Set boundaries, establish guidelines, and work within them.
27 June, 2022

Sukh Sandhu

Set boundaries, establish guidelines, and work within them.

Organisations providing training services have a responsibility to ensure that their activities are carried out in a manner that is compliant with the expectations of the relevant regulatory bodies. This includes setting boundaries and establishing guidelines for staff and clients. As a training organisation, it’s important to set boundaries and establish guidelines. This will help […]

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Message from the CEO
14 October, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Message from the CEO

Message from the CEO We need to make sure we eliminate any issues that lead to decreased student engagement and an increase in drop-out rates. We need to think about and execute support for students who want to complete a VET qualification and follow their interests or passion. Coming out of lockdown, we will need […]

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Why organisations should prioritise systematic continuous improvement as a strategic priority
14 October, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Why organisations should prioritise systematic continuous improvement as a strategic priority

Continuous improvement is one of the most important ways to ensure compliance with regulatory operations and successful organisational performance. By continuously identifying areas for improvement, education and training organisations can ensure compliance to the regulatory requirements and standards, improve their performance and also gain an edge over their competitors. Continuous improvement requires strategic attention by […]

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Converting the audit quality practices to system-centred rather than individual-auditor-centred
19 September, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Converting the audit quality practices to system-centred rather than individual-auditor-centred

When we talk about “audit quality practises,” we talk about the factors that influence the outcomes of audits conducted on behalf of a regulatory body, such as the behaviour of auditors, the decisions they make, the approaches they take and the way they act in order to ensure that audit outcomes are appropriate, suitable, relevant, […]

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Part 1- The trainer and assessor files
15 September, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Part 1- The trainer and assessor files

Compliance of your trainer records is a must for any Registered Training Organisation. If you do not know what you are looking for, you will always have difficulty finding it. The purpose of this article is to provide you with the required information and resources to ensure you can audit and review your trainer and […]

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Part 1- The importance of internal audits
8 September, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Part 1- The importance of internal audits

This is our first article in the series regarding “Internal audits”. Our main intention is to provide you with the required knowledge and skills, and equip you with the necessary resources to ensure you can audit your organisation against quality frameworks and standards effectively and efficiently. What are Internal audits? Internal audits are an independent, […]

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Various phases of the assessment and validation processes (Part 3)
31 August, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Various phases of the assessment and validation processes (Part 3)

This is Part 3 of the article, where we are discussing the different phases of the validation processes an RTO should be following to ensure they meet regulatory requirements and industry expectations. In the previous articles, we discussed the following regarding the validation of assessment resources: Explanation of assessment validation Typical benchmarks used during the […]

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Assessment issues that may have an impact on your RTO audit (Part 2)
18 August, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Assessment issues that may have an impact on your RTO audit (Part 2)

This is Part 2 continuing from the previous newsletter. As discussed in Part 1 of this article, there are a number of assessment-related issues that may affect your audit outcome. You should ensure your assessment resources, therefore, meet the following criteria: The context and conditions of assessment. For example, an assessment tool could be developed to cater […]

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Various phases of the assessment and validation processes (Part 2)
13 August, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Various phases of the assessment and validation processes (Part 2)

This is Part 2 of the article, where we are discussing the different phases of the validation processes an RTO should be following to ensure you meet regulatory requirements and industry expectations. In the previous article, we discussed the following regarding the validation of assessment resources: Explanation of assessment validation Typical benchmarks used during the […]

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Assessment issues that may have an impact on your RTO audit (Part 1)
5 August, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Assessment issues that may have an impact on your RTO audit (Part 1)

It is important to look into ASQAs 2017 report that shows: Around 72% of RTOs FAIL audit on Assessment Approximately 50% of those FAIL to be able to rectify their assessment tools on resubmission under the OLD audit mode According to the new audit model: There may be NO opportunity to rectify critical non-compliances Initial […]

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Various phases of the assessment and validation processes (Part 1)
28 July, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Various phases of the assessment and validation processes (Part 1)

In this article, we will discuss different phases of validation processes that you should be following in your RTO to ensure you meet regulatory requirements and industry expectations. Validation of RTO assessment resources You must validate all your assessment resources to ensure they meet the principles of assessment, rules of evidence, training package requirements, regulatory […]

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Part 1- Contextualising of assessment resources 
3 June, 2021

Sukh Sandhu

Part 1- Contextualising of assessment resources 

Contextualisation of training packages, accredited curricula and learning resources can be achieved without compromising the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015. Contextualisation is the addition of industry-specific information to tailor the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 to reflect the immediate operating context and thereby increase its relevance for the learner. Contextualisation is […]

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Writing your Training and Assessment Strategy – Part 1 of Part 5
1 December, 2020

Sukh Sandhu

Writing your Training and Assessment Strategy – Part 1 of Part 5

A Training and Assessment Strategy (TAS) is the approach of, and method adopted by, an RTO with respect to training and assessment designed to enable learners to meet the requirements of the training package or accredited course (Glossary, Standards for RTOs 2015). The Training and Assessment Strategy (TAS) is a high-level view of a program […]

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How to complete a compliant Trainer Matrix – Part 1 of Part 5
1 December, 2020

Sukh Sandhu

How to complete a compliant Trainer Matrix – Part 1 of Part 5

We believe that representatives of the training organisations and trainers usually do not understand the importance of the correct and current trainer matrix available for audit. If you do not keep on top of compliance requirements, you may fall behind and you will not realise that your trainers can not actually train or assess the […]

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Annual declaration on compliance
11 May, 2020

Sukh Sandhu

Annual declaration on compliance

Are you confident that your RTO meets current compliance requirements with RTO standards? Or do you need help? All Australian Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are required to submit an annual declaration on compliance with the RTO standards applicable to their organisation on or before 31st March 2018. The CEO Declaration The declaration is a legal […]

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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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Unpacking ASQA audit reports and files (Part 3)
1 October, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Unpacking ASQA audit reports and files (Part 3)

Let’s look into what is actually going on in the audits and ASQA practices. This is part 3 of the ongoing series. We are referring here a number of cases from the different audits conducted by the Australian  Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).  1. ASQA officers justifying their statements using information that contradicts all documented and […]

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Unpacking ASQA audit reports and files (Part 1)
18 September, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Unpacking ASQA audit reports and files (Part 1)

Let’s look into what is actually going on in the audits and ASQA practices. We are referring here a number of examples from the audits conducted and the matters discussed in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal by the Australian  Skills Quality Authority.  1. ASQA Auditor considering online documents on a Google drive as “Student Portal” and […]

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Internal audits and why they are so important (Part 5 of 5)
4 July, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Internal audits and why they are so important (Part 5 of 5)

In the first five parts of this series we discussed the following:  What are internal audits? What are the benefits of conducting internal audits? What is an audit scope? What is usually included in an RTO internal audit? Who can be an internal auditor? Compliance costs and risks in terms of “risk management” The effective […]

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Your trainer and assessor files (Part 4 of 5)
28 May, 2019

Sukh Sandhu

Your trainer and assessor files (Part 4 of 5)

In the last newsletter, we discussed the following: ASQA Guidelines on “industry currency.” How to stay up to date in terms of “industry currency.” Factors that influence “industry currency.” What is “industry current or currency period.” The definition of vocational education and training currency. Licensing requirements for trainers and assessors. In part 4 of the […]

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