The new Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) Essential Conditions and Standards for Initial Registration and Continuing Registration of Training Organisations were approved by the Ministerial Council for Tertiary Education and Employment in late June for implementation from 1 July 2010.

The new standards will be presented to the Vocational Education and Accreditation Board (VETAB) at their meeting on 2 August for formal endorsement prior to their implementation in NSW. It is anticipated that audits conducted after 1 September 2010 will be against the new AQTF Standards.

The Conditions and Standards were revised to strengthen the AQTF and provide additional protection for all students undertaking vocational education and training in Australia.

Key features:

• Strengthened requirements in areas of financial viability, financial management, fee protection and governance conditions
• Compliance with the Conditions of Registration will now be audited in the same way that compliance with the Standards is audited
• An organisation must comply with the Essential Conditions and Standards for Continuing Registration at the date that it is approved for registration
• Non-compliance with the new Essential Conditions and Standards may result in a range of sanctions being placed on the Registered Training Organisation (RTO), which may include additional conditions being placed on an RTO’s registration, an RTO being de-registered, or an application for registration being rejected.

Implementation of three elements of the new AQTF has been put on hold until 3 January 2011.  These are:

• Student fees paid in advance (Condition 5)
• the use of an AVETMIS compliant system (Condition 6)
• the use of a Unique Student identifier (Condition 6)

RTOs need to be compliant with all other aspects of the new AQTF from the date it becomes effective.

You can download copies of the new AQTF Standards from the training.com.au website.

Sourced: VETAB eNewsletter - July 2010 - Issue no.10