Early Changes to the Current Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTO)

The Government is changing some of the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). These early changes should be in place from March 2024, ahead of the broader revision of the standards in January 2025. The changes to the standards are part of the Government’s broader Skills Reform.

What are the main early changes to the Standards for RTOs?

The early changes address current pressures on the vocational education and training VET workforce for which there was broad support in consultations.

• Listing the new Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and Diploma of VET.
• Enabling people with a range of new and updated skill sets to deliver training under supervision.
• Trainers and assessors who currently meet the requirements of the Standards do not have to update their qualifications.
• Enabling people with an education degree to be engaged as trainers and assessors.
• People with a qualification that enables registration as a secondary school teacher in any state or territory can deliver training in any VET context under supervision.
• Those with a qualification that enables registration as a secondary school teacher in any state or territory, who also hold the Assessor Skill Set or VET Delivered to School Students Teacher Enhancement Skill Set, can train and assess in any VET context without supervision.
• Adjustments to ensure consistent requirements for delivering the Assessor Skill Set and the VET Delivered to School Students Teacher Enhancement Skill Set. The adjustments include requiring:
  • independent validation of assessment for delivery
  • people delivering the skill set to hold a TAE Diploma or a higher-level qualification in adult education.
• Enabling people actively completing the Certificate IV or Diploma from the TAE Training Package to deliver training and contribute to assessment under supervision.
• Enabling broader use of industry experts to deliver training alongside a trainer or assessor.
• Clarifying RTO’s obligations around fit and proper persons. This is to ensure RTO high managerial agents and executive officers are appropriate to oversee operations.

Other minor clarifications and amendments to the Standards for RTOs

• Allowing people delivering training and assessment of the training product being validated to be involved in the validation processes. This is provided they are not solely responsible for determining validation outcomes.
• Using the term ‘training products’ instead of ‘training packages’ to also capture accredited courses.
• Allowing RTOs to provide ‘wellbeing services’ under its ‘educational and support services’.

Forsythes Training welcomes these early changes to the standards that will benefit the sector, and ultimately its clients.

More information on early changes to the Standards for RTOs

More information and updates will be on the Australian Government Department of Workplace Relations and Employment website.