Self-assurance

Self-assurance is when training providers have their own systems and practices to systematically monitor, evaluate and continually improve their training outcomes and performance against the Standards.

ASQA is committed to promoting, facilitating and supporting sector capability to self-assure.

We are increasing our focus on provider self-assurance to support the VET sector to improve and achieve excellence in training outcomes, ensure the integrity of training qualifications and reduce regulatory burden for training providers.

To support a transition to self-assurance that will work for everyone, we need to:

• understand existing self-assurance practices across the sector
• be able to clearly communicate our expectations of providers
• identify the evidence we will require from providers for them to demonstrate the effectiveness of their self-assurance practices to us
• ensure our monitoring and assessment of provider practice is fair and consistent while recognising the diversity of ways providers will be able to effectively self-assure in their own operating context
• be able to provide guidance to providers about how to meet their regulatory obligations regarding self-assurance
• over time, be able structure our regulatory tools and practices to reduce the regulatory burden for those providers who can demonstrate the effectiveness of their self-assurance systems and practices.

This transition to a regulatory approach that monitors and assesses provider self-assurance, and focuses on our confidence in a provider’s continued compliance while maintaining essential safeguards against poor quality VET, will take time. We also recognise that providers will be at different levels of maturity in relation to self-assurance and it will take time to build capability in self-assurance across the sector. This is why we have designed a 4-year program of work with the sector to support a transition to self-assurance across the sector.  

Right now, we are working with the sector to establish a shared understanding of self-assurance and are co-designing a model for self-assurance to help us communicate with each other about self-assurance.