACC training delivery from mainstream

    • Identifying the targeted impact investment needed for long term sustainability and capacity building, and

    • Determining the funding and other supports required to sustain and strengthen the sector.

    • This includes determining the Social Return on Investment (SROI) of ACC and FNL/O RTO delivery.

A final report will be developed that will be shared with the and the Commonwealth and state and territory governments outlining the findings and providing recommendations for stabilising and growing the ACCRTO sector over the next 5 years.

Individual reports will also be produced for each ACC RTO to support their planning and work with governments and other partners to build their sustainability and growth and for each FNL/O RTO who receives a site visit.

FINDINGS

The Project provides a comprehensive analysis of the ACC and FNL/O RTO sector, bringing together organisational capability, workforce development, and systems analysis to highlight the vital role of the sector in strengthening Australia’s workforce and communities.

The Project also reiterates something that the Peaks have known for years - our Aboriginal community-controlled RTOs (ACCRTOs) play a distinct role within Australia’s vocational education and training system, and they offer much More than Training.

The report demonstrates that strengthening ACCRTOs provides access to training for First Nations learners and is a direct investment to community-controlled workforce development and capability, which in turn strengthens essential service provision by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled organisations. Future investments to the ACCRTO sector will see a great impact to progressing the targets and priorities in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.

The report also identifies practical opportunities to better align funding, policy and system design which demonstrates a strong evidence-base for future reform across Australia’s vocational education and training system. To support this work, Equity Economics were engaged to undertake an independent Social Return on Investment (SROI) analysis.

The More than Training report found that:

  • The ACCRTOs and community-connected FNL/O RTOs support culturally safe learning, provide wrap-around learner support, encourage workforce participation and sustain stronger communities.

  • For every $1 invested in ACCRTOs, it generates approximately $13.40 in economic and social return on investment.

  • In particular, ACCRTOs:

    • have dual purposes as training providers and community navigation institutions which provide workforce and capability development opportunities.

    • create workforce pathways for learners who are often not reached by mainstream vocational education and training.

    • have culturally grounded delivery models which generate workforce, community and social outcomes that extend well beyond accredited training.

    • are faced with the challenge of existing funding and performance frameworks not adequately recognising the real cost or broader impact of their community-controlled delivery.

  • The ACC and community-connected FNL/O RTOs provide essential workforce infrastructure for Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations across sectors experiencing critical workforce shortages.

  • The SROI ratio of the FNL/O RTO sector is estimated to be 9.4, which means that $9.40 in social and economic value is created for each dollar of economic cost.

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Resources

You can view the report and summary documents here:

Contact

Have questions about this project? Email us at one of the addresses below:

secretariat@coalitionofpeaks.org.au