Revisions to the Standards for Registered Training Organisations

The revised Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) (the revised Standards).

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The revised Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) (the Standards) have been shaped over the course of the past 4 years through an extensive program of sector consultation on revisions to the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015. In addition to this, DEWR has worked with the states and territories, VET regulators, and sector peak bodies, to strengthen the focus on quality outcomes for learners and employers, provide greater clarity, and allow for more flexibility and innovation in training delivery through the revised Standards.

The revised Standards will come into full regulatory effect from 1 July 2025. The Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 will apply until then.

The revised Standards represent a step change in all Governments’ shared ambition to lift quality and integrity across the entire sector, through enabling a more flexible, robust, and quality-driven approach to regulation. Together, Commonwealth and state and territory Skills Minsters have endorsed the revised Standards for RTOs for public release.

Changes to the Standards are designed to better reflect the diversity of the VET sector and ensure the Standards are fit-for-purpose across different RTO settings. This will help to embed quality aspirations and ensure the Standards clearly articulate characteristics required of RTOs to foster a shared understanding of what constitutes high-quality delivery for all users of the VET system.

The revised Standards provide a clearer and more direct link between the requirements RTOs are expected to meet and the outcomes they are expected to deliver.

Policy Guidance has been developed and is available to support training providers, trainers and assessors in understanding the intent behind changes to the revised Standards.

Structure of the revised Standards for RTOs

To facilitate clear and outcome-focused Standards that go to the heart of quality training delivery, the revised Standards for RTOs comprises of 3 elements:

This approach reflects early feedback from the sector that the mix of quality-oriented and compliance-focused requirements in the current 2015 Standards causes an undue focus on prescriptive compliance at the expense of good organisational practises that deliver quality outcomes for learners and employers, and that the current Standards are complex and difficult to navigate.

The revised Standards build on the early changes to the current Standards that came into effect on 1 March 2024, to alleviate VET workforce pressures and provide more immediate benefits to the sector.

Feedback on the Credential Policy and Compliance Requirements

A short survey seeking feedback on the Credential Policy and Compliance Requirements was released on 1 October 2024 to ensure the documents are clear, that their purpose was understood, and to identify any concerns with how RTOs might meet the requirements.

This survey closed on 20 October 2024, and feedback was considered in drafting the legislative instruments to enact the Standards. The department thanks those who provided a response.

It is important to acknowledge that responses to the survey reflected the vast diversity of views that exist across the VET sector regarding the Standards, in particular in relation to the draft Credential Policy. The department carefully considered these views, and balanced changes to RTO requirements with the need to maintain a focus on ensuring the revised Standards provide a foundation for lifting quality and integrity across the sector through enabling a more flexible, robust, and quality-driven approach to regulation.

For the most, adjustments to the Credential Policy made in response to feedback from the sector focus on improving the clarity of the document.

Key changes in response to feedback from the sector, include:

Credential Policy

  • clarifying that individuals with a secondary teaching qualification require additional credentials to be able to deliver training and assessments without direction (under 1A of the Credential Policy)
  • clarifying section 1D of the Credential Policy (on training and assessment under direction), to specify this section applies if a person does not hold the credentials listed under 1A, which would permit them to deliver training and assessment without direction
  • clarifying the description of 1C - Actively working towards a training and assessment credential by removing wording that individuals working under direction are not prohibited from making assessment judgements if they are otherwise permitted under section 1B, based on feedback indicating this wording was causing confusion.

Compliance Requirements

  • Amending the Compliance Requirements to revert the proposed requirement to retain copies of all AQF certification documentation issued to VET students for a period of 7 years back to 30 years, based on feedback from the sector in support of retaining the 30 year timeframe.

Transition to the revised Standards

The revised Standards will come into full regulatory effect from 1 July 2025.

For further information on how to prepare for the implementation of the revised Standards, please visit the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) page, Preparing for the revised Standards.

Standards for RTOs: Outcome Standards - Policy Guidance

Policy Guidance has been developed and is available to support training providers, trainers and assessors in understanding the intent behind changes to the revised Standards. Importantly, a key focus of the policy guidance is to describe the policy intent of the Outcome Standards to support a consistent understanding and application of these among training providers.

Separately, an overview of the revisions to the Credential Policy and Compliance Requirements is also available.

Policy documents of the revised Standards are available below. These are designed to provide an overview of the revised Standards in an accessible format:

Following your review of the guidance, should you have additional questions or feel that further clarification is required, please reach out to DEWR via the Online Questions Form below.

Please be aware VET Regulators will release more detailed supporting resources over the course of the coming months, which will provide further information on self-assurance, and adhering to and demonstrating compliance with the Standards.

ASQA is preparing guidance for providers to support a smooth transition to the revised Standards, in partnership with peak bodies, the ASQA Stakeholder Liaison Group and DEWR.

There will be further opportunities to have your say on these supporting resources as they become available, to help ASQA tailor and improve their educative materials to meet your needs. We encourage you to regularly visit ASQA’s Revised Standards for RTOs webpage for the latest information and resources.

Requirements for RTOs regulated by TAC WA are set out in the WA Vocational Education and Training Act 1996 and the Vocational Education and Training (General) Regulations 2009. For more information, please visit the TAC online guidance hub.

Requirements for RTOs regulated by VRQA are set out in the Victorian Education and Training Reform Act 2006. Subsection 4.3.17(2) of this Act requires RTOs to meet the Victorian RTO Standards, which include the AQTF 2010 Essential Conditions and Standards for Initial Registration and the AQTF 2010 Essential Conditions and Standards for Continuing Registration and the VRQA VET Provider Guidelines.

Policy Guidance Videos

Coming soon.

Frequently Asked Questions

Visit Revised Standards for RTOs – Frequently Asked Questions.

Online Questions Form

The purpose of this form is to provide stakeholders with the opportunity to ask questions about the policy intent of the revised Standards and to provide feedback on the Standards for RTOs: Outcome Standards - Policy Guidance document. Questions will not be responded to individually, but the results will be aggregated to identify broad patterns or trends so these can be addressed through resources such as the Frequently Asked Questions section of this webpage. These questions and themes may also be shared with VET regulators to inform the development of further guidance and education materials.

Any personal information you provide as part of this form will be managed in accordance with the department’s Privacy Policy. Your personal information is protected by law, including the Privacy Act 1988.