New national Standards are here.
Is your
RTO
ready?
U
nless you have been living under a very large rock for the past few months, you will know that implementation of new national Standards for the VET sector has commenced. Prospective RTOs have been subject to the new Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 since 1 January 2015 and existing RTOs will need to comply from 1 April 2015. The new Standards can be grouped into three categories: training and assessment; obligations to learners and clients; and governance.
website to provide a one-stop-shop for RTOs wanting information about the new Standards. This new space has been very popular with close to 24,000 page views in its first week alone. It will be continually updated as new information is finalised. In November and December 2014 more than 4,000 people attended one of the 31 information sessions ASQA hosted to provide information and guidance about the new Standards. Copies of the presentations given at the sessions are available on ASQA’s website and SlideShare account.
More than 4,000 people attended one of the
31 information sessions ASQA hosted There are a number of differences between the new Standards and the Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations 2012, including more detail about assessment, new obligations around third-party arrangements, clearer and more detailed requirements around marketing, and new requirements around trainers and assessors. ASQA has been working to provide RTOs and the wider VET sector with information and guidance, and has created a dedicated space on its
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Videos of the presentations made at the sessions will also be uploaded so RTOs can revisit the information provided. ASQA has also published a comprehensive Users’ Guide to the new Standards. A pre-print version of the guide has been available for download from the ASQA website since November and was handed out at the information sessions. All RTOs registered with ASQA should have now also received a copy of Version 1.1 of the guide. This version contains
Australia’s quarterly VET eZine
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FEBRUARY 2015
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VOLUME 3
a number of minor updates and revisions; however, the content largely remains the same. This version of the guide is now also available on the ASQA website. Through the information sessions and enquiries received to its Info Line on 1300 701 801, ASQA has received more than 200 FAQs. ASQA has been publishing responses to these questions progressively on its website since late December. I encourage all RTOs to visit the site and have a look. If you have a question that hasn’t been asked, please contact the Info Line. ASQA is committed to enhancing the information and guidance it provides to RTOs. In the coming months we will be using the feedback provided through the information sessions and recent survey to develop new and updated resources such as videos and webinars. I urge all RTOs and VET sector stakeholders to keep an eye on the ASQA website for announcements about these and other resources as they become available.
Chris Robinson is the Chief Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of ASQA, the national regulator for Australia’s VET sector. ASQA regulates courses and training providers to ensure nationally approved quality Standards are met. asqa.gov.au
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