As part of the transition to the new arrangements, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) will soon replace the assurance function of the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC).

To ensure that students, employers, governments, and the community are confident in the integrity of national qualifications issued by the VET sector, the function will establish a robust approval process.

As a training product assurance body, ASQA has two key functions:

• In order to recommend products for endorsement, training products must be assessed for compliance.
• Supporting Industry Clusters in building capacity and improving the system of training product development by providing education and guidance.

For more information, please visit https://www.asqa.gov.au/training-package-assurance/about-training-package-assurance

TEQSA shared updated on information on suspected academic cheating service websites with Australia’s higher education sector 24 June 2022.

A database of 2,333 suspected commercial academic cheating service websites has been updated to include intelligence gathered by TEQSA staff. This globally accessible database includes 579 sites specifically targeting students at Australian higher education institutions. The goal is to help reduce the amount of academic cheating that takes place in the country.

Sharing this database will enable providers to block access to these websites from their institutional networks, and forms part of TEQSA’s ongoing partnership with the higher education sector to strengthen cultures of academic integrity and reduce the risk posed by illegal academic cheating services.

In addition to this intelligence sharing, TEQSA’s Higher Education Integrity Unit is finalising investigations into a number of the most-visited sites and expects to take enforcement action in the coming weeks.

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) must work with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) to update its list of websites that offer academic cheating services.

The database must include information on websites that offer essay writing services, assignment help services, and other academic cheating services.
ASQA must use this information to monitor these websites and take action where appropriate.

For more information, please read Intelligence sharing: updated cheating website database | Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency

When a new law or regulation is enacted that affects the operation of training organisations in Australia, it is important to take steps to ensure compliance. Depending on the nature of the change, this may involve modifying existing policies and procedures, developing new ones, or both.

There are a number of ways to stay up-to-date on legislative changes:

1. Pay attention to announcements from relevant government agencies. For example, if a change is made to the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) will likely issue a notice about it on its website.

2. Stay subscribed to email updates from bodies such as ASQA or other sector peak bodies. This way, you’ll be notified as soon as any changes are made to legislation that affects your training organisation.

3. Check sector-specific news sources regularly. For example, a number of websites include a section on regulatory updates, including CAQA.

4. Attend relevant events and conferences where updates are often provided.

5. Join relevant industry associations

6. It is always a good idea to consult with a legal professional if you have any questions or concerns about how a change in legislation may impact your business. They will be able to advise you on the best course of action moving forward.

7. Check the Australian Government’s Legislation Register regularly. This is the site where all changes to Commonwealth legislation are announced.

8. Stay informed about industry news and developments. Changes to legislation often come about as a result of wider changes in the sector or industry. By keeping up with news and developments, you’ll be in a better position to anticipate legislative changes that might affect your training organisation.

9. alk to other training organisations and sector bodies. Keeping in touch with others in your industry will help you stay abreast of legislative changes that might affect your training organisation.

10. Keep an eye on government consultations. The Australian Government often consults with industry and the public on proposed changes to legislation. By taking part in these consultations, you can have a say in the development of legislation that affects your training organisation.

It’s important to keep up-to-date on changes to legislation, as it can have a direct impact on your business. For example, new legislation may require you to change your training methods or materials. Ignoring legislative changes can put your business at risk of non-compliance.

If you’re not sure how a particular legislative change will affect your business, get in touch with a professional organisation or RTO consultants for advice. They’ll be able to provide you with guidance on how to stay compliant.

Once you are aware of a change, take the following steps:

1. Review the new legislation and make sure you understand how it will impact your training organisation. Check the date the change comes into effect – make sure you are prepared in advance!
2. Speak to your legal advisor or RTO compliance consultants to get guidance on how to comply with the new requirements.
3. Assess and understand how the change will impact your organisation’s operations. This may require consulting with stakeholders such as staff, management, clients, or industry bodies. Decide if the change is something you need to comply with – some changes may not be relevant to your organisation.
4. If you do need to comply with the change, develop a plan of action for how your organisation will do so. Determine what needs to be done to ensure compliance with the new law or regulation. This may involve modifying existing policies and procedures, developing new ones, or both. Organisations should then update their training materials and notify staff of the changes.
5. Implement the necessary changes in a timely manner. Depending on the nature of the change, this may require training staff on the new procedures, updating client-facing materials such as changes on the marketing materials, training and assessment resources and materials, compliance and regulatory registers or making changes to internal systems, processes, procedures and operational guidelines.
6. Communicate the changes to all relevant staff members and make sure they understand what is required of them under the new regime.
7. Monitor compliance and make adjustments as needed. Once the changes have been put in place, it is important to monitor compliance and make any necessary adjustments. This may involve conducting audits, reviewing feedback from staff or clients, or modifying procedures as needed.
8. Make any necessary tweaks or adjustments to ensure continued compliance.
9. Keep up to date with any further changes that may come into effect, and repeat the process as necessary. Share your knowledge of the changes with others in your organisation, so that everyone is aware of the requirements.
10. Seek professional help or advice if you are unsure about anything – it is better to be safe than sorry!

By taking these steps, you can ensure that your organisation is compliant with the latest legislation and able to continue operating smoothly.

Making sure your organisation is compliant with new legislation can be a challenge, but it’s essential for maintaining your accreditation. By taking the time to review the legislation and make the necessary changes, you can help ensure your organisation continues to provide quality training.

Organisations face many compliance risks, and a key part of managing these risks is ensuring that learners receive quality training according to the policies and procedures of the training organisation and set standards, guidelines and regulations set by the regulatory body and Australian Government. This is where trainers play a vital role in maintaining compliance within a training organisation.

As experts in adult learning theory and instructional design, trainers are uniquely positioned to develop, deliver and evaluate engaging and effective training programs that help learners understand the relevant concepts and topics.

The role of trainers in maintaining compliance is essential to ensuring that learners receive the best possible training experience. By maintaining a good relationship with learners and being familiar with the training organisation’s requirements, you can help to ensure that learners are able to comply with the training organisation’s rules and regulations. Additionally, by being familiar with the training organisation’s complaint procedures, you can help to ensure that any complaints that learners have are dealt with in a fair and transparent manner.

Use of compliant training and assessment materials

Make sure that the training materials you use are compliant with the latest requirements and standards. This includes ensuring that any third-party materials you use to meet these criteria too.

Training meets regulatory requirements and standards

Deliver training that meets the required standards. This means following the correct procedures and using approved methods and materials.

All assessments have been assessed fairly and accurately

As a trainer, it is your responsibility to ensure that all assessments are conducted fairly and correctly. This means that you must be able to identify any potential areas of non-compliance and take steps to address them. This includes adhering to the principles of assessment and rules of evidence.

Evaluate training on an ongoing basis

Evaluate training regularly to check that it is still meeting compliance requirements and standards. This may involve conducting audits, surveys or other reviews.

Participate in the learner and assessment validation sessions

Take action to address any areas of non-compliance.

This could involve changing the way training is delivered, updating materials or taking disciplinary action against employees who do not meet the required standards.

There are a number of ways that you can do this:

Keep up to date with changes in legislation and policy. This includes changes to government regulations, industry codes of practice and your organisation’s own policies. You can do this by subscribing to newsletters or alerts from relevant organisations, such as the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).

Make sure you understand the requirements of the legislation and policy. This includes understanding what the requirements are and how they apply to your specific situation.
Comply with the requirements of the legislation and policy. This includes ensuring that all training activities are carried out in accordance with the relevant legislation, codes of practice and organisational policies.

Monitor compliance with the legislation and policy. This includes regularly checking to ensure that training activities are being carried out in line with the relevant legislation, codes of practice and organisational policies.

Ensure that all assessors in your organisation are properly trained and qualified. This will ensure that they are familiar with the latest changes to the relevant regulations and standards and that they are able to conduct assessments accurately and fairly.

Take action to address any non-compliance with the legislation and policy. This includes taking steps to ensure that training activities are carried out in line with the relevant legislation, codes of practice and organisational policies.

By following these strategies, you can help to ensure that your organisation’s training activities are compliant with the relevant legislation, codes of practice and organisational policies.

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is the national regulator for the vocational education and training (VET) sector. ASQA is responsible for ensuring that all VET providers in Australia meet the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs).

However, ASQA does not follow an international ISO audit and administration model, which could lead to problems with the quality of training provided by RTOs.

There are several disadvantages associated with ASQA not following an international ISO audit and administration model.

Some of the disadvantages of ASQA not following an international ISO audit and administration model include:

There is no guarantee that ASQA will identify all non-compliant RTOs. the entire auditing system is person-centred rather than system-centred. The same document can be made non-compliant by the same auditor just in a period of two months at another training organisation.

ASQA’s audit and administration procedures may not be as rigorous as those of other international regulators.

ASQA may not have the resources to effectively monitor all RTOs in Australia.

The lack of an international ISO audit and administration model could lead to problems with the recognition of Australian qualifications overseas. It is also difficult to compare the quality of services provided by different countries when they each have their own unique set of standards. This can make it difficult for businesses to know if they are getting the best possible service when they choose to work with an ASQA-registered organisation.

ASQA’s focus on compliance may result in it missing important quality issues that could impact on the delivery of training.

ASQA’s complaints handling procedures may not be as effective as those of other international regulators.

ASQA’s enforcement powers are limited compared to those of other international regulators.

ASQA’s structure and governance arrangements are complex and could be improved.

ASQA use consultants to audit RTOs who can work with the same organisation, after just a few months, questioning its impartiality and framework.

There is a lack of transparency around ASQA’s decision-making processes.

The lack of standardisation can also lead to inconsistencies in the way that ASQA-registered organisations are run, which can impact negatively on the quality of services provided

Finally, it can be more expensive to comply with multiple sets of standards than just one, which may impact on the affordability of ASQA registration for some organisations.

While ASQA is the national regulator for the VET sector, it does not follow an international ISO audit and administration model. This could lead to problems with the quality of training provided by RTOs in Australia.

ASQA has published a new model for self-assurance that providers can use to improve their practices.

The new model should have set out the requirements for an effective self-assurance system and provided guidance on how providers can develop and implement such a system. However, what we can find online after extensive consultation and engagement that ASQA states it did in April and May 2022. It has very little information related to the self-assurance system. Yes, they have recently put a disclaimer work in progress but, after so much consultation the sector receives a diagram.

This diagram has effective training and assessment delivery and quality outcomes and achievements in its centre, surrounded by continuous improvement and four foundational elements such as leadership/governance; staff capability and development; student engagement and support; and industry and/or community engagement.

How is this diagram going to assist training organisations with a self-assurance framework?

A training organisation’s model for self-assurance should include the following components:

The organisation’s purpose, values and goals
The legal and regulatory environment in which the organisation operates
The organisation’s stakeholders and their expectations
The risks facing the organisation and its activities
The controls in place to mitigate those risks
The process for monitoring and reporting on risk and control effectiveness
The organisation’s culture and how it supports or detracts from effective risk management

1. Governance and management arrangements that promote a culture of continuous improvement and learning, and that are aligned with the organisation’s strategic objectives;
2. A robust quality management system that is regularly reviewed and updated in line with changes in the organisation’s operating environment;
3. Clear accountability arrangements for all staff members, including clear lines of responsibility and reporting;
4. Regular monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of training programmes and delivery methods;
5. Continuous professional development opportunities for all staff members;
6. A mechanism for dealing with complaints and feedback in a timely and effective manner;
7. A commitment to maintaining high standards of customer service;
8. Regular review and update of policies and procedures.

Organisations should have clear and specific training objectives that are aligned with their business goals. Instructional methods should be based on adult learning principles and be tailored to the needs of the learners. Resources should be sufficient to support the delivery of the training. The learning environment should be positive and conducive to learning. Finally, evaluation should be ongoing to ensure that the training is meeting its objectives. By incorporating these components into their self-assurance model, organisations can be confident that they are providing quality training that will meet the needs of their learners.

Organisations that have a well-developed model for self-assurance are more likely to be able to identify areas in which they can improve their performance and make the necessary changes to their operations. This, in turn, leads to improved outcomes for both the organisation and its clients.

When developing a model for self-assurance, organisations should consult with their stakeholders to ensure that it meets their needs and expectations. Stakeholders include clients, employees, regulators, and other interested parties.

Organisations should also seek feedback from their stakeholders on a regular basis to ensure that the model for self-assurance is fit for purpose and remains relevant. Feedback can be obtained through surveys, focus groups, or one-to-one meetings.

URL: https://www.asqa.gov.au/how-we-regulate/self-assurance/have-your-say-draft-self-assurance-model

We hope that ASQA’s new self-assurance model provides ultimately offers the training organisation with the requirements for an effective self-assurance system, as well as guidance on how to develop and implement such a system. The benefits of having an effective self-assurance system in place include improved quality of training and assessment delivered by the Provider, increased confidence in the Provider’s ability to meet ASQA’s Standards, and reduced risk of non-compliance with ASQA’s Standards.

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is the national regulatory body for the vocational education and training (VET) sector. ASQA’s primary role is to protect students and ensure that they receive high-quality training from registered training organisations (RTOs).

ASQA has a range of service standards that it strives to meet, including:

• Providing clear and timely communication
• Making fair and transparent decisions
• Acting with integrity, professionalism and respect
• Being open and accountable
• Providing efficient and effective services.

However, recent reports have suggested that ASQA’s decision-making processes are often slow and bureaucratic, resulting in unrealistic timeframes for RTOs. This can create significant problems for RTOs, particularly small businesses, who may not have the resources to wait for a decision.
Addition to scope

ASQA’s unrealistic timeframes for adding new courses to its scope of registration are a major problem for providers.

The process for adding a new course to ASQA’s scope of registration is needlessly complicated and takes far too long. It can often take up to 6 months for ASQA to process an application, during which time the provider is unable to offer the course.

This is a major problem for providers, as it limits their ability to respond to market demand and offer new courses in a timely manner. It also puts them at a competitive disadvantage compared to other providers who are not subject to the same delays.

ASQA needs to streamline its process for adding new courses to its scope of registration, and reduce the timeframe to a matter of weeks, not months. This would allow providers to be more responsive to market demand and offer new courses in a timely manner.

It would also level the playing field with other providers who are not subject to the same delays.

ASQA’s slow decision-making process is a major problem for the VET sector. It is essential that ASQA improves its processes so that RTOs can continue to provide high-quality training to students.