The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) is the regulatory body for RTOs in:
the Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
the Northern Territory
South Australia
Tasmania, and
RTOs in Victoria and Western Australia that offer courses to overseas students, and/or offer courses to students in states other than Victoria or Western Australia, including online courses.
To become registered to deliver Vocational Education and Training in any state or territory outside of Western Australia and Victoria, or to overseas students, an organisation must meet a range of mandatory requirements, including:
- compliance with all components of the Vocational Education and Training (VET) Quality Framework (VQF), which replaced the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) for ASQA-regulated RTOs on 1 January 2012
- cooperation with ASQA's compliance monitoring activities and directions, and
payment of fees and charges associated with registration.
Organisations must also meet additional requirements when:
seeking registration on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) to offer courses to overseas students, or offering VET courses with additional licensing requirements
Vocational Education and Training (VET) Quality Framework
Organisations registered under ASQA's jurisdiction must comply with the requirements of the VET Quality Framework (VQF), which has the following components:
The Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015, which came into effect for new RTOs on 1 January 2015 and for existing RTOs on 1 April 2015. All RTOs within Australia that fall under the jurisdiction of ASQA must comply with the standards at all times as a condition of their registration.
The Financial Viability Risk Assessment Requirements 2011. These requirements are designed to ensure that organisations generate sufficient income to meet operating expenses while delivering quality training and assessment services.
The Data Provision Requirements 2012. Periodically, RTOs must submit data compliant with the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard (AVETMISS). This includes information about students, their courses and qualifications completed, and provides the mechanism for national reporting about the VET system.
The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a national policy for regulated qualifications within the Australian education and training system, including VET and higher education. It provides learning outcomes for each level and qualification type, in a taxonomic structure designed to enable consistency in the way in which qualifications are described as well as clarity about the differences and relationships between qualification types.