Becoming a Registered Training Organisation

TAC will only accept registration applications from organisations who meet the following eligibility requirements:

TAC's Jurisdiction

The Training Accreditation Council (TAC) is responsible for the registration of training providers delivering nationally recognised training to domestic students in Western Australia only, or in both Western Australia and Victoria.

TAC will only accept registration applications from organisations:

• where the head office is located in Western Australia, or
• where all of the intended delivery and assessment is in WA, or in WA and Victoria only.

TAC does not register or regulate providers in WA which deliver nationally recognised training to:

• students in states other than WA and Victoria, including online delivery, or
• international students on a student visa.

Providers in these categories fall under the jurisdiction of the national regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). For further information, please visit ASQA's website.

Note, RTOs delivering nationally recognised training on Christmas Island must also be registered with ASQA.

Understand the requirements of registration​

An organisation wishing to apply for initial registration with TAC must comply with the following:

• the Standards for​ Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015​​. 
• the Vocational Education and Training Act 1996. 
• other relevant state and Commonwealth legislation and licensing requirements
• all policies for RTOs issued by TAC
• demonstrate a thorough working knowledge of the VET system including Training Packages and the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) .

The Training Accreditation Council requires that an initial registration application be accompanied by a self-assessment of the applicant's compliance with the Standards for RTOs 2015. 

Demonstrate financial viability​

An RTO must be able to demonstrate to TAC, on request, that it is financially viable at all times during its period of registration.

Financial Viability Assessments are generally required when an organisation seeks initial registration or applies for ren​ewal of registration, or at other times as TAC deems necessary.

The Financial Viability Assessment Guidelines for the Registration of Training Providers 2017 have been developed to provide RTOs with guidance on the type of information that TAC may request from training providers in order to make a determination on their financial viability.​ Please see the link below for a copy of the Guidelines.

Financial Viability Assessment Guidelines for the Registration of Training Providers 2017.

The RTO1a application for initial registration form​​ includes the current evidence requirements for financial viability. Please see the link below for information on how to access the application forms.

RTO1a application for initial registration form​​

​A partnership arrangement, also known as a Third Party Arrangement, allows your organisation to partner with an RTO in order to be able to assure the quality of delivery, assessment and recognition of training. This option, allowed by the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015, may particularly appeal to organisations whose core business is not training.

There are many different types of partnership arrangements and the role and responsibility of each party needs to be identified in detail, clearly documented and monitored regularly.

If the partnership has any impact on the business of training and assessment, then the arrangement should be documented, in particular detailing how the Standards for RTOs 2015 are addressed or impacted on. ​

For additional information on Third Party Arrangements please see the Fact Sheet at the link below:

Fact Sheet: Third Party Arrangements

A government school or non-government school can elect to become an RTO.

Should a government school or non-government s​chool seek initial registration, or seek approval to amend or renew its current registration, approval processes are required as follows:

Non-governmen​t school

Prior to submitting any application to TAC, non-​government schools may be required to submit a business case to the Department of Education

For further information on business case requirements for non-government schools, please refer to the Department of Education website.

Government school

Prior to submitting any application to TAC, government schools may be required to complete a business case identifying their proposed delivery profile and parameters of operations.

For further information on business case requirements for government schools please refer to the Department of Education website.

Scope of registration consists of:

•  the list of training package qualifications, units of competency or accredited courses which an RTO is registered to provide
•  the services offered: either training and assessment, or assessment only.

When you apply for registration with TAC, you must specify the scope of registration, and demonstrate that you have the resources to deliver that scope.

You will also need to make sure that you meet the relevant accreditation, copyright approval or licensing requirements, and training package requirements for your scope.

Once registered, you can apply to amend the scope of registration at any time. For further information on the change of scope process please see the following link: Changes to Registration.

Refer to the national register on VET at training.gov.au (TGA) for information on qualifications, accredited courses, units of competency and skill sets.

Please see the following link to access TGA: www.training.gov.au.

Applicants must pay a non-refundable application fee when submitting an application for initial registration. The TAC Secretariat will invoice the applicant for the assessment fee following an initial desktop review. This must be paid in full prior to progressing to audit. Please refer to TAC's Schedule of Fees at the link below for further information.

 TAC's Schedule of Fees

To apply to become a registered training organisation (RTO) with the Training Accreditation Council (TAC), you are required to:

• ensure you meet the registration requirements
• determine your organisation's scope of registration
• complete and submit the RTO1a application for initial registration form​​ ​with supporting evidence
• pay the application fee 

The requirements for the application process are outlined in the RTO1a Application for Initial Registration. The initial ​registration application guide​ outlines how to complete the application forms.

To confirm your organisation's readiness for audit, you must complete and submit an Initial/Renewal Application Self-Assessment Tool, with all required supporting evidence attached, with your application for initial registration. 

The application should be submitted at least four months in advance of your anticipated delivery date to allow enough time for processing. 

Applicants must not advertise, offer to provide or deliver or assess VET courses until they are registered with TAC and listed on the national register on VET at training.gov.au.

The information provided by your organisation as part of your application will undergo an initial desktop review and financial viability assessment. It is at this stage the invoice for the initial application assessment fee will be sent to the applicant for payment.​ TAC will not continue to progress your application until this invoice is paid in full. ​

Once the TAC Secretariat has determined that the application requirements have been met, and the assessment fee has been paid, the audit will be assigned to a TAC auditor.

The following flowchart details the application process for initial registration.

A Training Accreditation Council (the Council) auditor will conduct an audit at one or more of your organisation's venues. The audit will ensure your organisation meets all Standards for​ Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015​​ across the scope of delivery applied for, as stated in your application.

If compliance is demonstrated, your application will be presented to the Council for consideration. Please note that the Council may take any other issues into consideration when assessing your application. The Council meets monthly to consider applications for registration and course accreditation.

If significant or critical levels of non-compliance is demonstrated at audit, the Council will find the applicant is non-compliant, propose to reject the application and provide the applicant with 20 working days to respond to the Council’s proposal and provide any supporting evidence for review. 

If minor non-compliance is demonstrated at audit, the Council will provide the applicant with an opportunity to address non-compliances without the proposal to reject.

If the application for registration is approved by the Council, your organisation will be approved for registration for up to 2 years, granted an RTO Code and added to the National Register on VET at training.gov.au. The TAC Secretariat will send the organisation a certificate of registration and offering report, which outlines the units of competency/ qualifications/ accredited courses that your organisation is registered to deliver. 

If your application is not approved, the Council will notify the organisation in writing of its decision.

To help you prepare for a site audit we have developed this​ how to ​prepare for an audit against the Standards for RTOs 2015 guide. 

Further audit process information

Once an organisation has demonstrated its compliance with the Standards for RTOs, the outcome will be considered by the Council.

If TAC approves an RTO's registration, correspondence will be provided advising of registration and will include a certificate of registration and an outline of the RTO's scope of registration. 

The RTO's details will also be published on the national VET register www.training.gov.au. 

Initial registrations are granted for a period of up to 2 years.

Please see the link below for more information on RTO Obligations.

RTO Obligations.