ASQA | Spotlight On - Marketing and advertising, Chapter 4
Keeping your information current and updated
In this chapter, we discuss the information you need to include in your marketing and advertising materials, and how to keep them current and updated.
Information to include in advertising
Potential and enrolled students need to have easy access to the following information:
- details of the training and assessment services you provide, including the mode of delivery
- your obligations as a training provider to a student, noting your responsibility in:
- demonstrating compliance with the Standards for RTOs
- delivering quality training and assessment
- issuing the certification.
- information on any impacts on students if they choose to undertake funded or subsidised training with you – including any future eligibility for such funding
- the complaints and appeals processes available to students
- how students are safeguarded in an event of your provider not being able to continue delivering the course – including their eligibility for refunds
- a student’s rights to a statutory cooling off period, if applicable
- obligations as a student, such as:
- payment conditions, including timing of payments, deposit requirements and the cost
- repayment of any debt incurred under VET Student Loans
- the requirements of the course, that are needed for them to complete the course including technology requirements for online learning
- any materials or equipment that they may need to supply during the course.
- all advertising and marketing material (including social media, television and radio) provided by your RTO—or a third-party on your behalf—must:
- be in the name of your RTO or CRICOS provider only, and not use that of any business conducting advertising, marketing or recruitment on your behalf
- include the registration code of your RTO or CRICOS provider
- include the code and title of any training product as published on the National Register (training.gov.au).
Inform your students
As a training provider, you need to ensure all marketing and advertising materials contain accurate, current and clear information. This information needs to be accessible and available to all potential and enrolled students.
ASQA has an information page for students on choosing a course and provider. The page contains details on obligations of training providers, including required information you will need to provide.
Fees and payment conditions
All marketing and advertising materials need to provide accurate pricing information.
If the fee payments are subsidised or discounted, they need to be clearly indicated on the advertising materials. You need to provide information on:
- students’ eligibility for a subsidy
- how it may impact their future eligibility for other funding.
Keeping it current
You will need to keep all marketing and advertising materials updated when your operations or details change. If you work with a third-party provider which issues marketing materials on your behalf, they need to receive the updated copies for distribution.
Changes that will affect information in your marketing materials can include:
- changes to course details, cost or duration
- revised third-party agreements
- new contact details for your provider
- changes to the services you offer.
Tips on keeping your information current and updated
Our infographic below summarises the key considerations of this chapter.
Download our guide
Our print-ready handy guide wraps up all the chapters in this series and is available as a PDF.
Case study
ASQA takes regulatory action against businesses that breach the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (NVR Act).
The case study below is based on a real-life scenario.
An ASQA investigation into the misrepresentation of vocational education training (VET) courses led to a conviction and a $10,000 fine for Qualify Me! Pty Ltd in NSW Local Court in September 2021.
Qualify Me! Pty Ltd was found by Downing Centre Local Court to have contravened section 123A of the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (NVR Act) by advertising a VET course without identifying the issuer of the VET qualification.
Qualify Me! Pty Ltd describes itself as an ‘education facilitator’ and is not a registered training organisation (RTO). The NVR Act outlines that non-RTOs may advertise courses on behalf of RTOs but need to accurately and honestly represent those courses in all marketing and enrolment activities.
The Court found that Qualify Me! Pty Ltd made representations on its website www.qualifyme.edu.au about the availability of VET courses without identifying the name and registration code of the RTO that would be providing the qualifications.
