Appendix 3: Related legislation and standards

Australian Qualifications Framework

The Standards for VET Accredited Courses 2021 require VET accredited courses to comply with the AQF.

The AQF applies to the school and higher education sectors as well as the VET sector. Ensuring that course development and delivery align to the AQF helps to assure the skill level and employability of VET graduates.

Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015

All VET accredited courses must be delivered by an RTO that has the VET accredited course on its scope of registration.

Standards for VET Regulators 2015

The Standards for VET Regulators 2015 apply to the Regulator and provide standards that ASQA must meet when exercising its course accreditation functions.

About the Standards for VET Regulators 2015

In 2011, the Australian Government established ASQA as the national regulator for VET to ensure quality educational outcomes in the sector. ASQA is accountable to the Standards through external reviews directed by the Australian Government.

The Standards for VET Regulators 2015 describe a series of outcomes that regulators must achieve, but do not prescribe the way in which they are to be achieved. The Standards require ASQA to:

ensure courses are accredited in accordance with the Standards for VET Accredited Courses 2021
ensure courses that result in a licenced or regulatory outcome are supported by the relevant industry regulator
use accreditation assessors who meet agreed competency requirements and who consistently use contemporary best practice approaches to conducting evaluations
provide guidance to course owners to help them comply with the Standards for VET Accredited Courses 2021
implement processes that are fair, transparent, responsive and consistent
make decisions consistent with the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness
accept and manage complaints about its role as a regulator, using publicly available processes
make service standards publicly available, and regularly review its performance against these service standards and the regulator standards.