Business rule: Transition & teach-out
Purpose
The purpose of this business rule is to provide guidance to NVR registered training organisations (RTOs) in relation
to the requirement that they manage the transition from superseded Training Packages and accredited courses. The
rule also provides guidance about managing the transition from superseded units of competency, and from deleted
Training Package qualifications and expired accredited courses, as well as describing arrangements to teach-out
students enrolled in superseded or deleted qualifications or superseded or expired accredited courses.
Terms and Definitions
● ASQA: Australian Skills Quality Authority
● RTO: registered training organisation
● National register: http://training.gov.au/
● New qualification: a new qualification or a new version of a previously endorsed qualification
● Current students: a student who has enrolled and commenced training and/or assessment
● Publication on national register:
o
for a training package, training package qualification, training package unit of competency or training package
skill set: the most recent “Release date” as indicated in the “Release history” on the national register for the
relevant training package, training package qualification, training package unit of competency or training
package skill set
o
for an accredited course: the “Currency period start” as indicated in the “Accredited course details” on the
national register for the relevant accredited course
Principles underpinning the business rule
● The Essential standards for continuing registration, within the Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations
2011, require registered training organisations (RTO) to manage the transition:
○
from superseded Training Packages within 12 months of their publication on the national register
○
from superseded accredited courses
—so that they only deliver currently endorsed Training Packages and currently accredited courses.
● An RTO that has individual units of competency on its scope of registration must transition from superseded units of
competency within 12 months of the publication on the national register.
● An RTO must apply to have new Training Package qualifications, units of competency and/or accredited courses
added to its scope of registration (by submitting an Application to change RTO scope of registration, accompanied by
the required fee).
● RTOs must ensure that students are not enrolled in qualifications/courses that adversely affect their opportunities for
employment and/or future study pathways.
An RTO must provide timely and adequate advice and guidance to students if the qualification or course in which
they are enrolled is superseded/deleted/expired and given the opportunity to transfer to replacement Training
Package qualifications and accredited courses or other currently endorsed Training Packages or accredited courses.
● Transfer of students must be undertaken in collaboration between the student and the RTO. Students must not be
required to transfer to new Training Package qualifications or new accredited courses where the genuine
disadvantage to them in doing so outweighs their continuing training in, and being issued with, a qualification or
Statement of Attainment for a superseded or deleted Training Package qualification or superseded or accredited
courses.
Business Rule—Transition and teach-out
● A registration application for a superseded or deleted Training Package qualification (or part thereof) or superseded
or expired accredited course (or part thereof) will not be considered.
● An RTO does not need to apply to ASQA to teach-out a Training Package qualification, unit of competency or
accredited course in accordance with these business rules.
● A Manager—Risk Assessment may approve (in writing) exceptions to these business rules in rare and exceptional
circumstances (for example, where the declaration of a traineeship/apprenticeship has been significantly delayed).
● Requests for exceptions, detailing the rare and exceptional circumstance, are to be made in writing by the affected
RTO to ASQA at risk@asqa.gov.au for the consideration of a Manager—Risk Assessment on a case-by-case basis.
Business Rule—Transition and teach- out
Business rule: Transition and teach-out
Transition arrangements
RTO registration
Students
Teach-out provisions
Training package qualifications
Superseded Training Package
qualificationi
○
If an RTO has a Training Package
qualification on its scope which has
been superseded by a new Training
Package qualification, the RTO must
apply to have the replacement Training
Package qualification added to its
scope of registration as soon as
practicable but no later than 12 months
from the date of publication of the
replacement qualification on the
national register (if it intends to offer
and deliver the replacement
qualification).
○
The RTO must commence enrolments in
the replacement qualification as soon as
practicable but no later than 12 months
from the date of publication of the
replacement qualification on the national
register.
○
The RTO must transfer continuing students
of the superseded qualification into the
replacement qualification as soon as
practicable but no later than 12 months
from the date of publication of the
replacement qualification on the national
register, unless they will be genuinely
disadvantaged if required to do soii.
○
Business Rule—Transition and teach-out
During the transition period, the RTO may
continue to enrol and/or commence
○
The RTO may continue to deliver
training and assessment services, and
issue awards, to current students of the
superseded qualification who would be
genuinely disadvantaged if required to
transfer to the replacement qualification
for up to 18 months after the publication
of the replacement qualification on the
national register. Students who have
not completed the superseded
qualification during this timeframe must
be transferred to the new qualification.
○
During the teach-out period, the RTO
must not enrol students and/or
commence delivery in the superseded
qualification.
delivery and assessment in the superseded
qualification (if on scope) and must
transition students to the new qualification
as soon as practicable, but no later than 12
months from the date of publication of the
new qualification on the national register.
Deleted Training Package
qualificationiii
○
If an RTO has a Training Package
qualification on its scope and that
qualification is deleted from a newly
endorsed Training Package, there is no
qualification for the RTO to transition its
registration to.
○
There is no replacement qualification for
the RTO to transition students of the
deleted qualification to.
○
However, the RTO must provide timely and
adequate advice and guidance to students
if the qualification in which they are enrolled
is deleted, with the view to transferring the
student to an endorsed training packages
qualification or accredited course.
○
The RTO may continue to deliver
training and assessment services, and
issue awards, to current students of the
deleted qualification for up to 18 months
after the date the Training Package
which indicates that the qualification
was deleted is published on the national
register. Students who have not
completed the deleted qualification
during this timeframe must be
transferred to the new qualification.
○
During the teach-out period, the RTO
must not enrol students and/or
commence delivery in the deleted
qualification.
Accredited courses
Superseded accredited courseiv
Business Rule—Transition and teach-out
○
If an RTO has an accredited course on
its scope and that accredited course
has been superseded by a new Training
Package qualification or accredited
course, the RTO must apply to have the
replacement qualification or accredited
course added to its scope of registration
as soon as practicable but no later
than 12 months* from the date of
publication of the replacement Training
Package qualification or accredited
course on the national register (if it
intends to offer and deliver the
replacement Training Package
○
The RTO must commence enrolments in
the replacement qualification or accredited
course as soon as practicable but no later
than 12 months from the date of publication
of the replacement Training Package
qualification or accredited course on the
national register.
○
The RTO must transfer continuing students
of a superseded accredited course into the
replacement Training Package qualification
or accredited course# as soon as
practicable but no later than 12 months
The RTO may continue to deliver
training and assessment services, and
issue awards, to current students of
the superseded accredited course who
would be genuinely disadvantaged if
required to transfer to the replacement
Training Package qualification or
accredited course for up to 18 months
after the publication of the replacement
Training Package qualification or
accredited course on the national
register***. Students who have not
completed during this timeframe must
be transferred to the replacement (or
qualification or accredited course).
from the date of publication of the
replacement Training Package qualification
or accredited course on the national
register, unless they will be genuinely
disadvantaged if required to do so.
* Note: if the accreditation of the
superseded course is due to expire/or is
cancelled prior to the expiration of the
transition period, the RTO must transition
to the replacement Training Package
qualification or accredited course prior to
the accreditation of the superseded course
expiring/immediately upon cancellation of
accreditation.
○
#
Expired accredited coursev
Business Rule—Transition and teach-out
○
If an RTO has an accredited course on
its scope and the accreditation of the
course expires, there may not be newly
accredited course for the RTO to
transition its registration to.
During the transition period, the RTO may
continue to enrol and/or commence
delivery and assessment in the superseded
course (if on scope) and must transition
students to the replacement Training
Package qualification or accredited course#
as soon as practicable, but no later than
12 months from the date of publication of
the Training Package qualification or
accredited course on the national register.
another) Training Package qualification
or accredited course.
○
During the teach-out period, the RTO
must not enrol students and/or
commence delivery in the superseded
accredited course.
*** Subject to any relevant terms and
conditions of any agreement the RTO has
with the course owner to use the course.
Note: RTOs need to ensure when enrolling
students in a new accredited course that they
abide by any transition requirements within the
accredited course document.
○
There may be no replacement course for
the RTO to transition students of the
expired accredited course to.
○
However, the RTO must provide timely and
adequate advice and guidance to students
if the accredited course in which they are
enrolled expires, with the view to
transferring the student to an endorsed
Training Packages qualification or
accredited course.
○
An RTO may continue to deliver training
and assessment services, and issue
awards, to current students of the
expired course for up to 18 months after
the expiry of accreditation of course^.
Training or assessment delivery is not
to continue and no awards are to be
issued after this period.
○
During the teach-out period, an RTO
must not enrol students and/or
commence delivery in the expired
course.
○
Subject to any relevant terms and
conditions of any agreement the RTO
has with the course owner to use the
course.
Cancelled accredited coursevi
○
○
No transition arrangements apply
The nature of a teach-out provision in
respect of a cancelled accredited
course, if any, will be advised to each
RTO with the accredited course on its
scope of registration at the time of
cancellation of accreditation of the
course.
Units of competency (applies specifically where an RTO has individual units of competency on scope of registration)
Superseded unit of competencyvii
○
If an RTO has a unit of competency
explicitly listed on its scope and the unit
has been superseded by a new unit
(including a new version), the RTO
must apply to have the replacement unit
added to its scope of registration as
soon as practicable but no later than
12 months from the date of publication
of the replacement unit on the national
register (if it intends to offer and deliver
the replacement unit).
○
The RTO must commence enrolments in
the replacement unit as soon as practicable
but no later than 12 months from the date
of publication of the replacement unit on
the national register.
○
The RTO must transfer continuing students
of the superseded unit into the replacement
unit as soon as practicable, unless they will
be genuinely disadvantaged if required to
do so.
○
During the transition period, the RTO may
continue to enrol and/or commence
delivery and assessment in the superseded
unit (if on scope) and must transition
students to the new unit as soon as
practicable, but no later than 12 months
from the date of publication of the new
qualification on the national register.
○
The RTO may continue to deliver
training and assessment services, and
issue awards, to current students of the
superseded unit who would be
genuinely disadvantaged if required to
transfer to the replacement unit for up to
18 months after the publication of the
replacement unit on the national
register. Students who have not
completed the superseded unit during
this timeframe must be transferred to
the new unit.
○
During the teach-out period, the RTO
must not enrol students and/or
commence delivery in the superseded
unit.
a new Training Package qualification replaces an existing qualification, the existing qualification is referred to as a ‘superseded Training Package
qualification’. Example: BSB41907 Certificate IV in Business (Governance) is a superseded Training Package qualification; it was replaced by BSB41910
Certificate IV in Business (Governance), released on 22 February 2011.
i When
Business Rule—Transition and teach-out
ii
A student may be genuinely disadvantaged if transferring to a new Training Package qualification or currently accredited course would mean for the student, for
example, but not limited to:
○
a requirement to undertake additional units of competency
○
an extension to the enrolment period
○
a fundamental change in the structure or content of the qualification or
course
○
an additional financial expense
○
a significant change in training venue or delivery mode
○
a change to their apprenticeship/traineeship contract terms
○
the outcome of the new/revised qualification or course is not recognised by an industry licensing/regulatory body
a new Training Package does not contain a qualification that existed in the previous version of the package, the qualification is referred to as a ‘deleted
Training Package qualification’. Example: BSB31207 Certificate III in Frontline Management is a deleted qualification; it was deleted from the BSB07 Business
Services Training Package when the revised package was released on 22 February 2011.
iii When
ivThe
principal purpose of accredited courses is to address skill requirements for industry, enterprises and the community where these are not covered in
nationally endorsed Training Packages and to address changes in skill needs in a responsive manner. Therefore, accredited courses are frequently superseded
by new nationally endorsed Training Package qualifications or units. Example: 30215QLD Course in General Safety Industry (Construction Industry) (a course
accredited in Queensland) was superseded by CPCCOHS1001A Work safety in the construction industry when it was published within the CPC08 Construction,
Plumbing and Services Integrated Framework on 30 January 2009. Accredited courses can also be superseded by new accredited courses. Note: ASQA will
determine, in consultation with a course owner and any other relevant body such as an Industry Skills Council (ISC), if a new Training Package qualification or a
new accredited course supersedes an accredited course.
v
When the accreditation of a course expires (courses are accredited for a finite period) the course ceases to be nationally accredited and recognised within the
Australian Qualifications Framework and is referred to as an ‘expired accredited course’. Example: 40339SA Diploma of Teaching English to Speakers of Other
Languages (TESOL) is an expired accredited course; it expired on 31 December 2006.
vi
The accreditation of a course may be cancelled by ASQA by application of the course owner or on its own initiative if it is satisfied that it is appropriate to do so.
If a course has had its accreditation cancelled, the course is referred to as a ‘cancelled accredited course’.
vii When
a new unit of competency replaces a unit, the existing unit is referred to as a ‘superseded unit of competency’. Example: BSBATSIL503B Manage
conflict is a superseded unit of competency; it was replaced by BSBATSIL503C Manage conflict on 22 February 2011 when Version 5 of BSB07 Business
Services Training Package was published. This rule also applies to units of competency constituting a skill set.
Business Rule—Transition and teach-out