VET Guide to accredited courses

This is a handy guide to help steer you through the vocational accreditation system. If you find you have questions that have not been answered here please let us know and we will look at including them.

What does VET stand for?
Vocational Education and Training. 'Vocational' means work-related.

What is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO)?
Registered training organisations are colleges, associations, businesses or employment organisations that have applied to the government to offer accredited qualifications based on training packages and curriculums.

What do colleges and organisations have to do to become an RTO?
They have to be registered as a business and have an ABN.
They have to have at least one accredited qualification.
They have to pay fees to the government to be an RTO and to remain an RTO.
They have to undertake regular audits.
They have to have certain requirements in place: legislation, policies and procedures, insurance, training for staff, guidelines for enrolment of students, guidelines for assessment and marking, and other paperwork.
For any qualifications they are delivering they have to have a qualified assessor to do the marking.

What do colleges and organisations have to have to apply for a qualification?
They have to be an RTO.
They have to pay fees to the government for every qualification they add and for each year they have it.
They have to have certain requirements in place: legislation, policies and procedures, insurance, training for staff, guidelines for enrolment of students, guidelines for assessment and marking, and other paperwork.
For the qualification they are delivering they have to have a qualified assessor do the marking.

If a college or other organisation is an RTO does this mean all their courses are accredited automatically?
No. Once the college or organisation has become an RTO it must still apply for each accredited qualification it wants to deliver.

What is accreditation?
It means that a college or organisation is listed with the government to offer accredited qualifications; and
It means that the qualification offered by the college or organisation is listed with the government.
Vocational accreditation is a government term not an academic term. The government introduced it so that vocational skills across all organisations in Australia would be the same.

Who monitors the RTO and issues the accreditation?
NSW - Vocational Education Training Accreditation Board (VETAB)
VIC - Office of Training and Tertiary Education (OTTE)
QLD - Training and Employment Recognition Council
WA - Training Accreditation Council (TAC)
SA - Training and Skills Commission
TAS - Tasmanian Qualifications Authority (TQA)
ACT - Accreditation and Registration Council (ARC)
NT - Department of Employment, Education and Training

What does VET mean?
VET stands for Vocational Education and Training. There are four systems of education in Australia: the secondary system (school), the English language intensive courses for overseas students system (ELICOS), the vocational education and training system (VET), and the higher education system (tertiary).
If an academic institute is not a school and not a university then, if it is a registered training organisation, it comes under the VET system. If it is not a school, not an ELICOS provider, not a university, and not a registered training organisation, then it is simply referred to as a private education and training provider (private) or a community provider (public).

What does vocational mean?
Vocational means it is related to work. The focus is on employment. So a crafts course may or may not be vocational depending on whether it is focused towards learning a craft for work.

Are universities accredited under VET?
No, not automatically under the VET system; however many universities have chosen to add VET accreditation to their scope even if they don't offer VET accredited courses.
Universities are part of the higher education system. Under Australian federal legislation universities are self-accrediting. Universities are periodically audited by Australian University Quality Assurance (AUQA).

Are all the courses universities offer recognised by the VET system or by the higher education system?
No. Universities offer many courses that are not accredited under either system. These are usually called 'professional development' courses.
If a qualification is accredited under the VET sector then it means that other colleges and organisations registered under the VET sector (RTOs) are required to recognise it.

Does that mean colleges and organisations outside of Australia recognise VET accredited qualifications?
No. Each country has its own system of recognition. No matter whether your qualification is accredited or non-accredited under the VET sector or from the higher education sector, each country will consider it under its own merit.

Do Australian universities give higher consideration to vocationally accredited qualifications than non-accredited qualifications?
Generally no. When applying to have your previous studies recognised, universities consider all qualifications you have attained on their own merits.

What is a training package?
Many people think training packages are courses but they are not courses. In fact there is no training content in a training package.
A training package is a set of statements that your performance will be assessed on, like: Computer is turned on in accordance with manufacturer's instructions; Source documents are checked for accuracy and authorisation.
Lots of similar statements (called Performance Criteria) are put together in a common group (called Elements), then the groups are put together under a subject area (called Units).
So, a Unit is simply a subject containing a group of sub-subjects (the Elements), which are made up of statements (the Performance Criteria).

How many different training packages are there?
About 70.

There are thousands of different jobs so why aren't there more training packages available?
Because it takes years of development and many thousands of dollars to write a training package. Often, by the time the training package has been finished it is out of date and has to be rewritten again.

What is a curriculum?
A curriculum is a set of statements (called Learning Outcomes/Objectives) grouped together (called Modules/Elements) under subject areas (called Subjects/Topics).

How many different curriculums are there?
Because they have been around for many years there are thousands of different curriculums but many of them aren't available anymore.

Why do we hear more about training packages than curriculums?
Because the government is trying to phase out curriculums and replace them with training packages.

What is the difference between a training package and a curriculum?
Curriculums are very similar to training packages but curriculums are what we used to have before the government decided to introduce training packages.
Curriculums are based on learning objectives, in other words what you learn and how well you have learnt it.
Training packages are based on performance criteria, in other words, how you perform in an assessment.
Universities still use curriculum. Many private colleges still use curriculum. Overseas universities and colleges use curriculum.

I still don't understand about training packages and curriculums.
That's understandable, it is quite confusing. Look at it this way:

Curriculums are written for all sorts of subject areas. Educators who support the curriculum approach believe that learning is an individual, non-prescriptive activity. Therefore, you may find ten different curriculums for one subject area all written by different groups across Australia. They may be similar because the fundamental skills are similar but because they are written by different groups they may approach the subject in a slightly different way. This means colleges and universities can offer more choice to the student. There is more flexibility with curriculums because there is a range of curriculums to choose from. For instance, a curriculum written for Computer Skills for the Office by ABC College in Western Australian may be somewhat different to a curriculum written for Computer Skills for the Office by XYZ College in Victoria because each College develops the curriculum according to the industry requirements it believes are necessary. So, each college may use a slightly different standard to base its curriculum on. This means a person studying through the college in Western Australia may learn slightly different things to the person studying through the college in Victoria because what they learned was based on different standards. Curriculums mean that Person A in one state or organisation will then be skilled in a slightly different way to Person B in another state or organisation. So they won't all be 'competent' some will be more skilled than others (i.e. different).

The training package approach, however, is prescriptive. It is based on the concept that all jobs and people are fundamentally the same and that even if they aren't the jobs and people can be made to seem the same by making them fit the training package. The training package assumes that Computer Skills for the Office in Western Australia are the same as Computer Skills for the Office in Victoria. Training packages take a one-person/job/subject-fits-all approach. And if it doesn't fit then the college or organisation is forced to make it fit by cutting out all the things that don't fit. To do this the training package has to be written in a specific way that sets the same standard for everyone no matter who the state, college or organisation is. So, if something is in the training package that has no relevance to the job being done you can't just 'skip it', it still has to be done. Training packages mean that Person A in one state or organisation will then be skilled the same as Person B in another state or organisation. So they will each be 'competent' (i.e. the same).

All right, that's clearer. But if training packages and curriculum are groups of statements, what is a course?
A course is the content you learn. Training packages and curriculums do not contain any course content. The course content is developed by the college, organisation or university. The course content can be in the form of learning notes, workbooks, tutorials, learner guides or other learning materials. These can be given to the student in paper format, electronic format (e.g. via the web), on CD-ROM, on video, etc.

So, when someone says a course is accredited what does it mean?
Saying that a course is accredited is not quite accurate but it's easier to use this term. The course is not actually accredited only the qualification is. It means that the training organisation has applied to have the training package or curriculum listed for their organisation. The training organisation still has to develop the course (the learning content) separately.
The course itself (learning content) has nothing to do with accreditation.

So, even if the qualification is accredited the quality of the course content depends on the college, university or organisation delivering it?
That's correct.

So, just because the qualification is accredited doesn't mean the course is better than one that is not accredited?
That's right. There are no guidelines for the content, only for the training package or curriculum that the qualification is based on.

Does anyone check the quality of the courses?
The college or university is responsible for ensuring the quality of its own courses.

If I do a course with 15 subjects in it and only one of the subjects is from an accredited training package or curriculum, does that mean the qualification I get when I have completed the course is accredited?
No. If only 1-14 of the subjects is from an accredited training package or curriculum then only those subjects are accredited. You will receive a Statement of Attainment only for those subjects that are accredited. A Statement of Attainment is not a qualification; it is simply a statement saying that you achieved some of the units of a qualification.

Can someone say that a course is accredited if all the subjects in it are not?
No. Remember, the course is not accredited only the qualification is. So, if only some of the subjects come from an accredited qualification then you don't receive a qualification.

But why don't all colleges offer accredited qualifications? Why do some offer non-accredited qualifications?
There are several reasons that colleges may choose not to accredit their qualifications:
It costs money to accredit a qualification (fees to the government, etc.), which usually means the cost of the course has to be increased.
It takes a great deal of time and manpower to accredit a qualification and for many colleges this would mean sacrificing other support services for the student or for development.
Accrediting the qualification may mean removing a lot of the existing industry relevant content because it doesn't fit the statements in the training package or curriculum. This is not always the preferred option.
While many academic institutions work within the VET system because it is the only system we have, it doesn't mean all these academic institutions like the system or believe it is the best one for the future of work.

So which qualifications are accredited?
Certificate II, Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma. However, the terms 'Certificate' and 'Diploma' used on their own (without the II, III, IV) are also used for professional awards that are not accredited under VET.
Universities also issue Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas under higher education but these are often not accredited under VET.

Can I see a list of all the accredited qualifications in Australia?
Yes. Go to www.ntis.gov.au

At the end of the day, how do I know if the course is a good one or not?
You have to consider a range of aspects not just whether or not it is accredited:
Is there a website containing useful information you can look at?
Is the college or organisation run by a qualified educator?
Are the tutors experienced in the industry?
If it is a distance course, can you trial the course and see for yourself what it is like?
Is the college or organisation a member of ACPET?
Are the administrative staff helpful and friendly?
Does the college or organisation have any partnerships, affiliations or memberships with other institutions, organisations or associations?

Are courses based on training packages better than curriculums?
Basing a course on a training package or a curriculum has nothing to do with whether or not the course will be better. Ultimately, the quality of the course delivery will depend on the college or organisation; who wrote the course, the teachers, tutors or trainers; and the learning support provided.

Why is there so much emphasis on doing an accredited qualification?
Well, for one thing, the government has spent a great deal of money promoting accreditation so they have a vested interest in its success. Also, there is a great deal of emphasis on everyone doing the same thing, in the same way, across industry. For example, everyone working the same way in retail, the same way in hospitality and the same way in skilled trades. It's a bit like a having a chain of retail stores where all the clothes are exactly the same in every shop.

So, let me get this straight, even if I do an accredited course it doesn't mean that what I am learning will be better quality than if I do a non-accredited course?
That's correct. It all depends on who you do the course with. You need look at a number of factors, as well as your reasons for doing the course in the first place.

What's the difference between TAFE and private Colleges?
It works in the same way the school system does, where you have public and private schools. TAFE is the public college and is funded by the government. Private colleges are not funded by the government.
Because TAFE is funded by the government all marketing for the TAFE system is funded by the government. Private colleges do not have the funding to advertise the way the public system does.

Do I have to do an accredited course to get a job?
In many cases the answer is no. Many employers do not distinguish between accredited courses and non-accredited courses. At the end of the day what employers are interested in is: Can you do the job? Will you fit into their workplace? Do you have the workplace values the employer is looking for?
Some excellent qualifications are not accredited and are highly regarded by employers, such as: Microsoft Certification, A+ Certification, CISCO certification, etc.

What does 'competent' mean?
Competent means you can do the statements set out in the training package or curriculum. The term 'competent' is only used in the VET sector to say that you achieved a 'unit' (i.e. subject) in the qualification. Higher education does not use the term 'competent'. Higher education uses graded marking.
If your result says you are 'competent' then it means you can do it. It doesn't mean how well you can do it.

So, if I go to an employer with my qualification and all my results say 'competent' how will the employer know if I'm better than the next person applying for the job?
They won't. They'll have to determine that in other ways.

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