On 25 August 2023, Skills Ministers agreed to make early changes to the current Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015. These early changes are designed to address current pressures on the VET workforce and provide more immediate benefits to the sector. The changes are in areas that had broad sector support in the early consultation process undertaken by the Commonwealth Government’s Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR).
It is anticipated these changes will commence in March 2024 and will be accompanied by additional guidance for the sector.
The early changes to the Standards include various key amendments including:
- Reflecting new and updated training products from the updated Training and Education (TAE) Training Package;
- Enabling people who hold an education degree to be engaged as trainers and/or assessors;
- Enabling people actively working towards the Certificate IV or Diploma from the TAE Training Package to deliver training and contribute to assessment under supervision;
- Enabling broader use of industry experts;
- Aligning with recent changes to the Fit and Proper Person Requirements; and
- Make minor clarifications and amendments.
To assist RTOs in navigating these changes, the Council will be conducting a webinar on
11 March 2024, providing an overview of the changes and what it could mean for your RTO. Additionally, another webinar specifically focusing on the changes to Trainer and Assessor requirements will be scheduled for 22 April 2024. More information on these webinars can be found further on in this Update.
The Council are currently working on additional resources to support RTOs with the early changes to the Standards and will make these available shortly.
For more information please visit DEWR’s website or the Quality Reforms page on the TAC website.
TAC Education Program
Upcoming Events
Register now for our upcoming events. You can also be alerted to new events by following TAC’s Event Page on Humanitix.
- 11 March 2024 - Chat with TAC - Early Changes to the Standards
- 15 April 2024 - Draft Revised Standards for RTOs
- 22 April 2024 - Trainer and Assessor Requirements
- 10 June 2024 - Assessment Validation
Webinar Recordings:
View the TAC Education Program to access professional development opportunities, support and guidance materials and access previous webinar recordings and resources.
You can also watch any of the 60 videos available on TAC’s YouTube channel.
Focus on Quality: Safeguarding VET Quality Against Organisations Purporting to be RTOs
The Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector plays a pivotal role in shaping skilled and knowledgeable professionals across many and varied industries. In times of skills shortages and high training demand, there may be individuals or organisations that seek to take advantage of the training market by claiming to be an RTO when they are not registered with TAC or another VET regulator, or may certificate learners for qualifications or courses for which they don’t have scope. These individuals or organisations are classed as ‘purporting’ to be RTOs and could undermine the credibility of the VET system, potentially leading to substandard education and the issuance of fraudulent certificates or statements of attainment.
Every authorised RTO possesses a unique RTO code, which can be validated on training.gov.au. RTOs need to ensure that their code is displayed on marketing materials for easy identification, and any third parties must clearly identify their associated RTO. This additional layer of scrutiny can help stakeholders distinguish genuine RTOs from fraudulent ones.
The Council wishes to remind RTOs and stakeholders that they can report suspected cases of purporting via the Council complaints process. This process is designed to be accessible and straightforward. Once complaints are received, an investigation is conducted to verify the authenticity of the individuals/organisations. In cases where complaints about purporting are substantiated, action to safeguard the interests of students and the broader VET sector will be undertaken.
General information related to verified complaints may be published to educate the sector further on this issue, fostering transparency and awareness.
(Note – Purporting under the Vocational Education and Training Act(1996) refers to an organisation or individuals that claim to be an RTO when they are not registered with a VET regulator; or is registered but is not permitted to confer the course or qualification.)
AVETMISS Reporting
Total VET Activity (TVA) is a mandatory national reporting requirement for RTOs.
RTOs are required to collect and submit full AVETMISS data on all nationally recognised training where there is a responsibility for issuing a statement of attainment or qualification.
All publicly funded data reporting is submitted directly to the Department of Training and Workforce Development (DTWD), the State Training Authority (STA) in WA via the new Training Resource Allocation Management System (TAMS).
All other data (i.e. non publicly funded data) is reported directly to NCVER. The window for reporting 2023 AVETMISS data directly is now open and closes on 29 February 2024.
More information is available:
- TAC Fact Sheet: RTO Reporting Requirement
- NCVER RTO hub
Update to Accredited Course forms
The Application for Course Accreditation and Application for Amendment to Accredited Course forms have been updated. The new forms request additional information to ensure Course Owners demonstrate that the appropriate consultation has been undertaken by qualified/experienced industry representatives, and how their input has benefitted the need for or development of the course as result.
The updated forms are available on the Course Accreditation Application Forms page on the TAC website and are required for all new applications for accreditation, reaccreditation and amendment.
Transition extensions
At the February 2024 meeting, the Council agreed to extend the transition period for the following training product until 31 December 2024:
- CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support
View the full list of training products approved for an extended transition periods.
The Council may consider requests to extend the transition period of a superseded training product when certain conditions apply. Further information is available on the TAC Website.
Other important updates
New occupations added to apprenticeship priority list
The Commonwealth Government has added 19 new occupations to the 2024 Australian Apprenticeship Priority List including Ambulance Officer, Architectural Draftperson, Boat Builder and Repairer, Fire Protection Plumber, Furniture Maker, Nursing Support Worker, Out of School Hours Care Worker, Pharmacy Technician, and Shipwright.
For more information on the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List visit: .https://www.dewr.gov.au/australian-apprenticeships/apprenticeship-support
SkillsEQipped renamed Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA)
The Jobs and Skills Council for the Arts, Personal Services, Retail, Tourism and Hospitality sectors has been renamed to Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA).
For more information visit SaCSA’s new website sacsa.org.au
New Commissioner for Jobs and Skills Australia
The Australian Government has announced a new Commissioner for Jobs and Skills Australia, Professor Barney Glover AO.
Professor Glover’s five-year term as JSA Commissioner will begin in April 2024.
Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) Program Stream 2 - First Nations Delivery
The Australian Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) has opened consultations for the SEE Program Stream 2 - First Nations Delivery Program until 12 March 2024. Further information including how to provide your feedback is available on the DEWR website.
