National Training System (Australia)
Encyclopedia
The National Training System is the Australia
n system for vocational education
and training (VET) under the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF), in which employers, the States of Australia, and the Commonwealth Government
, formalise a curriculum available for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to teach and assess the competency of students.
The Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) sets the standards for the operation of training organisations registered to deliver training services and to issue VET qualifications. Training products include national training packages
and accredited courses which outline the qualifications, competencies and assessment criteria for specific areas of training. These two dimensions form the National Skills Framework. The National Quality Council is responsible for overseeing the effective operation of the Framework. Training received and certified under the framework is 'portable' across state boundaries and industries.
colleges, which offers courses in most larger towns and cities at technical schools and community college
s.
Additionally, individuals and companies can be accredited as a Registered Training Organisation and offer courses and modules of training.
The training packages at the Cert II-IV levels offer options as well as the mandatory courses. A person founding out their training would be able to group these extra training courses and be assessed for additional or higher certificates.
Hence:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n system for vocational education
Vocational education
Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
and training (VET) under the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF), in which employers, the States of Australia, and the Commonwealth Government
Government of Australia
The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...
, formalise a curriculum available for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to teach and assess the competency of students.
The Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) sets the standards for the operation of training organisations registered to deliver training services and to issue VET qualifications. Training products include national training packages
Training Package
A Training package, in Australia, is a set of nationally endorsed standards, qualifications and guidelines used to recognise and assess the skills and knowledge people need to perform effectively in the workplace. Training packages are developed by industry Industry Skills Councils or by...
and accredited courses which outline the qualifications, competencies and assessment criteria for specific areas of training. These two dimensions form the National Skills Framework. The National Quality Council is responsible for overseeing the effective operation of the Framework. Training received and certified under the framework is 'portable' across state boundaries and industries.
Training Organisations
Australia has a system of Technical and Further EducationTechnical and Further Education
In Australia, training and further education or TAFE institutions provide a wide range of predominantly vocational tertiary education courses, mostly qualifying courses under the National Training System/Australian Qualifications Framework/Australian Quality Training Framework...
colleges, which offers courses in most larger towns and cities at technical schools and community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
s.
Additionally, individuals and companies can be accredited as a Registered Training Organisation and offer courses and modules of training.
Hierarchy
The courses available are listed by the National Training Information Service. The hierarchy of courses available for VET under the Australian Qualifications Framework is:- Advanced Diploma
- DiplomaDiplomaA diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study or confers an academic degree. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, the word diploma refers to...
- CertificateAustralian Qualifications FrameworkThe Australian Qualifications Framework provides the hierarchy of educational qualifications in Australia. It is administered nationally by the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. Few qualifications outside the system are accepted by employers or for...
(ranked 1-4, with 4 being the highest)
The training packages at the Cert II-IV levels offer options as well as the mandatory courses. A person founding out their training would be able to group these extra training courses and be assessed for additional or higher certificates.
Hence:
- Certificate 1 is a basic qualification, necessarily linked to other simple vocational competencies. Example: Cert I in Furnishing
- Certificate 2 is a trade-specific competency, that would be linked to other competencies to become a trade qualification. Example: Cert II in Furniture Finishing
- Certificate 3 is a trade qualification, wherein several competencies are brought together as a demonstrated trade. Example: Cert III in Furniture Making (Cabinet Making)
- Certificate 4 demonstrates the person's qualification in a field of vocational education and training. Example: Cert IV in Furnishing Technology (that brings together a group of skills and workplace leadership competencies.)
Recognition of Prior Learning
A person's experience can also be assessed without formal training under a system of "recognition of prior learning" (RPL). In such cases, the assessor (who would be qualified as a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment - TAE40110 from Training Package TAE10) can take evidence of the person's abilities, experience, and training the particular skill area, plus similar and other fields, and issue a certificate; or, require the person to undertake certain courses to round out the person's competencies before the issue of a certificate.External links
- The National Training System - Department of Education, Science and Training (Australia)Department of Education, Science and Training (Australia)The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations is an Australian government department. Renamed in 2007 from DEST which in turn was renamed from DETYA , it absorbed the former departments of Education and Training, and Employment and Workplace Relations.The...
- National Training Information Service - the official national register of information on Training Packages, Qualifications, Courses, Units of Competency and Registered Training Organisations (RTOs)