How we help RTOs get great TAE40122 qualified trainers

She’s the perfect fit! She’s got 20+ years of industry experience, up to date industry qualifications, absolutely LOVES training. But… She doesn’t have her Cert IV Training and Assessment so we can’t employ her.

This is what Liz had to say about a lady they were considering employing as a trainer and assessor for their RTO’s community services qualifications.

Liz is right. The Standards for RTOs mean that to employ a trainer and assessor, regardless of how experienced and qualified she is, she must hold TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. We solved this problem for Liz and her now happily employed trainer Carol.

Our clients run highly successful training companies and we spend a great deal of time getting to know what challenges they face. As TAE40116 specialists, these are the kind of problems we want to know about. And when we invest time in this, we become better at finding solutions.

One major pain point is finding industry professional trainers and getting them on the job quickly when they don’t hold the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

It’s like the chicken and the egg,” said Cameron, HR manager for a large health industry based RTO. The most important thing to us is to find the best industry professionals to be trainers and assessors in our organisation. The trouble is we can’t employ them until they have their TAE Cert IV, and some are reluctant to do the TAE without a guaranteed position because of the time commitment involved.

Cameron and Liz’s conundrum isn’t unique. Most RTOs face it.

We can’t have some inexperienced newbie with an el cheapo two-week Cert IV in front of our students but that’s all we’re getting. Our RTO won’t employ them. We need real industry professionals, the ones that have been in the game for years. They’ve had the success, they’ve overcome challenges. They’re the people we want teaching our students. But they’re busy in industry and don’t have time for a TAE so long as they don’t have a job to use it in. Many of them love the idea of training and giving back to the industry but they just make it too hard.

Training under supervision without the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

Here’s how we solved this problem for our clients and got their good industry experienced professionals in the training room sooner.

The Standards for RTOs clauses 1.17 to 1.20 have provisions for trainers to commence training for an RTO without their Certificate IV. They can do this by getting a Skill Set (a few units of competency grouped together, not a full qualification, but still nationally recognised).

One of the skill sets that are allowable under these clauses are:

• TAESS00028 Work Skill Instructor Skill Set

Once the person achieves this skill set, they can start training under supervision, and then complete the rest of the TAE40122 online at a steady pace. The fact that they are working in a real training environment means they have at their fingertips all the things that make getting a Certificate IV much easier, such as real students to train and real trainer/assessor colleagues to collaborate with on things like validation.

TAESS00028 Work Skill Instructor Skill Set

This skill set includes the following four units of competency:

• TAEDEL311 Provide work skill instruction
• TAEPDD401 Work effectively in the VET sector

The big benefit to this is that both units contribute to the twelve units required in the full Certificate IV TAE40122.

Once the industry professional holds one of these skill-sets, they can train for an RTO within the bounds of clauses 1.17 to 1.20 while they complete their full Certificate IV in Training and Assessment online or through one of our tailored face-to-face programs.

Can the person with these skill-sets also conduct assessment?

No. At least not on their own. Clause 1.13 of the standards tells us that “Industry experts may also be involved in the assessment judgement, working alongside the trainer and/or assessor to conduct the assessment.”

So this means a person who holds one of these skill sets who’s an industry expert in the competency being assessed can team up with someone who holds TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and together make the decision. That’s actually a great way to conduct a good, fair, reliable assessment, we believe.

Just being an assessor

There’s another TAE Skill Set we haven’t mentioned. The TAESS00019 Assessor Skill Set. This includes the following units:

• TAEASS412 Assess competence
• TAEASS413 Participate in assessment validation
• TAEDES411 Use nationally recognised training products to meet vocational training needs

By completing this skill set a person is qualified under clause 1.15 of the standards to conduct assessment only (no supervision required).

How long can someone train under supervision before they have to get their full Cert IV TAE?

There’s no time-limit on this however it is important to exercise caution and be clear on intentions here. For example, if you have a trainer training under supervision and it has been their full time job for two years with little-to-no intention of getting a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment, there’d be some cause for concern. RTO managers might also consider if the investment of time supervising such a person over a long period of time is worth the cost.

Ultimately, if someone wishes to make a living out of being a trainer and assessor, they are better off making the effort to actively work towards getting a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment in a reasonable timeframe.

What is the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) perspective?

I pitched the question to ASQA’s former General Manager Regulatory Operations, Mr. David Garner recently about ASQA’s perspective on this approach, he also kindly clarified an answer to the question of how long can someone work under supervision before they have to get their full TAE40122 Cert IV. David gave me a nice clear response on this in the below video:

Better value through support and flexibility

RTOs choose Accellier because they get better value with a specialist provider who is on their team in a challenging environment, and understands their needs. We pride ourselves on strong, pro-active support for each and every person on their TAE40122 journey. We don’t rest until our clients are raving about the Accellier experience and sharing their success story with their associates.

Get More Information on TAE Skill Sets

Accellier is about solving problems for our customers, listening, caring and flexibility. Tell us about your situation below and we will work with you to find the best pathway to your Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.