Regulatory issues

As required by the Standards for RTOs, an RTO must have documented training and assessment strategies. Records of adaptations made for individuals (or individual classes) may be captured across multiple documents.

ASQA recognises that providers may need to implement temporary measures as they adapt and respond to the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

ASQA is committed to providing a flexible regulatory approach to support providers to maintain quality.

We’ve released an online form that makes it easy for you to meet your obligations of notifying us of temporary changes to where you deliver training. You can use this form to let us know if you have temporarily ceased all or part of your operations, or made any adjustments to delivery modes or methods. 

While the Australian Government has placed certain restrictions on gatherings and businesses, these restrictions do not apply to education institutions. You should check if there are any restrictions in place in your state or territory and only operate based on what activities are permissible. Where staff are working from home, RTOs should ensure it has all resources available to staff to be able to continue to meet its obligations.

There is no specific requirement in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) regarding printing testamurs and statements of attainment. Further, in this current environment, it may be more suitable to issue testamurs electronically.

Providers must still ensure the document is protected against fraudulent issuance and that the person who has issued the testamur is authorised to do so. Including a unique identifier (such as a document number) that is mapped to a qualifications issuance register allows a provider to keep record of all testamurs issued. PDF documents can also be marked with a digital signature to maintain integrity and authenticity of the document.

Providers may consider sending a printed copy of the testamur when it is able.

While the Australian Government has placed certain restrictions on gatherings and businesses, these restrictions do not apply to education institutions. You should check if there are any restrictions in place in your state or territory and only operate based on what activities are permissible.

Where staff are working from home, providers should ensure it has all resources available to staff to be able to continue to meet its obligations.

Providers may need to develop procedures to put in place to ensure it is able to continue to maintain suitable records, including reporting for state / territory funding requirements, should all staff work from home.