Trainer and Assessor Regulatory Requirements Fact Sheet - Print Version - PDF
A highly skilled and knowledgeable Vocational Education and Training (VET) workforce is the cornerstone of quality training outcomes for the learner and the community. The Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 (the Standards) recognise this by requiring those that deliver and/or assess nationally recognised training to be vocationally competent and hold a ‘training and assessment credential’.
There are numerous references to the requirements of trainers and assessors throughout the Standards including:
- Provision of training and assessment (Clauses 1.13 and 1.14);
- Current industry skills of trainers and assessors (Clause 1.6 b);
- Validation of assessment practices and judgements (Clauses 1.9 and 1.11);
- Assessment only services (Clause 1.15);
- Professional development of trainers and assessors (Clause 1.16);
- Supervision of non-qualified trainers (Clauses 1.17 and 1.18); and
- Delivery of TAE training and assessment qualifications (Clauses 1.22, 1.23 and 1.24).
The training and assessment credential requirements of trainers and assessors to demonstrate compliance with each of these clauses are also explained in detail in Schedule 1 of the Standards.
On 25 August 2023, Skills Ministers agreed to make early changes to the current Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015. These early changes are designed to address current pressures on the VET workforce and provide more immediate benefits to the sector. The changes are in areas that had broad sector support in the early consultation process undertaken by the Commonwealth Government’s Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). This Fact Sheet explores a number of these changes which specifically involve Trainer and Assessor Regulatory Requirements such as:
- Reflecting new and updated training products from the Training and Education (TAE) Training Package;
- Enabling people who hold an education degree to be engaged as trainers and/or assessors;
- Enabling people actively working towards the Certificate IV or Diploma from the TAE Training Package to deliver training and contribute to assessment under supervision; and
- Enabling broader use of industry experts.
Trainer and Assessment (Clause 1.14)
As well as holding one of the above credentials, Trainers and Assessors must also be able to demonstrate vocational competence, remain up-to-date with industry standards, possess current VET skills and knowledge, and continuously enhance their vocational competence through ongoing professional development.
Where the RTO requires an individual to provide both training and assessment services on its behalf, the trainer and assessor must hold one of the following:
- TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment or its successor; or
- TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment; or
- TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment plus the following units:
- TAELLN401A or TAELLN411 (or its successor) Address adult language, literacy and numeracy skills; and
- TAEASS502A or TAEASS502B or TAEASS502 (or its successor) Design and develop assessment tools; or
- a diploma or higher-level qualification in adult education; or
- a credential issued by a higher education provider (as defined in section 16-1 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003) which would enable the individual to satisfy the academic requirements for registration as a secondary school teacher in accordance with the registration requirements in at least one State or Territory, and one of the credentials, or the successor to one of the following credentials:
- TAESS00011/TAESS00019 – Assessor Skill Set (or its successor); or
- TAESS00024 – VET Delivered to School Students Teacher Enhancement Skill Set (or its successor).
The Standards now allow individuals with secondary school teacher education degrees, who also undertake a skill set, to qualify as trainers and assessors, recognising their prior qualifications and experience. This provision aims to facilitate the entry of qualified secondary educators into the VET sector.
In Western Australia, registration as a teacher is the responsibility of the Teachers Registration Board (TRBWA). To meet the TRBWA requirements “A person must hold a teaching qualification from an accredited initial teacher education (ITE) program or one that the TRBWA recognises as equivalent to such a qualification”.
The TRBWA does not categorise registration by specialisation (Early Childhood, Primary, or Secondary), however the Standards for RTOs require a Secondary Education qualification. Consequently, only qualifications that specify secondary education will meet the credential requirements as specified in the Standards.
The full list of qualifications from WA higher education providers meeting the requirement for registration with the TRBWA is available on their website. A list of qualifications from other Australian higher education providers is available on the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership website.
For qualifications not on these lists, RTOs must provide evidence demonstrating how their trainers and assessors meet this requirement, specifically regarding Australian qualifications equivalent to those required for secondary school teacher registration in at least one Australian state or territory.
The following evidence would demonstrate that an individual’s qualification meets the secondary school teacher criterion:
- proof of registration or previous registration as a teacher with any Australian Teacher Registration Authority. In Western Australia, the relevant regulatory authority is the Teacher Registration Board of Western Australia; and
- a teaching qualification from an Australian accredited initial teacher program (or an Australian qualification deemed as equivalent); and
- a curriculum vitae or statement of employment from a previous or current employer, demonstrating current or previous employment as a secondary school teacher.
Frequently Asked Questions - Individuals with secondary teaching qualifications
Do individuals have to be currently registered as a secondary school teacher to deliver training and assessment?
Individuals with a qualification that enables registration as a secondary school teacher do not need to be currently registered as a teacher, they only need to meet the academic requirements for registration as a secondary school teacher in at least one state or territory.
Do individuals need to meet the academic requirements for secondary teacher registration in the state or territory in which they live or work?
The credential would need to enable the individual to satisfy the academic requirements for registration as a secondary school teacher in accordance with the registration requirements in at least one state or territory – this does not necessarily need to be the state or territory in which the individual currently lives or delivers training, recognising that many RTOs operate across multiple jurisdictions.
How current must the teaching qualification be?
As long as an individual satisfies the academic requirements for registration as a secondary school teacher in at least one state or territory, this will be considered satisfactory for the purposes of the Standards.
How are we ensuring people with education degrees understand training packages and VET delivery?
The Assessor Skill Set and VET Delivered to School Students Teacher Enhancement Skill Set, which individuals with a secondary teaching qualification will also be required to hold in order to train and assess independently, both contain units on assessing competence, participating in assessment validation, and using nationally recognised training products to meet vocational training needs. These skill sets bridge the gap with the necessary VET knowledge, as tested with VET regulators and other stakeholders. Providers will still ultimately be responsible for ensuring that people delivering training and assessment have current knowledge and skills in vocational teaching and learning.
For those with a secondary teaching qualification only, they will need to work under the supervision of a fully qualified trainer and assessor who monitors and is accountable for the quality of training and assessment they are involved in.
What level of supervision is required for individuals with secondary teaching qualifications?
Consistent with existing supervision requirements enshrined in clause 1.20 of the Standards, the RTO will need to determine an appropriate level of supervision and any conditions or restrictions considered necessary on the individual’s involvement in the delivery of training and collection of assessment evidence. The RTO will also need to ensure that trainers providing supervision monitor and are accountable for the training and assessment undertaken by the person under their supervision.
How can RTOs evidence that trainers and assessors with eligible teaching degrees meet the academic requirements for teacher registration?
RTOs are not expected to contact teacher registration bodies to obtain evidence or to confirm an individual’s eligibility to satisfy the academic requirements for registration as a secondary school teacher. For RTO verification practices for compliance, please refer to the previous section of this Fact Sheet.
Do the changes enable individuals with overseas teaching qualifications to deliver training and assessment?
No. Due to the requirement that the credential be issued by a higher education provider as defined in section 16-1 of the Higher Education Support Act, individuals who hold overseas qualifications are not able to deliver training and assessment with their teaching qualification.
Assessment only (Clause 1.15)
Where the RTO requires an individual to provide assessment only services on its behalf, the assessor must hold one of the following:
- Any of the credentials noted above for Clause 1.14 related to training and assessing; or
- TAESS00011 Assessor Skill Set, or its successor; or
- TAESS00001 Assessor Skill Set, and one of the following;
- TAEASS502A or TAEASS502B or TAEASS502 (or its successor) Design and Develop Assessment Tools
Supervision Arrangements (Clauses 1.17 and 1.18)
Where the RTO retains the services of a person who does not hold the required competencies as a trainer and assessor, the RTO ensures that it has established adequate supervision arrangements which are to be provided by a qualified trainer (as noted above) and that the individual working under supervision holds one of the following credentials or its successor that is relevant to the learner cohort which the individual is involved in training or assessing. The credentials include:
- TAESS00003/TAESS00015 Enterprise Trainer and Assessor Skill Set; or
- TAESS00007/TAESS00014 Enterprise Trainer – Presenting Skill Set; or
- TAESS00008/TAESS00013 Enterprise Trainer – Mentoring Skill Set; or
- TAESS00021 Facilitation Skill Set; or
- TAESS00029 Volunteer Trainer Delivery Skill Set; or
- TAESS00030 Volunteer Trainer Delivery and Assessment Contribution Skill Set; or
- TAESS00020 Workplace Trainer Skill Set; or
- TAESS00028 Workplace Skill Instructor Skill Set; or
- TAESS00022 Young Learner Delivery Skill Set; or
- A credential issued by a higher education provider (as defined in section 16-1 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003) which would enable the individual to satisfy the academic requirements for registration as a secondary school teacher in accordance with the registration requirements in at least one State or Territory.
In Clause 1.18a, the Standards now also provide another option, specifically that a person can also be actively working towards one of the following credentials or its successor:
- TAE40116/TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment; or
- TAE50116/TAE50122 Diploma of Vocational Education and Training; or
- TAE50216 Diploma of Training Design and Development.
The Standards define ‘actively working towards’ to mean that the individual is enrolled in and has commenced and is making satisfactory progress toward completing within two years of commencement, a specified training and assessment credential. What satisfactory progress entails would need to be determined on an individual basis but would involve checking in to ensure the individual is on track to complete within two years of commencement, and any identified issues with the individual’s progress are addressed. The intention is to prevent cases where an individual is perpetually working towards a credential without making any progress.
Individuals who are actively working towards a relevant credential are still required to meet other requirements imposed on trainers and assessors under the Standards, including holding relevant vocational competencies and current industry skills.
Consistent with existing supervision requirements enshrined in clause 1.20 of the Standards, the RTO will need to determine an appropriate level of supervision and any conditions or restrictions considered necessary based on the individual and where they are up to, noting the level of supervision is likely to evolve as the individual progresses. The RTO will also need to ensure that trainers providing supervision monitor and are accountable for the training and assessment undertaken by the person under their supervision.
Delivery of Training and Assessment qualifications from the TAE Training and Education training package (Clauses 1.22 to 1.24)
RTOs that deliver TAE qualifications, the Assessor Skills Set or the Teacher Enhancements Skills set are required to have access to trainers and assessors that:
- hold the training and assessment credential at least to the level being delivered; and
- hold one of the following credentials:
- TAE50111/TAE50116/TAE50122 (or its successor)- Diploma of Vocational Education and Training; or
- TAE50211/TAE50216( or its successor) - Diploma of Training Design and Development; or
- a higher-level qualification in adult education; or
- work under the supervision of a trainer that meets the requirements set out above.
For further information see the TAC Fact Sheet - Delivery of Training and Assessment Qualifications.
Alternate Credential - Diploma or Higher-Level in Adult Education
RTOs can also demonstrate compliance with the Standards where its trainers and assessors hold a credential in adult education at a diploma or higher level.
Where an RTO chooses to utilise trainers and assessors that hold a ‘diploma or higher-level qualification in adult education’ it is incumbent on the RTO to confirm that the credential held:
- satisfies the requirements of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) at level 5 or higher; and
- is in ‘adult education’ and has relevance to delivery and assessment of VET and competency-based training and assessment.
Adult Education
It is also a requirement of the Standards that the credential has a focus on training and assessing adults, however, the Standards are silent on providing an explanation or definition of ‘adult education’. Some direction is available in Standard 1 where Clause 1.13c outlines that VET skills and knowledge is required, and Clause 1.6 outlines that VET and competency-based training and assessment expertise is required.
Numerous qualifications specifically use the term ‘adult education’ in their title, and these will provide the RTO with a point of reference. However, many other qualifications have a focus on adult education that do not use the phrase in the title, thus requiring the RTO to substantiate its relevance to the delivery of nationally recognised VET and competency-based training to adult learners.
RTOs should use the qualification certificate along with further corroborating evidence, such as an academic transcript or record of results, in determining if the focus of the qualification is in adult education relevant to VET and competency-based training and assessment. It would be expected that the qualification would, as a minimum, include equivalent content to that of the TAE Certificate IV in Training and Assessment such as[1]:
- Learning Theory in Adult and Vocational Education;
- High-level Facilitation Skills in Adult and Vocational Education;
- The Adult and Vocational Education System in Australia;
- Assessment and Evaluation practices;
- Teaching Adult Numeracy in Adult and Vocational Education;
- Teaching Adult Literacy in Adult and Vocational Education; and
- Issues of LLN Practice in Adult and Vocational Education.
The following may assist RTOs in making a judgement of the relevance of a high-level qualification to satisfy the requirements of the Standards. The trainer and assessor must be able to demonstrate at a minimum:
The Trainer and Assessor will have:
- specialist technical or creative vocational knowledge and skills relative to the training products being delivered or assessed
- training facilitation skills to transfer knowledge and specialised skills to adults
Knowledge of:
- adult learning principles
- VET and competency-based training and assessment
- the Australian VET system
Skills to:
- interpret training packages and units of competency (or accredited courses)
- develop and implement strategies for training and assessment
- design and develop assessment resources and practices
- develop and deliver competency-based training programs
- implement competency-based assessment practices in line with the principles of assessment and the rules of evidence
Ability to:
- identify learner needs and create effective learning and assessment strategies to address these needs
- plan and design learning programs
- deliver/facilitate training through various forms of adult learning methodologies such as presentations, discussions and workshops possibly supported by multimedia and information technology
- advise learners about nationally recognised training and other related matters such as support services
- provide feedback to learners about their progress
- liaise with industry to ensure the provision of relevant training and assessment services
- make competency assessment judgments in line with the rules of evidence and principles of assessment
- apply RTO policies and procedures
- evaluate the success or otherwise of their own training delivery and assessment practice
- where required validate the assessment practices and judgements of the RTO
- identify opportunities to improve their own training and assessment practices
Involving industry experts in training and assessment (Clause 1.13)
Industry experts provide valuable insight into current practices in the workplace as well as specialised knowledge and skills in new and emerging industries that would benefit the learner. The Standards now enable an industry expert to be involved in delivery and assessment building on the previous provision for industry experts to be involved in the assessment judgement, working alongside the trainer and/or assessor to conduct the assessment. Clause 1.13 states:
Industry experts may also be involved in training delivery and/or the assessment judgement, working alongside the trainer and/or assessor to conduct training and/or assessment.
When an RTO uses this arrangement, they are creating a training and/or assessment team, who collectively meet the requirements of Clauses 1.13-1.16.
To ensure the quality and integrity of training, RTOs will need to ensure industry experts have specialised industry or subject matter expertise, relevant vocational competencies and current industry skills directly relevant to the training being provided.
Frequently Asked Questions – Industry Experts
What do the changes around industry experts mean for RTOs?
As mentioned above, previously industry experts were able to work alongside a trainer and assessor to conduct assessment, for example by giving feedback or making observations. The early changes expand the role of industry experts by allowing them to also assist a fully qualified trainer and assessor in the delivery of training.
Although the early changes enable the broader use of industry experts, they also impose parameters to maintain the quality and integrity of training. A definition of ‘industry expert’ has been introduced to clarify obligations for RTOs around the use of industry experts, and RTOs will need to ensure experts have specialised industry or subject matter expertise, relevant vocational competencies and current industry skills directly relevant to the training being provided.
It is important to note that where an RTO engages an industry expert, they will continue to be required to work together with a fully qualified trainer and assessor in the delivery of training and assessment, and qualified assessors will continue to be responsible for making assessment judgements.
What constitutes an industry expert?
An industry expert is an individual who has relevant specialised industry or subject matter expertise who is engaged by the RTO on the basis of that expertise. Industry experts must have relevant vocational competencies and have current industry skills directly relevant to the training and assessment being provided. Industry experts can be involved in training and assessment, but only qualified assessors will be able to make assessment judgements and determine learner competency.
What does working alongside a trainer and/or assessor mean?
Working alongside means that industry experts will be able to assist fully qualified trainers and assessors to deliver training and/or assessment. This language is consistent with the previous provision in the Standards, which allowed industry experts to be involved in assessment working alongside the trainer and/or assessor. Arrangements might include an industry expert providing specialist expertise to assist in the delivery of training or providing specific feedback on a process or observation as part of the assessment process. Where industry experts are involved in training and assessment, the trainer and/or assessor they are working with must still be fully qualified and meet the thresholds required by the Standards.
What else do the Standards require of Trainers and Assessors?
Vocational Competence and Industry Currency
The VET sector requires its practitioners to be dual professionals. That is, they must be industry specialists as well as trainers and assessors.
Vocational competence and industry currency requirements are specified in the Standards for RTOs in Clause 1.13 and again in Clause 1.18 for individuals working under the supervision of a trainer.
These clauses state that training and assessment is delivered by trainers and assessors who have:
- vocational competencies at least to the level being delivered and assessed;
- current industry skills directly relevant to the training and assessment being provided; and
- current knowledge and skills in vocational training and learning that informs their training and assessment.
For further information see the TAC Fact Sheet: Vocational Competence and Industry Currency.
Current VET Skills and Knowledge
Like all VET, training as a VET trainer and assessor reflects the industry requirements of the time.
The VET sector is characterised by change, so every VET trainer and assessor needs to keep pace with:
- changes in VET Standards;
- changes in VET paradigms, protocols and practices;
- changes in VET cohorts; and
- changes in VET regulations and legislation.
Maintaining Vocational Competence and on-going Professional Development
The Standards also require the RTO to ensure its trainers and assessors undertake professional development in the fields of knowledge and practice of vocational training as well as learning and assessment including competency-based training and assessment. (Clause 1.16)
No matter the credential held by trainers and assessors (TAE or higher-level qualifications in adult education), the RTO must ensure they continue to develop their knowledge and skills in providing vocational training, learning and assessment and competency-based training and assessment.
The Standards do not prescribe how often professional development must occur, but it must be sufficient to ensure trainers and assessors maintain currency of knowledge and skills in vocational training, learning and assessment. Simply delivering training and assessment does not constitute professional development. There is a range of strategies to engage with professional development, including:
- Industry engagement (see Clauses 1.5 and 1.6);
- Workshops and webinars;
- Further training;
- Professional associations; and
- Reading (internet, TAC Fact Sheets and Users’ Guides).
Frequently Asked Questions - General
How will quality and integrity be ensured while expanding the workforce pool?
- The early changes seek to alleviate current pressures on the VET workforce through expanding the workforce pool and enabling the broader use of industry experts.
- As well as providing greater flexibility, the changes impose clear parameters to maintain the quality and integrity of training. For example:
- A definition of industry experts has been introduced to provide greater clarity and ensure experts have relevant industry competencies, skills and knowledge and specialised industry or subject matter expertise.
- Individuals with education degrees will be able to be engaged as trainers and/or assessors, however they will still be required to meet the other requirements imposed on trainers and assessors under the Standards, including holding relevant vocational competencies, industry skills, and current knowledge and skills in vocational teaching and learning.
- Requirements imposed on the assessor skill set around delivery and validation will also be imposed on the VET Delivered to School Students Teacher Enhancement Skill Set.
- Trainers and Assessors are still required to demonstrate vocational competence and remain up-to-date with industry standards, possess current Vocational Education and Training (VET) skills and knowledge, and continuously enhance their vocational competence through ongoing professional development
Will trainers and assessors be required to upgrade to the latest credentials in the Training and Education Training Package?
- Trainers and assessors who already met the requirements of the Standards will not be required to update their credentials.
- The credential-related early changes are in addition to the provisions in the current Standards.
1Source Charles Sturt University – Selected units from the Graduate Diploma of Adult and Vocational Education)
