A former trainer and assessor at the Canberra Institute of Technology has warned community safety could be at risk from graduate electrical apprentices working in the industry with inadequate skills.
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Giving evidence to the cross-party committee considering the ACT's vocational training sector, former CIT employee Ian Dunstan said urgent consideration should be given to the skills of students who have begun working as licensed tradespeople after transferring between different electrotechnology courses at CIT.
In a public hearing on Wednesday, Mr Dunstan said he raised compliance issues related with CIT management while on a 12-month contract, including concerns that some training resources were outdated and some staff involved in training and assessment did not hold valid electrical licences.
The former industry project manager said systemic and cultural problems remained at CIT. Employed graduates without all the required training could lead to fires and other safety risks, he said.
Mr Dunstan said CIT management had not dealt with the problems, in part because of costs, despite concerns being raised by other people.
"We are a high risk industry. It is that simple," he said.
"I think the people that are not getting it are the executive in CIT. I really believe the reason they are not getting it is because they are not technically proficient ... I think they've wrongly been given a job they're not capable of performing in."
His contract was not renewed in March. Mr Dunstan said some in education believed putting complaints "in a brown paper envelope made them go away".
"They're not supporting the right people, and the wrong people are making wrong decisions," he said,
He called for a department head with strong industry and training experience to be appointed and said CIT could face the prospect of an external industry audit overturning some qualifications as has happened in other jurisdictions.
"I ask that the debate urgently deals with the training reforms that must be implemented with great haste."
In November the Legislative Assembly moved to establish a new independent governing board for CIT, replacing an advisory council.
CIT did not directly answer questions about Mr Dunstan's evidence on Tuesday.
Instead, deputy chief executive officer Carolyn Grayson issued a statement saying CIT would respond to any requests and recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Education, Training and Youth Affairs.
"CIT is committed to providing quality, industry-standard vocational education and training and, as an [registered training organisation], is regulated by [the Australian Skills Quality Authority].
"CIT delivers current, nationally accredited training packages, and has a strong record of producing industry-ready graduates. Teachers are qualified and have the necessary industry skills. We have state-of-the-art facilities to ensure the highest standards of delivery in all CIT areas and prioritise the teaching of current work health and safety practices."
Ms Grayson said all students must demonstrate skills to an industry standard to complete the CIT qualifications. These demonstrations are assessed by the ACT industry regulator in collaboration with industry and CIT.
In 2012 a scathing report by WorkSafe ACT found CIT's workplace systems were so poor that they effectively protected staff bullying.
Allegations of staff harassment dating back to 2008 have previously been reported. Last month, a teacher was awarded compensation after he was bullied by a supervisor.
