Training and Assessment Policy - VET | Eastern College Policy Portal

Category:

Policy Contact:

Director of VET

Background:

Standard 1 of the Standards for Registered Training Organisations requires that the RTO’s training and assessment strategies and practices are responsive to industry and learner needs and meet the requirements of training packages and VET accredited courses. The specific components of this standard covered by this policy are:

1.1. The RTO’s training and assessment strategies and practices, including the amount of training they provide, are consistent with the requirements of training packages and VET accredited courses and enable each learner to meet the requirements for each unit of competency or module in which they are enrolled.
1.2. For the purposes of Clause 1.1, the RTO determines the amount of training they provide to each learner with regard to:

a)       the existing skills, knowledge and the experience of the learner;
b)       the mode of delivery; and
c)       where a full qualification is not being delivered, the number of units and/or modules being delivered as a proportion of the full qualification.

1.3. The RTO has, for all of its scope of registration, and consistent with its training and assessment strategies, sufficient:

a)       trainers and assessors to deliver the training and assessment;
b)       educational and support services to meet the needs of the learner cohort/s undertaking the training and assessment;
c)       learning resources to enable learners to meet the requirements for each unit of competency, and which are accessible to the learner regardless of location or mode of delivery; and
d)       facilities, whether physical or virtual, and equipment to accommodate and support the number of learners undertaking the training and assessment.

1.4. The RTO meets all requirements specified in the relevant training package or VET accredited course.

1.5. The RTO’s training and assessment practices are relevant to the needs of industry and informed by industry engagement.

1.6. The RTO implements a range of strategies for industry engagement and systematically uses the outcome of that industry engagement to ensure the industry relevance of:

a) its training and assessment strategies, practices and resources; and
b) the current industry skills of its trainers and assessors.

1.7. The RTO determines the support needs of individual learners and provides access to the educational and support services necessary for the individual learner to meet the requirements of the training product as specified in training packages or VET accredited courses.

1.8. The RTO implements an assessment system that ensures that assessment (including recognition of prior learning):

a) complies with the assessment requirements of the relevant training package or VET accredited course; and
b) is conducted in accordance with the Principles of Assessment contained in Table 1.8-1 and the Rules of Evidence contained in Table 1.8-2.

Table 1.8-1: Principles of Assessment

Fairness	The individual learner’s needs are considered in the assessment process. Where appropriate, reasonable adjustments are applied by the RTO to take into account the individual learner’s needs. The RTO informs the learner about the assessment process, and provides the learner with the opportunity to challenge the result of the assessment and be reassessed if necessary.
Flexibility	Assessment is flexible to the individual learner by: reflecting the learner’s needs; assessing competencies held by the learner no matter how or where they have been acquired; and drawing from a range of assessment methods and using those that are appropriate to the context, the unit of competency and associated assessment requirements, and the individual.
Validity	Any assessment decision of the RTO is justified, based on the evidence of performance of the individual learner. Validity requires: assessment against the unit/s of competency and the associated assessment requirements covers the broad range of skills and knowledge that are essential to competent performance; assessment of knowledge and skills is integrated with their practical application; assessment to be based on evidence that demonstrates that a learner could demonstrate these skills and knowledge in other similar situations; and judgement of competence is based on evidence of learner performance that is aligned to the unit/s of competency and associated assessment requirements.
Reliability	Evidence presented for assessment is consistently interpreted and assessment results are comparable irrespective of the assessor conducting the assessment.

Table 1.8-2: Rules of Evidence

Validity	The assessor is assured that the learner has the skills, knowledge and attributes as described in the module or unit of competency and associated assessment requirements.
Sufficiency	The assessor is assured that the quality, quantity and relevance of the assessment evidence enables a judgement to be made of a learner’s competency.
Authenticity	The assessor is assured that the evidence presented for assessment is the learner’s own work.
Currency	The assessor is assured that the assessment evidence demonstrates current competency. This requires the assessment evidence to be from the present or the very recent past.

Purpose:

This policy establishes a framework for complying with Standard 1 of the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015 made under the National vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011.

Scope:

This policy applies to all involved in the promotion and delivery of VET courses.

Statement:

It is the responsibility of the Director of VET to seek advice on the training and assessment strategies for every VET course and every VET unit of competency offered within the College’s scope of registration, and to implement such strategies.

A training and assessment strategy (TAS) shall be developed by the Course Coordinator for each VET qualification prior to delivering any component of the qualification and the TAS shall be reviewed by the Director of VET, or delegated representative, on an annual basis. The TAS for each course shall be consistently used in all teaching locations, with some approved changes to cater to the specific local cohort profiles. All changes to the TAS for a particular course must be approved by the Director of VET, prior to course delivery.

It is the responsibility of the Director of VET (or delegated representative) to ensure that the College’s handbooks and advertising materials are reviewed and updated to reflect any variations to the training and assessment strategies.

Representatives of potential employer groups shall be encouraged and specifically invited to provide insight, advice and feedback relating to the training and assessment procedures of the College. Details of such consultations shall be minuted.