RTO Standards for Training Organisations

A constantly changing system

RTO Standards are legislated and user support documents published by the respective Regulators. If you are working in the administrative area of an RTO, you have most likely been hearing a lot of bad words coming from the direction of the RTO Manager’s office, and even the Compliance Manager as well. Currently, change is a certainty that is in the form of a tsunami in the Australian VET system.

But first, a brief history follows, to assist in understanding how the changes have evolved.

RTO Standards

Standards that RTOs must operate under have been a constantly moving process.  As you will see below, there have been many changes from the introduction in 1991, and the perception is that it appears to be happening more quickly:

• 1991 – Australian Standards Framework – Referred to as ASF
• 1999 – Australian Recognition Framework – Referred to as ARF
• 2001 – Australian Quality Training Framework – Referred to as AQTF
• 2005 – Australian Quality Training Framework – Referred to as AQTF
• 2007 – Australian Quality Training Framework 2007 – Referred to as AQTF 2007
• *2010 – Australian Quality Training Framework – Referred to as AQTF
• 2011 – VET Quality Framework (Referred to as VQF) – introduced on 1 Jul 2011 for those who transitioned to the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), rather than be with their previous state regulator. However, the AQTF initially remained for WA and Victoria, to be eventually modified to mirror the new Standards. Both states are still separate Regulators, distinct from ASQA, the National Regulator (as of mid 2017)
• 2015 – Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015 (SRTO2015).

* I think there was a decision to not use the year after the acronym due to the rather persistent changes and amendments. This is good in one sense – not having to constantly amend references in documents, but not good in another as you have to ensure you are working from the most up-to-date information. It may change ‘without warning’. (taken from an NCVER page on ‘early history’ that appears to be no longer available.) Indeed, as this information was initially being posted we were aware of the new 2015 standards being developed.  There had been speculation about the new Standards calling for RTOs (registered) to be renamed LTOs (licenced) – this did not occur but things do change quickly. There were other possibilities mentioned through the National Skills Standards Council (NSSC), but since it’s ‘demise’ mid 2014, we waited for the new Standards to be published to see what changes actually occurred.

So, the COAG Industry and Skills Council agreed to streamline specific arrangements and committees and involve industry in many aspects of the VET sector.  As a result an Industry and Skills Council Advisory Committee was established to provide industry with a formal role in relation to policy directions and decision making in the national training system. In addition, the NSSC had been dissolved and the various functions it conducted were delegated to various representatives at the Industry and Skills Council Advisory Committee. For more on the current history and developments, click on the web site for the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC).

Standards for Training Packages

The earliest Training Package I can locate was endorsed in 1997. They have progressed through constant changes and updates. You can view the progress of their evolving and history below. (Taken from a ‘history’ page at http://training.qld.gov.au – but no longer available as a link.)  An example of the evolving of Training Packages can be seen in two that I have used with clients throughout my RTO time – the Business Training Package for training and assessment qualifications, and the mining and resources areas.

Business Services				Training and Assessment					Training and Education
BSB98				TAA04					TAE10 Now “TAE”
Assessment and Workplace Training				Training and Assessment Training Package					Training and Education Training Package Currently at Release 3.1 dated 10 Mar 2017
Mining
BCC98 Civil Construction		BCC03				RII06 Resources and Infrastructure Industry				RII09 – Now “RII” Resources and Infrastructure Industry Currently at Release 2.0 dated 01 Dec 2015
DRT98 Drilling		DRT03
MNC99 Coal		MNC04
MNM99 Metalliferous Mining		MNM05
MNQ98 Extractive Industries		MNQ03

Further on Training Packages – they are currently being ‘streamlined’, hence the two above examples having their Training Package codes now without the two digits (being the year of endorsement.)  You may have already come across some of the new streamlined units in the CHC and/or HLT Training Packages. The unit code no longer has the alpha indicator on the end. You will find differences between the ones we are used to and the new ‘streamlined’ content. The only codes that have not changes are the qualification codes.

Ensure you make time to check the differences between your older Training Packages and those that are being streamlined. Just like the Standards for RTOs, you need to keep abreast of the changes, so ensure you subscribe to your respective Skills Service Organisation/s (SSOs) and the web site at www.training.gov.au to at least keep you in the loop when changes do occur.