ASQA | Spotlight On trainers and assessors, Chapter 1
Educational qualifications
Chapter 1 aims to help RTOs recruit qualified trainers and assessors.
When recruiting new trainers and assessors, consider the compliance requirements of the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 (the Standards), to assure your RTO that your students are receiving training and assessment from those who understand how to best deliver vocational education.
Confirming credentials of a trainer or assessor
The Standards require trainers and assessors to hold certain credentials dependent on the role they have, and the training products they deliver, in the RTO.
To see the credentials your employees need to hold, click on the box which matches their job role.
- TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment or its successor or
- TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment plus the following units:
- TAELLN411 (or its successor) or TAELLN401A, and
- TAEASS502 (or its successor) or TAEASS502A or TAEASS502B or
- a diploma or higher level qualification in adult education.
- TAESS00011 Assessor Skill Set or its successor or
- TAESS00001 Assessor Skill Set, plus one of the following:
- TAEASS502 Design and Develop Assessment Tools, or
- TAEASS502A Design and Develop Assessment Tools, or
- TAEASS502B Design and Develop Assessment Tools. or
- TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment or its successor or
- TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment plus the following units:
- TAELLN411 (or its successor) or TAELLN401A
- TAEASS502 (or its successor) or TAEASS502A or TAEASS502B or
- a diploma or higher level qualification in adult education.
- TAE50111 Diploma of Vocational Education and Training, or
- TAE50116 Diploma of Vocational Education and Training or its successor, or
- TAE50211 Diploma of Training Design and Development, or
- TAE50216 Diploma of Training Design and Development or its successor, or
- A higher level qualification in adult education.
Requirements for a higher level qualification in adult education
The Standards allow RTOs to employ a trainer and assessor who has an alternative diploma or higher level qualification in adult education rather than hold the specified training products from the TAE training package. However, how do you as an RTO determine whether your trainer and assessor’s alternative qualification is suitable?
A suitable qualification has:
| ✔ | a diploma or higher level result |
| ✔ | a focus on adult education - units or subjects completed within the qualification need to demonstrate the skills and knowledge required to train adults |
| ✔ | a transcript or record of results that shows their training and focus. |
Examples of suitable adult education qualifications
While a suitable qualification does not need to have the words ‘adult education’ in the title, the transcript or record of results needs to show that focus. Some qualifications which are most likely suitable training and assessment credentials are:
- Associate Degree of Vocational Education and Training
- Bachelor of Adult and Vocational Education
- Graduate Diploma in Adult and Vocational Education and Training
- Graduate Diploma of Adult Language, Literacy and Numeracy
- Master of Education degree with an adult education focus
- CASR Part 61 Flight or Simulator Instructor
- Army Recruit Instructor
Verification practices for compliance
Your RTO can decide how to manage recruitment practices, to ensure a focus on quality and ongoing compliance. However, you should be confident that the systems you implement consistently demonstrate that any decision made resulted in a valid outcome.
Verification of credentials is a critical part of any recruitment process, to assure your RTO that only qualified trainers and assessors are employed, and to manage risk and drive quality. When verifying credentials, as well as sighting transcripts provided by applicants, you could consider approaches such as:
- contacting the institution from which the qualification was earned
- checking the transcript has been confirmed as a true and valid copy
- conducting referee checks to confirm experience in delivering adult education programs.
The verification process is especially important when a candidate presents a qualification obtained overseas. Your RTO needs to be satisfied that any credential meets all compliance needs, and the systems you implement to validate any testamur needs to allow you to confidently demonstrate how the focus of the qualification was at an AQF diploma or higher level in educating adults.
Record keeping
Employment records for trainers and assessors should be kept in a way that is appropriate to your operations.
They should:
- clearly show how the trainer and assessor was determined as appropriately qualified
- include copies of relevant transcripts, academic records or other documentation retained on an employee’s file
- be supported by your organisation’s recruitment policies, including verification processes.
More Spotlight On
View the webinar recording on trainers and assessors
ASQA held a webinar on 4 April 2021 to wrap up our first Spotlight On series about trainers and assessors.
The presenters include ASQA Stakeholder Liaison Group members, TAFE Queensland and ASQA Director, Education and Guidance, Emma Marks.