This extra information can help with your application to become a Skills for All Training Provider. It includes how your application will be assessed, completing the Special Purpose Financial Report and appointing an Accountable Officer.

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Selection criteria for the assessment of Skills for All Training Provider applications

Your application will be assessed by evaluating the information you have provided against selection criteria.

Where relevant, information will be verified with authoritative sources.

Assessment will not normally involve a site visit.

The criteria are considered to be of equal weight in assessing an application.

Selection criteria and associated assessment indicators are listed below.

Satisfactory regulatory record as a registered training organisation (RTO) assessment indicators:
  • length of registration
  • RTO principals have verified prior history of delivering VET
  • compliance record
  • timeliness and accuracy of data to registering body.
Compliance with contractual obligations in delivering publicly funded training (where applicable) assessment indicators:
  • accuracy and timeliness of data to support funding claims
  • satisfactory outcomes from public funding contracts. 
A management team with skills and background sufficient to lead an educational organisation assessment indicators:
  • management team skills and experience in Vocational Education & Training appropriate to scope of operations
  • accountable officer with relevant competencies.
Appropriate levels of engagement with industry commensurate with qualifications to be offered assessment indicators:
  • industry engagement appropriate to scope and scale of operations
  • extent of industry engagement in RTO planning, governance and operations.
Sound financial health assessment indicators:
  • Special Purpose Financial Report indicates acceptable level of financial risk
  • sound financial backing if no prior trading history.
Services that support the diverse needs of learners assessment indicators:
  • profile of current students
  • range of systems and resources in place to support learning needs of diverse clients
  • Code of Practice.
Sufficient numbers of graduates from each training package assessment indicators:
  • numbers of graduates at relevant AQF levels for each Training Package to be delivered.
Learner and employer satisfaction and satisfactory graduate outcomes assessment indicators:
  • learner and employer satisfaction for each training package in application is acceptable when compared with benchmark data
  • industry referees verify quality of graduate outcomes.
Suitable arrangements for assuring quality training and assessment outcomes for different student groups and delivery modes assessment indicators:
  • contact hours, course duration, RPL hours and student/teacher ratios are acceptable
  • arrangements for gathering evidence of workplace performance for apprentices and trainees
  • management of work placements
  • assessment validation activities are appropriate.
Sufficient trainers and assessors with relevant vocational competence and formal qualifications in assessment and training assessment indicators:
  • proportion of trainers and assessors holding formal training and assessment qualifications
  • proportion of current trainers and assessors with recent employment in industry
  • commitment to maintaining current vocational competency and develop competency in training and assessing. 

Special Purpose Financial Report

To apply to be a Skills for All Training Provider, you must submit a Special Purpose Financial Report (SPFR). The financial information in the SPFR must be taken from your latest certified accounts for the current year and the year prior. If you have already submitted a SPFR to DFEEST using information from accounts certified more than 12 months ago, you will need to submit a new SPFR with your application.

The report template requires:
  • high level information from the RTOs most recent and prior financial year statements, covering financial performance (profit and loss) and financial position
  • information must be drawn from financial statements certified by a registered accountant or where required by law, eg a public company, audited financial statements.

The SPFR is not suitable for public sector agencies. In this case, contact the Department at dfeestquality@sa.gov.au to discuss provision of a formal statement to verify financial health.

The SPFR must reflect the overall financial position of the legal entity that is applying to be a Skills for All Training Provider. If the applicant is involved in operations other than training, such as consultancy services, non-accredited training or other operations not related to training, these must be included.

When completing the online application form to become a Skills for All Training Provider, you will be prompted to upload the completed SPFR prior to submission.

Code of practice

Applicants are required to develop and publish a code of practice to be made available to each prospective Skills for All client before enrolment.

The code must document from a client’s perspective how the Skills for All Training Provider’s services meet the requirements of the national standards for registration, in particular:
  • how the applicant ensures clients’ rights as a consumer are protected; and that clients receive the services detailed in their agreement with the applicant
  • how the applicant adheres to the principles of access and equity, meets its legal obligations, and maximises outcomes for each client
  • how industry is engaged in the applicant’s operations so that clients can be confident that the qualifications issued by the applicant are recognised by industry
  • how the applicant assures the quality of training and assessment provided across all of its operations as a Skills for All Training Provider
  • how the applicant will meet the individual needs of learners by assessing their current skills and knowledge prior to the commencement of training.

The code must inform clients about the key elements of a Skills for All Training Provider’s services and its obligations under the registration standards. The code can be considered as a high level service warranty to clients.

The code does not need to directly reference individual elements of the registration standards but it must make clear how clients’ rights and the provision of quality training and assessment services are assured by the applicant.

The code does not need to duplicate the more detailed level of information in a prospectus, student handbook and internal policies and procedures.

The code must be published and made available to each student before enrolment. The code could be published on your website and referenced in all key documents or included in pre-enrolment documentation provided to each client.

Appointing an Accountable Officer

Applicants must appoint a staff member with sufficient experience and background in VET as an Accountable Officer. The Accountable Officer is responsible for ensuring the applicant’s compliance with regulatory requirements, and must provide professional leadership and judgment for the organisation on matters including:
  • teaching and learning strategies
  • development of learning and assessment resources
  • oversight of assessment practices.

An Accountable Officer provides education leadership and ensures, at a high level, that the applicant is operating within the requirements of the national registration standards and the training package(s) they deliver.

The Accountable Officer’s role is different to that performed by a compliance officer; a compliance officer provides an administrative role by ensuring that the organisation is executing its procedures in accordance with the national registration standards and relevant records of this activity are being kept.

The Accountable Officer should hold a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment or equivalent. The Accountable Officer may hold a Diploma of Training and Assessment or degree in education management but these are not essential.

Required competencies

The competencies required of your Accountable Officer and the level of their skills and experience will, to some extent, be determined by the proposed scope and scale of your operations as a Skills for All Training Provider.

The Accountable Officer may have acquired competencies through formal training or through on-job experience and ongoing professional development. Evidence from current and recent employment is most relevant. In most cases, the Accountable Officer will be a person who has:
  • developed effective learning and assessment strategies
  • selected, customised or developed learning and assessment resources
  • shown professional judgement in leading assessment moderation and validation activities.

One Accountable Officer

You may nominate only one Accountable Officer in your application and they must be employed by the RTO.

Applicants with a large scope of operation as a Skills for All Training Provider, and those with more than one campus, may have a principal Accountable Officer, supported by other accountable officers at a campus or discipline level. These accountable officers should be under the direction of, and report to, the principal Accountable Officer.

Unsuccessful applications

If your application is not successful you will be advised in writing of the issues that lead to that decision and you may submit a new application. There are limitations on the submission of new applications set down in the application guidelines in the online application.