Qualifications and statements of attainment

All RTOs registered with ASQA must comply with the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Compliance Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations and Fit and Proper Person Requirements) Instrument 2025 (the Compliance Requirements) and the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), when issuing qualifications and statements of attainment.

Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications

ASQA has developed a Fact Sheet which provides sample forms of AQF certification documentation for nationally recognised VET qualifications. RTOs can use this fact sheet to confirm which information to record on qualifications, statements of attainment and records of results.

Most importantly, a student’s Unique Student Identifier must not be entered onto any official certification or results statement.

For information on AQF requirements, refer to:

• The AQF Second Edition, which provides the complete set of AQF policies and objectives, and information about the governing and monitoring arrangements for the AQF
• The AQF Qualifications Issuance Policy which sits within the AQF Second Edition
• AQF Certification Documentation: An Explanation, which explains the information required by the AQF—this document provides examples of testamur, the record of results and statement of attainment.

For details on the additional requirements refer to clause 11 of the Compliance Requirements.

The Unique Student Identifier (USI)

All RTOs must comply with clause 12 of the Compliance Requirements which relates to the Unique Student Identifier Scheme (USI).

Students with a USI can access an online record and comprehensive transcript of their VET certification achieved post 1 January 2015.

Unless exempt, your RTO must only issue a qualification or statement of attainment to a learner after:

• the learner has provided you with a USI, which you have verified, or
• you have applied for a USI on behalf of the learner.

Qualification documentation

RTOs are required to produce certified documentation of testamurs, statements of attainment and records of results.

The AQF defines a testamur as ‘an official certification document that confirms that a qualification has been awarded to an individual’.

A learner who has completed all of the required units of competency or modules (as specified in the training package qualification or accredited course) is entitled to receive both a testamur and a record of results.

The record of results may be printed on the back of the testamur or provided separately.

A statement of attainment should only be issued upon a student’s exit from a training program, whether the student has completed the full program or not. It should not be issued as an interim progress statement to a student who is continuing the same qualification or course.