Vocational education and training enables students to gain qualifications for employment, and specific skills to help them in the workplace.
Return to topA vocational education and training (VET) qualification is a formal certification awarded by a training provider in recognition of the successful completion of an occupational or work-related knowledge and skills-based educational program.
There are eight types of VET qualifications:
All VET qualifications must be listed on the National Register, training.gov.au.
Visit the Australian Qualifications Framework website for more information regarding VET qualifications.
Return to topAll training providers on My Skills are registered training organisations (RTOs).
This means they are registered by a state or territory or national regulator (ASQA) recognition authority to deliver training and/or conduct assessments and issue nationally recognised qualifications.
Only RTOs can:
An RTO is an organisation that provides VET qualifications; e.g.
Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is a way of using your existing skills to get a (full or part) formal qualification.
If you have work skills or knowledge acquired through paid or unpaid work experience, life experience or community work; you may be able to get RPL. The RPL process takes into account all the relevant skills, knowledge and experience that you have - regardless of the way you got them.
Having your knowledge and skills formally recognised can help your career development. Recognition of prior learning may:
You don't need to have already been a student or have done formal training. You may be eligible because of your work skills and knowledge, your paid or unpaid work experience, life experience or community work experience.
You will need to be assessed by a qualified assessor. An assessor works for, or on behalf of, a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). You provide evidence that your knowledge and skills meet the required standards. There are many ways of doing this. Evidence of your knowledge and skills can take a variety of forms; it could include a certification (formal qualification or statement of attainment), references from past employers, testimonials from clients, work samples or an assessor may observe you doing tasks and have a conversation with you about your skills. Once the qualification or RPL decision is awarded, it is recognised by every other RTO.
Search My Skills to find the qualification you want. Contact the RTO or training provider that is offering that qualification to find out the best way to demonstrate your prior learning. Talk to an assessor about the evidence you can supply and ask them about applying for RPL. Many education and training providers have information about RPL on their websites.
Return to topThe Unique Student Identifier or USI is a reference number made up of 10 numbers and letters that:
If you are a new or continuing student undertaking nationally recognised training, you need a USI in order to receive your qualification or statement of attainment. If you don't have a USI you will not receive your qualification or statement of attainment.
More information about USI is available here: https://www.usi.gov.au
Return to topEach registered training organisations (RTOs) will provide a range of training delivery options depending on the course and the organisation’s education practices. Options may include:
Australian Apprenticeships are available in a variety of certificate and diploma levels in over 500 occupations across Australia. This covers traditional trades and a diverse range of other careers in business and industry.
Depending on the type of apprenticeship, it can take from one to four years to complete. Apprenticeships combine time at work with training; they can be full-time, part-time or school-based. More information can be found at the Australian Apprenticeships website.
The Australian Apprenticeships Pathways website provides a broad range of Australian Apprenticeships information and resources including sample job and training descriptions, industry-based job pathway charts and practice aptitude quizzes.
Return to topMany registered training organisations (RTOs) offer group training courses tailored to meet specific industry needs. To make training more accessible some RTOs will provide training at your business’s choice of premises. On the My Skills website this is referred to as ‘off-site training’. Contact the RTO directly to find out if they deliver training to suit your needs.
Return to topTime of enrolment varies throughout the vocational education and training (VET) sector. To find out when you can enrol you need to contact the RTO directly to confirm the course availability and enrolment process.
Follow these steps
Australia’s vocational education and training (VET) system has strong quality assurance arrangements in place to support quality education and training outcomes for students and employers.
The National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (the NVETR Act) and the National Standards for VET Regulators 2011 outline the requirements of training organisations, and what students can expect from RTOs.
The national standards require that RTOs:
There are further protections for students undertaking study with an approved VET FEE-HELP provider. From pre-enrolment with an approved provider through to the student undertaking their study, the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) includes a number of measures to protect students, including tuition assurance; for example, in the event of the provider ceasing to offer a unit, the student can choose between being placed with an alternate provider or having their fees refunded.
Return to topIf you are not satisfied with the quality of service or training being provided, and you think your training provider is breaching, or has breached, its legal requirements under National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (the NVETR Act); the first thing to do is to have your complaint investigated through your RTO’s internal complaints and appeals processes
Australian students (including permanent residents)
If you are not satisfied with the outcome after following your RTO’s internal procedures, and still believe your RTO is breaching or has breached its legal requirements, you have several options:
It is important that you can show the regulator that you have followed your RTO’s formal complaints procedure and the response that you received from them.
State | Ombudsman’s Website |
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ACT | www.ombudsman.act.gov.au |
NSW | www.ombo.nsw.gov.au |
NT | www.omb-hcscc.nt.gov.au |
TAS | www.ombudsman.tas.gov.au |
WA | www.ombudsman.wa.gov.au |
QLD | www.ombudsman.qld.gov.au |
VIC | www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au |
SA | www.trainingadvocate.sa.gov.au |
Students enrolled with a private RTO can lodge complaints with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The ACCC will only have jurisdiction to investigate complaints that are in breach of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Visit the ACCC website for details on how to submit a complaint.
If students enrolled with an approved VET FEE-HELP provider think the actions of their provider have led to them incurring a HELP debt unfairly, they can lodge a complaint with the Department of Industry. Students can contact the Department by emailing [email protected].
Overseas students
If you are an overseas student in Australia on an overseas student visa, and you are not satisfied with the outcome or the way the training provider handled your complaint, you are entitled to take your complaint to an external appeals body.
Overseas students enrolled with a public training provider can lodge an external appeal with their State Ombudsman Offices (listed above).
Overseas students enrolled in a private training provider can lodge an external appeal with the Commonwealth Overseas Students Ombudsman (www.oso.gov.au).
All students
The organisation that assesses your foreign qualification depends on what you need it assessed for.
Migration
See the Department of Immigration and Border Protection for information about the recognition of foreign qualifications for migration.
Employment
The requirements to work in Australia depend on the occupation:
Study
The education provider is responsible for the recognition of foreign qualifications for admission to study, see Study in Australia.
Return to topTrades Recognition Australia (TRA) is a skills assessment service provider and is the designated assessing authority for a range of trade and associate professional occupations under the Migration Regulations 1994. TRA conducts skills assessments for applicants who are seeking to migrate to Australia on a temporary or permanent basis.
TRA also manages assessments for Australian residents seeking recognition in an automotive, electrical or metal trade for employment purposes and/or to access occupational licensing.
TRA can be contacted on the details below for further information about TRA and the skills assessment services it provides.
Web: Trades Recognition Australia - Home
Email: [email protected]
Telephone (within Australia): 1300 360 992 (10am – 12pm; 1pm – 4pm)
Telephone (outside Australia) : +61 2 6102 8790 (10am – 12pm; 1pm – 4pm)
Return to topThe language of vocational education and training (VET) can be complicated. The aim of the My Skills glossary is provide definitions of the VET-related terminology used on the My Skills website to help you better understand VET.
Term | Definition |
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Accredited course |
Most nationally endorsed training is covered in current training packages (see ‘training packages’ in glossary for more information); however, sometimes all the skill requirements for industry, enterprises and the community are not covered by the training packages already in place. This additional training is covered in accredited courses. Like training package qualifications, accredited courses are nationally recognised and only a registered training organisation (RTO) can issue a nationally recognised qualification or Statement of Attainment following its full or partial completion. Accredited courses may be:
|
Advanced Diploma |
A qualification under the Australian Qualifications Framework. Graduates at this level will have broad knowledge and skills for paraprofessional/highly skilled work and/or further learning |
Apprentice |
A person who is:
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Australian apprenticeships |
Covers all Australian apprenticeships and traineeships.
|
Australian Qualifications Framework(AQF) |
The Australian Qualifications Framework is the national policy for regulated qualifications in Australian education and training. It incorporates the qualifications from each education and training sector into a single comprehensive national qualifications framework. |
Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) |
A national regulatory body for the vocational education and training (VET) sector. ASQA are responsible for course accreditation and the regulation of registered training organisations. |
Certificate |
A qualification showing that a student has achieved learning outcomes as described in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). |
Diploma |
A qualification under the Australian Qualifications Framework.
|
Fee-for-service training |
Most or all of the cost of this training is borne by the student or a person or organisation on behalf of the student.
|
Term | Definition |
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Graduate Certificate |
A qualification under the Australian Qualifications Framework.
|
Graduate Diploma |
A qualification under the Australian Qualifications Framework.
|
Legal name |
The name by which a registered training organisation is legally known. This name may differ from the trading name. |
National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) |
Collects, analyses, evaluates and communicates research and statistics about vocational education and training (VET). |
National Register |
The National Register for vocational education and training (VET) is a record of all training organisations formally approved to deliver VET services by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (or, in some cases, a state regulator). |
Qualification |
Formal certification awarded in recognition of the successful completion of an educational program. Vocational education and training (VET) qualifications are awarded when a person has satisfied all requirements of the units of competency or modules that comprise an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualification . |
Recognition of prior learning (RPL) |
Recognition of prior learning identifies your skills, knowledge and experiences no matter where, when or how you gained them. It offers the opportunity to have these attributes count towards a formal qualification. Your skills and knowledge are matched to current industry qualifications so you can gain that formal recognition. |
Registered training organisation (RTO) |
An organisation registered in accordance with vocational education and training (VET) legislation to deliver and/or assess nationally recognised training in accordance with the Australian Quality Training Framework. RTOs are also referred to as training organisations, and all RTOs are listed on the National Register, training.gov.au . |
RTO code |
A nationally unique code a registered training organisation (RTO) has been allocated to use for an identified period of time. An organisation's RTO code on My Skills is the same as on the National Register, training.gov.au . |
Term | Definition |
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Scope |
The units of competency, qualifications and accredited courses that a registered training organisation (RTO) is registered to deliver and/or assess. The scope found for a training organisation on My Skills is the same as on the National Register, training.gov.au. |
Statement of attainment |
Formal certification provided by a registered training organisation, confirming that the person has achieved:
|
Subsidies |
Money or other financial incentives paid by a government to help in the delivery and participation of students in training courses. |
Technical and Further Education (TAFE) |
Technical and further education institution; a registered training organisation owned and operated by a state government, or public provider of training. |
Trading name |
The particular name by which a registered training organisation is publicly known. |
Training options (delivery) |
A training organisation’s approach to providing education and training. An organisation’s training options dictates the training delivery modes available to students. Face-to-face is the more traditional training delivery mode, whilst flexible service delivery models may involve distance education, mixed-mode delivery, online learning, self-paced learning, self-directed learning, or combinations of these. |
Training.gov.au (TGA) |
The National Register of information on training packages, qualifications, courses, units of competency and registered training organisations (RTOs). |
Training package |
A training package is a set of nationally endorsed standards and qualifications for recognising and assessing people's skills in a specific industry, industry sector or enterprise. |
Term | Definition |
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Unit of competency |
Units of competency are the building blocks of a qualification. Each unit of competency identifies a distinct workplace requirement or skill needed to perform the task effectively in the workplace. This can include work knowledge and skills, language, literacy and numeracy, or occupational health and safety requirements. |
VET course |
A vocational education and training (VET) course is defined by the
|
VET FEE-HELP |
Assistance for tuition fees available to eligible students studying higher level vocational education and training (VET) qualifications (Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma courses). |
Vocational Education and Training (VET) |
Vocational education and training (VET) is training in technical, job-related skills. It provides students with specific skills to help them in the workplace, and enables them to gain qualifications for all types of employment. All of the training on the My Skills website is VET. |
The training organisation statistics on My Skills may assist you in deciding which organisation best suits your needs. However, please note that not all training organisations currently have statistics on My Skills, and in all cases it is best to contact the training organisation directly to see what they can offer.
Qualifications issued (2012) is the number of qualifications that the RTO has reported they issued in the year. The relevant year is a year behind other information such as student numbers. Some RTOs may have reported only publicly funded qualifications.
Completion rates by RTO are not currently available. The statistics about qualifications issued are not comparable to statistics about student numbers. As RTOs transition to reporting all activity (not just that which was publicly funded), data from one year may not be comparable with data from previous years.
Return to topThe training organisation statistics have been derived from the National VET Provider Collection, published by the National Centre for Vocation Education Research (NCVER). The National VET Provider Collection is compiled under the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard (AVETMISS), Release 6.1. For further information on the data collection, visit the NCVER's AVETMISS FAQ page.
Data is not shown for activity relating to five students or fewer.
RTO activity statistics do not include the following types of training activity:
My Skills reflects training activity reported by the provider to NCVER , through the relevant State Training Authority. From 2015, RTOs will report all nationally recognised training activity and this will be reflected in My Skills from 2016. Some providers already report their total training activity while others are transitioning to this (from reporting publicly-funded activity only). The change means that data from different years will not necessarily be comparable.
Return to topThe following sections describe each group of training organisation statistics.
Commencing Students are the number of students that commenced the qualification course for the first time that year.
Students are the total number of students who undertook training, noting the scope exclusions above.
Subject Enrolments are the total number of student enrolments in subjects/modules/units of competency.
Hours of Training Delivered represents the hours of supervised training delivered by the RTO. It is calculated by adding the defined Agreed Nominal Hours per unit of competency delivered. The Agreed Nominal Hours per unit of competency list can be found on NCVER's website at http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/1942.html.
Full Year Training Equivalent is the measure of the training activity undertaken by a student on a full-time basis for one year. Calculations are based on hours of training (720 hours=1 Full Year Training Equivalent).
Return to topThe average price information provides consumers with an indication of approximate course enrolment/training costs. Registered training providers have the option to provide a student’s maximum training course cost. The average price is determined by using the median of the supplied training costs.
The average pricing information on My Skills may assist you in deciding which course best suits your needs. However, please note that not all training organisations currently have this information on My Skills, and in all cases it is best to contact the training organisation directly to see what they can offer.
Return to topStudents by Qualification Level refers to the percentage of students enrolled at each qualification level that year.
Non-AQF qualifications refers to courses not represented under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). It includes subject only enrolments, secondary education, non-award courses, and other education (bridging and enabling courses, statements of attainment not identifiable by level, and education not elsewhere classified).
Students by Field of Education is an Australian Bureau of Statistics classification that describes the broad area of study related to a qualification in which a student is enrolled.
Students by Intended Occupation Outcome (ANZSCO) uses the Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO), First Edition, Revision 1, 2009 classifications for occupation. This identifies occupations according to their primary purpose related to a qualification in which a student is enrolled.
For more information please refer to ANZSCO cat. no. 1220.0 on the Australian Bureau of Statistics website.
GEN codes refer to general education courses that are ‘not occupationally specific' and ‘non-industry specific training'.
Students by Industry Skills Council and Auto Skills Australia identifies the Industry Skills Council or Auto Skills Australia in which the student enrolled into the qualification is attached. These are the 11 national Industry Skills Councils and Auto Skills Australia that provide advice to Australian, state and territory governments on the training that is required by industry, and who are responsible for all Training Packages.
Training Package refers to the students enrolled in qualifications from a Training Package produced by one of the 11 Industry Skills Councils and Auto Skills Australia. Many of these are grouped for reporting purposes and the three initials represent the start of the Training Package code in that group.
Return to topStudent characteristics include:
Indigenous indicates a student who self-identifies as being of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
Disability indicates whether the student considers themself to have a disability, impairment or long-term condition.
Apprentice/trainee students refers to apprentices and trainees enrolled in the public Vocational Education and Training (VET) system for off-the-job training.
Non English speaking background refers to students that have identified the main language spoken at home being non-English.
Socio economic status refers to the Australian Bureau of Statistics Socio-economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA), publication 2033.0.55.001, 2006 (Table 3). It is derived by matching the student's Statistical Local Area (SLA) to Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage information. This provides a general measure of socio-economic well-being based on the Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage.
Return to topThese statistics detail information on the outcomes of graduates approximately six months after they completed their Vocational Education and Training (VET). The employment outcomes, average salaries, and top three occupations and industries are shown for graduates. Data is displayed at three different levels:
Data is sourced from the Student Outcomes Survey, conducted by NCVER, which focuses on students' employment outcomes and satisfaction with VET in Australia.
The Student Outcomes Survey is an annual survey, which covers students who have an Australian address as their usual address and are awarded a qualification (graduates) or who successfully complete part of a course and then leave the VET system (module completers). Students who undertake recreational, leisure or personal enrichment (short) courses are excluded. The survey has included students from all VET providers (not just TAFE), as well as students whose training was on a fee-for-service basis.
For further information on the data collection and the terms and definitions of these statistics please visit the Student Outcomes information at NCVER.
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