Face-to-face teaching

Excluding training in Melbourne, it is ultimately up to individual providers to decide whether they continue to deliver practical training and assessment in a face-to-face environment, based on a risk assessment of the situation. You must check if there are any specific restrictions in place in your state or territory and only operate based on what activities are permissible.

For practical delivery, staff and students should maintain suitable distance between them where possible, in accordance with general health advice.

• Where it is safe to do so and where it maintains the integrity of the applicable training package, providers may review practical tasks that usually require close interaction and identify ways to modify these to increase physical distancing.
• Where it is not possible to modify practical training and assessment, providers can continue to deliver practical training that requires close interaction, but should limit the number of participants in any task and should ensure equipment is cleaned between each use.

Providers may instead implement other measures such as to re-sequence training and assessment strategies to deliver theoretical training and assessment, and offer practical delivery at a later time.

Should your RTO continue to deliver practical training, social distancing should be practised and RTOs should provide additional methods to allow students to keep their hands clean.

RTOs must have stringent infection control measures as part of their standard operating procedures. Equipment should be thoroughly cleaned in between use according to requirements. RTOs should also increase cleaning, particularly of classrooms, toilets, common areas, and door handles.

Any student who is unwell, or who is required to self-isolate, must not attend class and must be sent home.

For more information to help stop the spread, the Australian Government Department of Health has released resources for employers and others; and Safe Work Australia has released guidance on physical distancing and hygiene measures for universities, RTOs and ELICOS providers.

Where a provider is unable to attend a workplace to conduct training or assessment, consideration could be given to remote observation via other mediums. For example, a provider can:

1. use video recordings (from recording on a phone to more complex technologies)
2. use Skype and other video conferencing software for real-time observation and engagement.

If a student is working at their normal place of work, assessors can view that student’s participation in activities remotely and, using the same observation checklists they have when on site, continue to make valid and sufficient judgements.

It may be necessary to defer conducting the observations until such time as the RTO can effectively undertake this process.

Schools have discretion to determine who they allow onto their site. Like most organisations, schools may have introduced additional hygiene measures which must be observed by visitors.

The Australian Government has stressed that practicing good hygiene and keeping a physical distance between individuals are in place to fight this virus. If a trainer is feeling unwell, or is required to self-isolate, they must not attend any location and must be sent home.

Where work placement is mandatory but students are not allowed to attend a particular workplace, that placement will need to be deferred until such time that it can be conducted.

However, there are a range of actions that providers can take to mitigate the impact of the current situation on students who need to undertake workplace hours. ASQA supports all providers (including those delivering to overseas students) in implementing these actions where they are able to:

1. training – bring forward theoretical training across single or multiple units to continue learning
2. training – adjust training and assessment strategies to continue to deliver units of competency that do not contain workplace hours
3. training – make use of simulated workplace environments to allow for practising of skills
4. training and assessment– where students are in different locations, make use of technologies such as video recording and Skype
5. assessment – where the training package allows, make use of simulated workplace assessment.

Where work placement has been partially completed, both students and the provider should retain evidence of the placement completed to date, including any log books.

Students may be able to undertake training in a simulated environment before going to a workplace to continue their learning or to conduct assessment (when they are able to attend a workplace). Simulated training can be conducted remotely however providers should consider how students gain access to resource requirements to effectively practice these skills.

Providers should consider the specific assessment conditions described in the assessment requirements of each unit of competency. In some instances, assessment requirements allow for assessment to be conducted in the workplace or a simulated environment. Where simulation is allowed, providers should review the specific training package requirements to be able to replicate the simulated environment.

However, where assessment can only be conducted in the workplace, that component of assessment will need to be deferred until such time that it can be conducted. In these instances providers:

1. should ensure students are aware of, and have record of, the portion of assessment completed for the unit
2. can adjust their training and assessment strategy to rearrange sequencing of delivery of units of competency
3. should deliver an alternate unit of competency (that does not require practical assessment, or where theoretical learning can be provided in part).

Providers must consider the work environment they are replicating. The Australian Government has placed restrictions on certain businesses which, while these businesses can continue to operate, guide the number of customers that can be on the premises. In a training work environment, these restrictions must be observed.

In a training environment clients may not be required to pay for the service and, in these instances, simulated transactions may be more appropriate.

When conducting assessment however, all assessment conditions must be met and this can include the requirement to have real customers that pay for the service. Providers could consider:

1. promoting the extensive hygiene requirements of the course
2. undertaking increased cleaning, particularly of classrooms, toilets, common areas, door handles and equipment
3. encouraging students to promote the services to others
4. utilising paperless and contactless payment methods
5. adjusting prices to suit the current market.

The Australian Government has stressed that the measures of practicing good hygiene and keeping a physical distance between individuals are in place to fight this virus.

Should you deliver face-to-face, you must ensure that appropriate physical distancing measures are implemented where possible. This includes in classrooms, in computer laboratories, in other training rooms or locations, and in common areas.

Safe Work Australia has released guidance on physical distancing and hygiene measures for training providers. This includes information about how to structure rooms to achieve the maximum space per person.

Providers should also increase cleaning, particularly of classrooms, toilets, common areas, door handles and equipment.

Any student who is unwell, or who is required to self-isolate, must not attend class and must be sent home.

The Australian Government has stressed that practicing good hygiene and keeping a physical distance between individuals are in place to fight this virus.

People may be concerned during this time and may be self-isolating or limiting contact outside their home. People living in Melbourne are unable to travel for study and all training must be delivered remotely or delayed if delivery cannot be provided. We encourage all RTOs to be aware of these situations and consider all student concerns.

The Australian Government has placed certain restrictions on gatherings and businesses. Currently these restrictions do not apply to education institutions. However you must check if there are any restrictions in place in your state or territory and only operate based on what activities are permissible. It is ultimately up to individual RTOs to decide whether they remain open based on their own risk assessment of the situation. RTOs can reinforce to students the additional measures they are putting in place to promote good hygiene practices.

It is important that RTOs maintain records on a student-by-student basis detailing the reasons why a student may not have attended, and how they have implemented adaptive measures to assist students during this period.

For more information to help stop the spread, the Australian Government Department of Health has released resources for employers and others; and Safe Work Australia has released guidance on physical distancing and hygiene measures for universities, RTOs and ELICOS providers.

On 3 May 2021, the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC) provided additional advice relating to the delivery of the first aid units of competency from the HLT Training Package, and particularly relating to training and assessment of CPR.

RTOs may resume delivering cardiopulmonary resuscitation as normal with appropriate risk assessments and compliance with State and Territory Health requirements. Reasonable adjustments can also be provided to individuals who have particular concerns surrounding the CPR assessment process. This includes having students perform breaths to the side of the manikin.

All other Assessment Requirements must also be assessed.

In assessing these units of competency, assessors must meet the trainer and assessor requirements of the Standards for RTOs and must also a hold current first aid certificate of HLTAID003 or higher.

RTOs must retain appropriate records of the reasonable adjustment applied for students.

Excluding training in Melbourne, it is ultimately up to individual providers to decide whether they continue to deliver practical training and assessment in a face-to-face environment, based on a risk assessment of the situation. You must check if there are any specific restrictions in place in your state or territory and only operate based on what activities are permissible.

Excluding training in Melbourne, where it is not possible to modify practical training and assessment, providers can continue to deliver practical training that requires close interaction, but must implement other measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including limiting the number of participants in any task and ensuring equipment is cleaned between each use.

Any student who is unwell, or who is required to self-isolate, must not attend class and must be sent home.

For more information to help stop the spread, the Australian Government Department of Health has released resources for employers and others; and Safe Work Australia has released guidance on physical distancing and hygiene measures for universities, RTOs and ELICOS providers.

As students are unable to attend work placement at present, can I conduct the full assessment by simulation?

Where assessment conditions state that assessment of skills must be conducted in the workplace, the unit cannot be assessed entirely by simulation.

In the above example, the assessment conditions allow the use of simulations only where the full range of contexts and situations have not been provided in the workplace (where the skill to be assessed would generally only occur in an emergency or unplanned situation), and not where the entire range of contexts and situations are not provided.