Creating Respectful Learning and Work Environments
A Shared Vision for the VET Sector
Training for Respect is a groundbreaking, sector-wide initiative designed to address and prevent work-related gendered violence (WRGV) across Victoria's TAFE Institutes and Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). Developed by Cultivating Change in partnership with WHISE, Victorian TAFEs and RTOs, and key policy stakeholders, and supported by the WorkWell Respect Fund, this evidence-based initiative takes a comprehensive systems approach to tackle the entrenched power dynamics and structural inequalities that enable WRGV in vocational education settings.
At its core, the initiative introduces a shared Theory of Change that serves as a roadmap toward transforming institutional cultures and creating safe, inclusive, and respectful learning and work environments where every learner and worker is free from violence, marginalisation, and harm across Victoria's VET sector.
The Problem: Gendered Violence Is a Structural Reality
Workplace gendered violence is a serious and persistent issue in the VET sector that extends beyond isolated incidents to reflect deeper structural inequalities and power imbalances embedded within institutions, particularly in male-dominated training and employment sectors.
60% of Victorian women report experiencing workplace violence.
1 in 3 Australians have experienced sexual harassment.
Cultural norms in many training settings normalise disrespectful behaviours, erasure, and harm.
Regulatory inconsistencies and inadequate reporting pathways weaken institutional responses and allow violence to persist.
The consequences are far-reaching, including reduced student retention, increased legal liability, staff turnover, and damage to organisational reputation. Inaction perpetuates these systemic inequalities, maintaining unequal outcomes and entrenched disadvantage across the sector.
Why it Matters
Addressing gendered violence in training environments is essential for creating systemic change that benefits individuals, institutions, and society. TAFEs and RTOs are not neutral spaces—they are sites where power dynamics operate and where transformation is both necessary and possible.
Legal compliance with the OHS Act, Gender Equality Act 2020, and Sex Discrimination Act 1984 now requires proactive prevention approaches.
Improved wellbeing for students and staff through safer, more respectful environments that support learning and development.
Enhanced performance and retention in the VET workforce, reducing costly turnover and building institutional capacity.
Diversity and inclusion in traditionally male-dominated industries, expanding pathways for underrepresented groups.
Economic gains through increased workforce participation and reduced costs from violence-related harm.
Transformational leadership that enables RTOs to influence broader cultural change across industries and communities.
Meaningful action requires moving beyond performative compliance toward genuine accountability and inclusion that addresses the root causes of gendered violence.
Theory of Change: A Sector-Wide Roadmap for Safety, Agency, and Justice
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Theory of Change: A Sector-Wide Roadmap for Safety, Agency, and Justice *
The Training for Respect Theory of Change outlines a shared vision and coordinated approach to sustained, intersectional transformation across the VET sector. It calls for systemic change through:
Building awareness and leadership capability that confronts all forms of discrimination and amplifies the voices of women, gender-diverse people, and those most impacted.
Embedding respectful practices through liberatory education and training that addresses sexism, racism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia in curricula, pedagogy, policies, and culture.
Establishing safe reporting systems and trauma-informed support pathways with culturally safe, survivor-centred responses rooted in trust, justice, and empowerment.
Creating accountability through leadership that listens and acts, supported by robust monitoring, evaluation, and continuous improvement processes.
This framework is tailored to the diversity of the VET sector, supporting both small providers and large institutions in taking scalable, practical steps toward creating consent-based learning and work environments where every person can thrive free from violence and harm.
Shared Responsibility Across the Ecosystem
Transforming the VET sector requires coordinated action across all levels of the system, with each actor playing a vital role in creating sustainable change -
This shared responsibility model ensures that prevention efforts are sustained, coordinated, and responsive to the diverse needs of the VET sector.
Small & Medium RTOs can implement low-cost, high-impact actions including clear, inclusive policies, accessible reporting mechanisms, staff training, student orientation, and survivor-informed engagement practices.
Larger TAFEs & RTOs must lead with whole-of-institution frameworks like Respect and Equality in TAFE (RET), using intersectional gender equity approaches to shift norms at scale and drive systemic transformation.
Industry Networks & Peak Bodies serve as powerful allies in reshaping sector culture by advocating for reform, convening stakeholders, sharing resources, promoting consistency, and disrupting systemic inertia.
Regulators must move beyond compliance to care, embedding prevention and equity into standards while supporting implementation through education, oversight, and every domain of their regulatory practice.
Government & System Actors must align funding and policy levers with inclusion and safety outcomes, resourcing this work to enable liberation rather than reproduction of harm, and investing in robust data and evaluation systems.
Tracking Progress and Measuring Meaningful Change
Success depends on measuring what matters through approaches that capture both quantitative outcomes and lived experiences.
This approach ensures that measurement captures not just what changes, but how transformation occurs and whether it meaningfully improves experiences for all members of the VET community.
Institutions are encouraged to:
Start with accessible data collection including staff and student feedback, incident tracking, and disaggregated data that captures diverse experiences and identifies who may be left behind.
Value stories alongside statistics by collecting qualitative insights, reflections, and testimonials that reveal how change is experienced by different community members.
Centre community knowledge by involving students and staff in defining what safety, respect, and justice look like in their specific contexts and measuring progress against these community-led indicators.
Regularly review and adapt based on findings, ensuring that evaluation processes are responsive and lead to continuous improvement.
Share learnings across the sector to build a consistent, evidence-informed approach that strengthens collective understanding of effective prevention strategies.
Conclusion:
A Strategic Investment in Systemic Change
Preventing workplace gendered violence represents both a legal obligation and a strategic investment in the quality and sustainability of Victoria's VET system. This is a public health, economic, and workplace safety priority that requires comprehensive action.
Addressing WRGV will generate significant returns through reduced healthcare, turnover, and legal costs while building more inclusive workforces and strengthening trust in public education. It is also fundamental to achieving gender equity, workforce diversity, and a more inclusive economy.
This work extends beyond compliance—it requires addressing structural inequalities and transforming institutional cultures that enable harm to persist. "Training for Respect" represents a coordinated approach to creating a VET sector grounded in safety, dignity, and respect for every student, educator, and worker.
Through systematic action across the ecosystem, Victoria's vocational education sector has the opportunity to become a leader in creating respectful environments that support learning, equity, and long-term success. The investment in systemic change today will determine whether the sector can fulfil its potential as an inclusive pathway to meaningful employment and career development.