Provider closures

A testamur is an official certification document that confirms that a qualification has been awarded to an individual.  In Australia this may be called a ‘certificate’, ‘award’, ‘parchment’ or ‘laureate’.

A statement of attainment recognises that one or more accredited units has been achieved by a student. 

When closing, an registered training organisation (RTO) is expected to issue:

• an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) testamur and record of results to any student who has completed the requirements of the relevant qualification, or
• a statement of attainment to a student who has not completed the requirements of a qualification, but has completed one or more units of competency.

You will need evidence of the competencies you have achieved to transfer and continue the rest of your training at another RTO. The easiest way to do this is to provide the new RTO with a statement of attainment.

If you have been unable to obtain either a statement of attainment or testamur, ASQA may be able to assist you with a letter and transcript confirming competencies that you have achieved. This confirmation is only possible if ASQA holds records of competency completion from the closed RTO.

Legislation requires closing RTOs to provide ASQA with student records. The register of student records shows which student records ASQA  holds from providers that have closed. The transfer of student records can take some time, and some RTOs do not provide complete records.

You can contact the ASQA Info Line on 1300 701 801 to find out if ASQA can provide you with a copy of your records.

If you are part way through a unit and do not have a copy of your statement of attainment, make sure you keep any copies of your assessment items and any assessment feedback you have received.

These items are useful when applying for recognition of prior learning with your new training provider. We explain this process in step five.

In most cases, when a training provider closes, the provider or liquidator will help you transfer to an alternative provider.

If the closing provider or liquidator is not helping you to transfer, you will need to contact one of the organisations listed below.

Domestic students

Tuition protection schemes

Some providers are covered by a tuition protection scheme that includes assisting students to transfer their training if their provider closes. One major program is the Australian Student Tuition Assurance Scheme (ASTAS). To find out if this scheme covers your provider, and what assistance is available, visit the ASTAS activation portal.

International students

If you are a student from overseas on a student visa, you will need to contact the Tuition Protection Service to arrange transfer to another approved provider and to ensure your visa remains current.

To gain direct credit for completed units, you will need to provide the new training provider with acceptable documentation of the competencies you have obtained.

Acceptable documentation includes:

• a statement of attainment, or
• a letter and transcript from ASQA that confirms competencies achieved (if ASQA has been provided with these records)

Sometimes it will not be possible to provide this documentation, particularly if your provider closed before they finalised your assessment.

In this situation, you would use evidence of assessment and other documentation to apply for recognition of prior learning (RPL). RPL is a process through which your competency is assessed based on a range of evidence from prior formal and informal learning.

You can use a variety of documentation to apply for RPL. Documents include, but are not limited to:

• records of completed training
• assessment items
• assessment records
• declarations from your employer
• a letter from ASQA verifying copies of your student records (if ASQA has been provided with these records).

Each provider has its own RPL process, so speak to your new provider about how to apply.

When a provider is in liquidation or ceases to operate, you need to contact the training provider or the liquidator for any course fee matters.

ASQA does not have a role in recovering course fees. However, we can provide you with the contact details of the liquidator.

When a provider charges fees up-front of more than $1500, they must maintain tuition assurance to provide for alternative training or refunds in the event of a closure. See the ‘Tuition protection schemes’ section under step 4, above, for contact information.

If you believe you are owed a refund and the training provider or liquidator does not assist you, contact the relevant consumer affairs agency in your state or territory.