The Revised Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTO) Professional Development

Webinar Recording

This session explores the revised Standards for RTOs in the Australian Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. In the session we highlight the structure of the new standards, ASQA’s practice guides, and notable differences that affect trainers and assessors.

These changes, while requiring some adjustments to RTO’s processes, we feel are reasonable and aim to enhance the quality and integrity of VET delivery across Australia’s diverse training landscape.

Here’s the webinar replay:

Structure of the New Standards

The new standards have been restructured into three key components:

1. Outcome Standards:
   • The quality and outcomes an RTO needs to demonstrate to prove they’re providing quality training. This was the primary focus of the session.
2. Compliance Requirements:
   • Clear-cut rules for compliance (e.g., notifying ASQA of significant events within 10 business days). They generally require less interpretation.
3. Credential Policy:
   • This new, standalone document clearly outlines the qualifications required for trainers and assessors, as well as other roles like assessment validation.

The Outcome Standards are further broken down into four “Quality Areas” (also referred to as “parts”) each linked to a specific outcome.

Quality Area 1: Training and Assessment

Focuses on engaging, well-structured training that enables students to attain nationally recognised, industry-relevant competencies.

Quality Area 2: VET Student Support

Emphasises fair treatment, proper information, support, and protection for VET students throughout their journey.

Quality Area 3: VET Workforce

Ensures students are trained, assessed, and supported by qualified, skilled, and professionally committed individuals.

Quality Area 4: Effective Governance

Addresses governance and continuous improvement to support the quality and integrity of VET delivery.

For trainers and assessors in their daily role, Quality Areas 1 and 2 are the most impactful.

Session Slide Deck

ASQA Practice Guides – an Essential Resource

The new ASQA Practice Guides are a great resource for RTOs seeking to comply with the revised standards.

They mirror the standards’ wording, but offer detailed commentary and examples of activities and considerations for compliance. It’s highly recommended that RTOs use these guides when implementing new systems, I would assume ASQA’s regulatory staff are using them to inform their assessments.

An example from the “Training” practice guide (Standard 1.1) highlights the expectation to “provide students with sufficient opportunity to reflect on and absorb the knowledge, apply feedback, and practice their skills in different contexts and environments before they are assessed.” This indicates a shift towards more evidence-based, science-backed training practices being endorsed within the standards.

You can access the practice guides below:

ASQA Practice Guides

Key Differences and Notable Changes

Here are some of the significant shifts in the new standards.

Delivery Modes (Standard 1.1)

RTOs must now explicitly ensure that delivery modes enable students to attain skills and knowledge consistent with the training package’s requirements.

Training excavator operations purely online obviously would not be considered appropriate due to its practical nature.

The guiding question here is: “Are our delivery modes appropriate given what the students have to learn how to do?“

Structured and Paced Training (Standard 1.1)

There’s a heightened focus on how training is structured and paced to support student progression, providing sufficient time for instruction, practice, feedback, and assessment. This moves beyond a sole focus on assessment to scrutinise the learning journey itself.

Guiding questions include: “Are students progressing through our training?”, “Are they being explicitly taught what they need to know?”, and “Does our course realistically give students enough time to learn and be assessed?”

Training Techniques (Standard 1.1)

Training techniques, activities, and resources must now explicitly engage students and support their understanding. This encourages more dynamic and effective teaching methods.

Assessment Tool Review (Standard 1.3)

Assessment tools must be reviewed prior to use. This includes purchased assessment tools, which, as the wonderful Chemène Sinson added, must still be reviewed and customised by the RTO even if the developer offers evidence of their own review.

RTOs need to document this review process, including any changes made and evidence that those changes were implemented.

Validation Focus (Standard 1.5)

While validation isn’t new, the explicit focus is now purely on validating assessment practices and judgments. This means focussing on how assessors interpret and administer tools, how students understand requirements, the work they submit, and the assessment decisions made.

The requirement is that every training product on scope must be validated once every five years, with more frequent validation for assessment with elevated risk, changes, industry feedback etc. It’s recommended to have a clear validation program.

Suitable and Safe Facilities/Resources/Equipment (Standard 1.8)

It’s now explicitly required to ensure facilities, resources, and equipment are and will continue to be suitable and safe for use by students, and reflect real-world practice. Additionally, RTOs need documented strategies and procedures for managing risk associated with students using facilities, resources, and equipment, including during work placements.

Consider questions like; do our facilities, resources and equipment reflect real-world practice? Are they safe? How do we make sure it’s safe? How do we ensure students in work placements are safe?

Pre-Enrolment Skills Review (Standard 2.2)

Before a student enrols, RTOs must review their skills and competencies, specifically checking their language, literacy, numeracy (LLN), and digital literacy proficiency.

Based on this, RTOs must provide advice on whether the training is suitable. This aims to ensure students have a realistic chance of success and to manage expectations.

Guiding questions to consider:

• How do we know, before they enrol, that students have the necessary skills and competencies to have a chance of success in our course?
• How do we know if their LLND skills are sufficient with the support we can offer?
• Can we prove that we reviewed these skills and gave that advice to any enrolled student?

Support Services (Standard 2.3, 2.4)

There’s a renewed emphasis on determining and making available support services to each student, ensuring access to trainers, assessors, and others responsible for support. Student queries must also be responded to in a timely manner. RTOs should actively promote available support and consider having a service charter.

Guiding questions:

• How do we know what support each student needs?
• How do reduce the chances of finding ourselves in situations where we don’t have the people/expertise to support them?
• How do our students know how to access support?
• What’s our service commitment? Are we sticking to it?
• What’s reasonable and unreasonable to adjust in our courses?
• What does the unit tell us about what’s required?
• What prior experience do we have of adjustments that worked/didn’t work, that we can look to for guidance?

Promoting Diversity and Inclusive Environments (Standard 2.5, 2.6)

A new requirement is to promote and support the diversity of VET students, specifically fostering a safe and inclusive learning environment and a culturally safe learning environment for First Nations people. This necessitates ongoing professional development and engagement with diverse communities.

Questions we can ask ourselves:

• What PD can I undertake to help me create a more safe and inclusive environment?
• How am I fostering this culture among my peers?
• How can I connect with Aboriginal people in my local community, bringing their voices into my teaching?
• Does our course deal with sensitive or confronting topics?
• Does the training expose students to stressful or confronting situations?
• What Mental Health First Aid training could I undertake?
• What support can we offer?
• What services could we refer students to?
• How do we make this available?
• How can students easily access it?
• How do we actively promote it?

Well-being (Standard 2.6)

The standards now specifically address student well-being, recognising its importance in the learning journey.

You can check out our discussion with Student Wellbeing Expert Dr. Robbie Lloyd here.

Independent Appeals Review (Standard 2.8)

Complaints and appeals processes must now include an avenue for review by an independent party, if requested by the appellant, at no or low cost.

Trainer and Assessor Credentials (Standard 3.2)

The credential policy clarifies that TAE40110 certificate holders can once again train and assess without upgrading their qualification. There’s a strong emphasis on ongoing professional development for all VET practitioners.

Engaging Experts (Standard 3.3)

When engaging external experts or guest lecturers who may not hold a TAE qualification, RTOs must have a clear justification and appropriate supervision in place.

Governance and Leadership (Standard 4.1-4.2)

Governing persons are now explicitly required to lead a culture of integrity, fairness, and transparency. I think this is a fantastic emphasis. RTO leadership must also support staff in understanding the standards, inform them of regulatory changes, and ensure roles and responsibilities are well understood and documented.

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