Welcome to the June TAC Update
The Training Accreditation Council (TAC or the Council) is committed to supporting registered training organisations (RTOs) to understand their obligations under the Standards and achieve quality training outcomes. The Council has established itself as a key contributor to professional development in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector and provides an extensive range of education programs and guidance materials to assist RTOs, including organising an annual TAC Event.
On 9 June 2023, the Council held its third annual TAC Event exclusively for TAC registered training providers. The event provides an important opportunity for RTOs to participate in workshops related to VET quality and practice, network and exchange ideas with other RTOs, and meet Council members and Secretariat staff.
The opening address was delivered by The Hon. Simone McGurk MLA, Minister for Training; Water; Youth, followed by Ms. Anne Driscoll, the Council Chairperson. The event featured three new workshops: Generative AI – The Potential and Pitfalls for VET; Internal Audits for Continuous Improvement; and Reasonable Adjustment and Inclusive Practice.
The event was extremely well attended with participants from both metropolitan and regional RTOs. The Council extends its appreciation to all RTO staff who participated in the event.
For those who were unable to attend, a video recording of the event is available on the TAC website's Professional Development Recordings and Resources webpage or YouTube channel.
TAC Education Program - upcoming events
The TAC is pleased to announce that the Education Program for June to December 2023 is now live. In addition to our regular webinars and podcasts, we will run a new format 30-minute Chat with TAC, designed to offer concise information on trending subjects. These webinars provide valuable insights on hot topics and create a platform for RTOs to engage and ask questions.
Register now for one of our upcoming events:
3 July - Preparing for Audit
21 July - Chat with TAC: Amount of Training
4 August - Managing and Amending RTO Scope
4 September - Awarding Credit
15 September - Chat with TAC: Training Product Equivalence
18 October - RTO Governance
17 November - Chat with TAC: Clustering Units
TBC November - Geraldton Event
4 December - Developing Units of Competency for Accredited Courses
22 January - The Course Accreditation Process
View the TAC Education Program to access professional development opportunities, support and guidance materials and access previous webinar recordings and resources.
Focus on Quality - Providing Evidence at Audit
There are three kinds of evidence that an RTO can provide to demonstrate compliance with the Standards for RTOs: documentation, discussion and demonstration. Documentation includes policies, procedures, files, and products such as training delivery materials and assessment tools. Discussion might include the clarification of the documentation, additional evidence, or interviews with staff, students or employers. Demonstration could include equipment, training facilities, observing performance or the demonstration of processes.
Each of these types of evidence could be face to face (during a site visit), or digital (email, zoom session, website, video, image). In desk-top audits the focus is on documentation, with discussion and demonstration via telephone and/or on-line where additional evidence is needed.
Prior to an audit, the RTO should identify how it proposes to provide evidence for each Standard/Clause and each training product in the scope of the audit. This evidence can be mapped to ensure that each criterion is adequately represented for audit, and to direct the auditor’s attention to the appropriate evidence to be reviewed ahead of the audit and/or during the audit site visit. This mapping can also be used by the auditor to request additional information or clarification. Documentation needs to have clear labels or file names, and other digital evidence needs to have clear HTML elements, so that the auditor is able to navigate through the evidence.
More information on this topic is available on the Prior to Audit section on the TAC website or register for the upcoming webinar on Preparing for Audit.
TAC and WorkSafe MoU
The Training Accreditation Council and WorkSafe have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) allowing sharing of information about High Risk Work Licence training.
The MoU provides for communication and cooperation between the two agencies with the aim of improving the quality of vocational training for WA workers. It allows for the sharing of information on training providers registered with TAC that provide High Risk Work Licence training.
View the media release for more information.
Webinar Recordings
Did you miss the recent TAC webinars:
- Internal Audit (parts 1-3)
- Becoming an RTO
- Understanding Vocational Competence and Industry Currency
- TAC Event
- Generative AI – The Potential and Pitfalls for VET
- Internal Audits for Continuous Improvement
Catch up now on TAC’s YouTube channel.
Transition Extensions
At the April 2023 meeting, the Council agreed to extend the transition period for the following training products to 31 December 24:
- HLT33015 Certificate III in Allied Health Assistance; and
- HLT43015 Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance.
View the full list of training products with approved for an extended transition periods.
The Council may consider requests to extend the transition period of a superseded training product when certain conditions apply. Further information is available on the TAC Website.
Other important updates
National Student Outcomes Survey
Each year, NCVER’s National Student Outcomes Survey is sent to students who completed a VET qualification, course or subject in the previous calendar year. The survey is used to collect important information about VET students’ satisfaction with their training, their employment outcomes and if they have gone on to further study. Students who completed training in 2022 will start receiving invitations to complete the survey in June 2023.
To help improve the quality of the data, NCVER are asking RTOs for help in promoting the survey to their current and former students. An RTO promotional kit is available from Student Outcomes Survey promotional kit (ncver.edu.au)
Fraudulant Auskills Certificates
Please note that the national VET Regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) has issued a warning that fraudulent First Aid statements of attainment and Early Childhood Education and Care qualifications have been reported. These documents were allegedly issued post March 2020 by Auskills Training, a former RTO that has not operated since March 2020. For additional details, please refer to the information provided on ASQA's website.
New password requirements for training.gov.au
Password requirements for training.gov.au have been strengthened.
Next time you log in to manage your notification subscriptions you may be prompted to update your password to meet the new requirement of being at least 14 characters long.
If you have any issues, please contact the TGA help mailbox for support.
Jobs and Skills Councils Update
The first two national Jobs and Skills Councils have been established:
- Skills Insight will be working with agribusiness, fibre, forestry and furnishing industries to improve skills and training.
- Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance has a diverse manufacturing industries portfolio which includes food and beverage.
In addition, Industry Skills Australia (ISA) has been announced as the Jobs and Skills Council for Australia's transport and logistics (Road, Rail, Aviation and Maritime), Omnichannel Logistics and Space Transport industries.
Jobs and Skills Australia
Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA) has released the following report:
- First Nations People Workforce Analysis report (21 June 2023)
- Employers experiences of First Nations job applicants (21 June 2023)
- Labour Market Update - May 2023 (30 May 2023)
In addition, the following paper is open for consultation:
Work plan development process consultation paper - Closes 20 July 2023
Latest NCVER Reports
NCVER have released the following new reports:
- Effective teaching practices and student support services in online VET (22 June 2023)
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on VET (25 May 2023)
