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Overview
All Australian Governments are committed to supporting high-quality training in the VET system. While the quality of training is affected by many variables, registered training organisations (RTOs) have a critical role in ensuring training delivery on the ground is high-quality and meets the diverse range of learner and employer needs.
Reforms are currently underway to better support RTOs to achieve this. These reforms include revising the Standards for RTOs 2015 (the Standards) to ensure they are clear and outcome-focused and developing a Blueprint for the VET Workforce to support, grow and retain a quality VET workforce. These reforms will be supported by work to help build RTO capability and capacity, including developing tools and resources and supporting continuous improvement.
Revising the Standards for RTOs
The Standards are currently being revised with the aim of providing greater clarity for RTOs and regulators, strengthening the focus on quality outcomes for learners and employers, and allowing for more flexibility and innovation in training delivery.
As part of this process, draft Standards have been developed based on feedback from the sector, along with analysis of other sectors, expert reviews, and research. These draft Standards were released publicly for consultation in November 2022.
The draft Standards proposed significant changes to the structure and content of the Standards, providing a clearer and more direct link between the requirements RTOs are expected to meet and the outcomes they are expected to deliver to learners.
A public consultation process on the draft Standards was held from 2 November 2022 to 31 January 2023. This included opportunities for the sector to provide written feedback as well as participate in a range of online and face-to-face forums held across all states and territories.
The draft Standards are currently being further refined based on the feedback received from the sector. A summary of consultation findings will be made publicly available shortly.
You can learn more about the draft Standards that formed the basis of the (now closed) consultation process, including the rationale for the proposed changes, through the following resources:
This is a clean version of the draft revised Standards. Note that the Standards do not reflect all requirements for RTOs and should be read alongside the consultation paper for greater detail on the context in which it is proposed they would operate.
The consultation paper was developed to provide context for the revisions and details the proposed changes to the Standards.
Draft Standards for RTOs – Outcome Statements
This shows the draft Standards on a page, captured through the framework of Quality Areas and Focus Areas supported by outcome statements.
Draft Standards for RTOs – Intent and Explanation
This version of the draft Standards includes technical explanations of the proposed changes and provides information about the intent of the draft requirements and how they link to the current Standards.
Blueprint for the VET Workforce
Like many industries across Australia, supply and retention issues are a significant concern facing the VET workforce, with RTOs under increasing pressure to attract and retain a skilled workforce.
Development of a VET Workforce Blueprint (the Blueprint), announced as an outcome of the Jobs and Skills Summit, will ensure the long-term sustainability of the VET sector by supporting and growing a quality VET workforce. It will aim to identify effective strategies for VET workforce issues such as attraction, retention, career development and succession planning.
Work has previously been undertaken to examine the quality and capability of the existing VET workforce through the development of a draft VET Workforce Quality Strategy (Quality Strategy), however, it has become increasingly apparent that any successful actions taken should consider the context of broader workforce issues. The Blueprint presents the opportunity to take a broader framing, while still considering and incorporating feedback and proposed actions developed as part of the draft Quality Strategy.
Opportunities to engage further with the development of the RTO Standards and Blueprint will be provided as they become available.