Where are we going and why are we here?
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Where are we going and why are we here?

If you have followed the recent discussion on social media ASQA’s practices, RTO closures, TAFE non-compliance, rorting of government funding (by now this is historical data being republished) it is one thing that stands out; students are not part of the discussion. How did we arrive where we are at this point in time? ASQA […]

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Is natural justice or procedural fairness possible with the current set up of ASQA?
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Is natural justice or procedural fairness possible with the current set up of ASQA?

We have evaluated how fair and transparent the internal workings of Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is. Where can an RTO go to complain and seek justice? How effective are the “external avenues”?  ASQA’s auditors on the day of the audit  Please note: ASQA has engaged some very professional officers and auditors as well and […]

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Concerns about the competency levels of Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) officers and auditors
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Concerns about the competency levels of Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) officers and auditors

The VET industry has some serious concerns regarding the competency of ASQA’s officers and auditors. We would like to look into this with some facts, records and figures.  Qualified auditors with Senior VET Experience – are they qualified enough? Unfortunately, the regulatory body has moved away from recruiting officers with a background in the education […]

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Industry consultation form released to assist development of VET accredited courses
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Industry consultation form released to assist development of VET accredited courses

ASQA has released a tool to assist in the development of VET accredited courses. The following media released has been published by Australian Skills Quality Authority:  The Standards for VET Accredited Courses 2012 require a course developer to provide: evidence of an industry need and supporting evidence that industry consultation and validation of course content […]

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Financial Viability Risk Assessment (FVRA) tool has changed again, version 3.1.
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Financial Viability Risk Assessment (FVRA) tool has changed again, version 3.1.

The financial viability risk assessment (FVRA) tool has been changed again by ASQA to make it more user friendly. The latest change was implemented on October 4, 2019. The changes have been made to make the FVRA tool more user-friendly and in cases where it is incomplete, provide additional guidance to identify items missing. The […]

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I want to voice my opinion – your letters and emails to us
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

I want to voice my opinion – your letters and emails to us

In this newsletter, we have selected this email received from one of our subscribers genuinely questioning the current regulatory environment of Registered Training Organisations: “It has been my experience as an RTO Manager that everyone except the RTO is protected in the current environment.  Students and staff can complain to ASQA and Smart and Skilled […]

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Review of Australian Qualifications Framework (Part 1)
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Review of Australian Qualifications Framework (Part 1)

The AQF review, chaired by Victoria University tertiary education professor Peter Noonan, recommended a shake -up of Australia’s qualification system.  Under the recommended changes senior secondary students would also be able to study subjects at school that would count towards a vocational training qualification or university degree. The new changes will enable students to mix […]

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Who is there to support training organisations and what RTO representatives should know. (Part 1)
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Who is there to support training organisations and what RTO representatives should know. (Part 1)

In this article, we will discuss the issues registered training organisations are experiencing in their day-to-day operations. You have the following help available:  RTO consultants Extend your own understanding and get an unbiased evaluation of your training and assessment from a consultant who can evaluate your practices and give you feedback.  Contact a few and […]

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ASQA has changed the rules for purchase and sale of RTO’s
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

ASQA has changed the rules for purchase and sale of RTO’s

Australian Skills Quality Authority has made it crystal clear that “Registered training organisations (RTOs) and Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) providers are not permitted to transfer their registration from one legal entity to another. However, where a change of company shareholdings occurs, but the ABN/ACN of the entity registered with […]

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The Australian Government is investing $41.7 million to pilot Skills Organisations in human services care and digital technology (including cyber security) industries
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

The Australian Government is investing $41.7 million to pilot Skills Organisations in human services care and digital technology (including cyber security) industries

The Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business has published the following media release:  The Australian Government is investing $41.7 million to pilot Skills Organisations in two key industries; human services care and digital technology (including cyber security). The Skills Organisations Pilots will drive innovative ‘end-to-end’ training solutions and enhance the role and leadership […]

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Beware of FAKE certificates and unregistered providers
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Beware of FAKE certificates and unregistered providers

ASQA published the following media release on October 4 2019:  ASQA is aware that unfortunately, there are unqualified organisations issuing fake certificates in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector. Whether you are a student signing up for a course in VET or a business seeking a training provider for your employees, make sure to […]

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Updates to USI transcript for closed registered training organisations
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Updates to USI transcript for closed registered training organisations

Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) published the following news on October 4 2019:  As part of a collaboration between the Australian Department of Education, ASQA and the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), ASQA is now able to upload the academic results from closed RTOs to students’ Unique Student Identifier (USI) transcripts outside the […]

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Unpacking ASQA audit reports and files (Part 4)
18 November, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Unpacking ASQA audit reports and files (Part 4)

This is part 4 of a series. We are referring here to cases from different audits conducted by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). 1. Units made compliant, qualifications become non-compliant ASQA making decisions, where individual units were made compliant but qualifications including the very same units were made non-compliant.  When we read auditor’s response […]

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