ADMINISTRATION MANUALA guide to the administration of a Registered Training OrganisationRTO Assistant Pty Ltd

RTO

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RTO Administration Manual - A guide to the administration of a Registered Training OrganisationPublished by: RTO Assistant Pty Ltd, PO Box 663 Rochedale South, QLD 4123 info@rtoassistant.com.au www.rtoassistant.com.au

© RTO Assistant Pty Ltd, 2013. Except as provided by the Copyright Act 1968, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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CONTENTS

5 INTRODUCTION5 RTO OVERVIEW - Packaging Rules - Scope 12 KEY RESPONSIBILITIES14 ADMINISTRATION COMPLIANCE - VET Quality Framework - AVETMISS - Funding - Australian Apprenticeships24 STUDENT FILES - Fee for Service - Fee for Service Student File Checklist - Apprentices & Trainees - Apprentices & Trainees Student File Checklist32 ADMINISTRATOR PROCESS CHART - Completion Checklist - Cancellation Checklist36 PROCESSING - Result Type - Start and End Dates - Delivery Mode Identifier42 FUNDING SUBMISSIONS - Validation Errors48 RECORD RETENTION50 QUALITY INDICATORS62 CERTIFICATES AND STATEMENTS72 HR FILES - Checklist for Trainers and Assessors78 SUPERSEDED QUALIFICATIONS - Teach-out Period - Processing Transitioning Students - Transition Checklist - Mapping86 AQTF86 RECOMMENDATIONS 88 QUICKLINKS91 APPENDICES

WE UNDERSTANDYOUR BUSINESS

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INTRODUCTION

MANAGING administration correctly is an integral and multifaceted role for any Registered Training Organisation (RTO). This guide has been developed to assist you in understanding your key responsibilities as an RTO Administrator and provides you with set procedures to follow, to ensure these responsibilities are met.

By implementing this guide, combined with your ability to show attention to detail, and a strong work ethic, you will quickly become an RTO Administrator who builds the core of your organisation and lays the foundation for quality. With references to key terminology, contacts in the VET sector, schedules for administration obligations and clear explanations, this guide will see your role not as one of uncertainty but of confidence, knowledge and unique skill. Your role as an RTO Administrator will be rewarding as you provide efficient services and products to your clients and promote the rating of your RTO.

RTOOVERVIEW

In Australia, training which provides skills and knowledge specifically for work is called Vocational Education and Training, often referred to as VET. Vocational education and training offers qualifications at the levels of:

• Certificate I • Certificate II • Certificate III • Certificate IV • Diploma • Advanced Diploma • Vocational Graduate Diploma

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YOU will often hear the term “nationally recognised training”. This means that a qualification has been delivered and assessed against a

set standard and the student that has been deemed competent in this qualification can demonstrate specific knowledge and skills. This qualification can be taken anywhere in Australia where it will be recognised and valued. The formal process of nationally recognised training has been implemented in Australia to ensure training meets the standards required by industry.

The main subject or content areas of a qualification are listed as criteria that must be demonstrated and assessed, including specific knowledge and skills. These content areas are known as units of competency.

Units of competency are grouped together to form qualifications. A student undergoing the qualification ‘Certificate III in Carpentry’ for example, must be able to demonstrate in assessments that they can perform 30 of the following units before they can be signed off and operate unsupervised in the construction industry as a qualified carpenter.

UNITS OF COMPETENCY ARE GROUPED

TOGETHER TO FORM QUALIFICATIONS

NATIONALLY RECOGNISED

TRAINING

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INTRODUCTION7

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Qualifications grouped together make up Training Packages. Qualification and Training Package details are found for all industries on www.training.gov.au under the Nationally Recognised Training search option.

To deliver nationally recognised training in the VET sector, an organisation (whether public or private) must be registered with the Australian Government - The Australian Skills Quality Authority (also known as ASQA) or their State Training Authority. ASQA and the State Training Authorities regulate all training providers, known

as Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to ensure nationally approved quality standards are met. These standards are known as the VET Quality Framework, which will be explained in more detail later in the manual. Currently RTO’s in all states and territories are regulated by ASQA, except for WA and VIC who are regulated by their State Training Authorities.State RegulatorVic Victorian Recognition Quality Council (VRQA)WA Training Accreditation Council (TAC)

CPC30211 CERTIFICATE III IN CARPENTRY

PACKAGING RULES

To achieve this qualification, the candidate must demonstrate competency in:• 30 total units of competency• 22 core units• 8 elective units

A maximum of two of the eight required elective units may be substituted by selecting relevant units of competency from any Certificate III or IV construction qualification or qualification in another endorsed Training Package.

CORE UNITS ELECTIVE UNITSCPCCCA2002A Use carpentry tools and equipmentCPCCCA2011A Handle carpentry materialsCPCCCA3001A Carry out general demolition of minor building structuresCPCCCA3002A Carry out setting outCPCCCA3023A Carry out levelling operationsCPCCCM1012A Work effectively and sustainably in the construction industryCPCCCM1013A Plan and organise workCPCCCM1014A Conduct workplace communicationCPCCCM1015A Carry out measurements and calculationsCPCCCM2001A Read and interpret plans and specificationsCPCCCM2002A Carry out excavationCPCCCM2007A Use explosive power toolsCPCCCM2008A Erect and dismantle restricted height scaffoldingCPCCCM2010A Work safely at heightsCPCCCO2013A Carry out concreting to simple formsCPCCOHS2001A Apply OHS requirements, policies and procedures in the construction industryCPCCCA3003A Install flooring systemsCPCCCA3004A Construct wall framesCPCCCA3005A Construct ceiling framesCPCCCA3006A Erect roof trussesCPCCCA3007B Construct pitched roofsCPCCCA3008A Construct eaves

CPCCCA3010A Install and replace windows and doorsCPCCCA3012A Frame and fit wet area fixturesCPCCCA3013A Install lining, panelling and mouldingCPCCCA3016A Construct timber external stairsCPCCCA3018A Construct, erect and dismantle formwork for stairs and rampsCPCCCA3019A Erect and dismantle formwork to suspended slabs, columns, beams and wallsCPCCCA3020A Erect and dismantle jump form formworkCPCCCA3021A Erect and dismantle slip form formworkCPCCCA2003A Erect and dismantle formwork for footings and slabs on groundCPCCCA3009A Construct advanced roofsCPCCCA3011A Refurbish timber sashes to window framesCPCCCA3014A Construct bulkheadsCPCCCA3015A Assemble partitionsCPCCCA3017A Install exterior claddingCPCCCA3022A Install curtain wallingCPCCCM3001B Operate elevated work platformsCPCCSF2003A Cut and bend materials using oxy-LPG equipmentCPCCSF2004A Place and fix reinforcement materialsCPCCWC3003A Install dry wall passive fire-rated systemsBSBSMB301A Investigate micro business opportunitiesBSBSMB406A Manage small business financesRIICCM210A Install trench supportRIIOHS202A Enter and work in confined spacesRIIWMG203A Drain and dewater civil construction site

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PACKAGING RULES9

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The types of organisations that can be an RTO are various. They include TAFE colleges, higher education institutions, adult and community education providers, private providers, community organisations, schools, commercial and enterprise training providers, and industry bodies.

The list of qualifications your RTO is approved to offer is called a ‘scope’ and your RTO’s scope is found at www.training.gov.au . To see your scope scroll down to ‘Quick Search – Organisation / RTO’ – type in your RTO’s name – press ‘Search’ – and select ‘Scope’.

You will be able to see all of the Qualifications, individual Units of Competency and Accredited Courses your RTO offers and which States and Territories they can be delivered in. Be mindful that there is often more than 1 page to a scope.

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PACKAGING RULES11

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• Correctly processing student files• Effectively managing trainers and assessors• Communicating well with students and providing them with the necessary information

and resources• Entering student information into an AVETMISS-compliant Student Management

System (SMS)• Reporting data to the Government regularly for funding payments and data provision

requirements• Correcting error reports from data submissions• Collecting and reporting on feedback from students and employers • Reporting figures to management for continuous improvement purposes• Downloading trainee/apprentice details from State Training Authorities• Corresponding with Australian Apprenticeship Centres for registration of Trainees/

Apprentices• Issuing Statements of Attainment and Certificates to students• Coordinating courses• Managing the Scope• Managing registration and contact details of the RTO with ASQA• Assisting in achieving compliance which will be assessed at an audit

How do you do all of this? Keep reading to find out!

KEY RESPONSIBILITIESAS AN RTO ADMINISTRATOR YOUR ROLE IS INSTRUMENTAL IN MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE VET QUALITY FRAMEWORK. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES13

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Your role as an RTO Administrator is to manage the paperwork and training-related data for your organisation. This paperwork and data must be managed in accordance with:

1. The VET Quality Framework2. AVETMISS3. Any funding contracts your RTO has4. Apprenticeship and Traineeship requirements in each State or Territory

1. The standards by which ASQA regulates all training providers is known as the VET Quality Framework. This framework is made up of:

ADMINISTRATION COMPLIANCE

2. AVETMISS stands for ‘The Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard’. It is a criteria for the specific information RTOs must gather and report upon. It provides a nationally consistent framework for the collection of vocational education and training information. The latest AVETMISS publication can also be found at www.ncver.edu.au . Paperwork and data that is processed must be entered into an AVETMISS-compliant Student Management System.

AVETMISS applies to Apprentice and Trainee data collection which provides information on all persons employed under a training contract. Although RTOs are not currently required to collect and report AVETMISS data for their Fee for Service students (students that do not sign up with an Australian Apprenticeship Centre under a traineeship or apprenticeship but enrol directly with the RTO under no other training contract), it is highly recommended that RTOs collect this data. In 2014 RTO’s

will be required to report Fee For Service student data.

Because of AVETMISS, the information you receive for each student needs to be specific and reported to the Australian Government at least yearly but for some RTOs, monthly. The information that is collected from students upon enrolment should reflect the criteria listed in AVETMISS. The next page provides a template AVETMISS-compliant enrolment form. You may notice the fields from the AVETMISS publication that need to be captured such as the students’:•Dateofbirth•Fieldofeducation•Indigenousstatus•Highestlevelofschoolingcompleted

The full criteria listed for AVETMISS is called the “AVETMISS VET Provider Specifications” and can be downloaded from: http://www.ncver.edu.au/avetmiss/21055.html

a) The Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations

Replaces what was known as the AQTF

b) The Fit and Proper Person Requirements Ensures the Directors & Senior Personnel of the RTO are suitable

c) The Financial Viability Risk Assessment Requirements

Ensures the RTO is in a financial position so as to provide students with the agreed product/service

d) The Data Provision Requirements Explains the data the RTO must submit to the Australian Government

e) The Australian Qualifications Framework Explains the different levels of qualifications and how the RTO must issue certificates and statements.

Each of these can be found at: http://www.asqa.gov.au/about-asqa/national-vet-regulation/vet-quality-framework.htmlFor the purposes of managing data and paperwork, the only documents that will impact your role are a), d) and e)