2025 Standards for RTOs - Skills Education’s Standards Hub 1.6

Navigate the Standards

Quality Area 1 - Training and Assessment

Quality training and assessment engages VET students and enables them to attain nationally recognised, industry relevant competencies.

Division 3 - Recognition of prior learning and credit transfer

Requirements

Standard 1.6

Outcome Standard

(1) VET students with prior skills, knowledge and competencies are supported to seek recognition of prior learning to progress through the relevant training product.

Performance Indicators

(2) An NVR registered training organisation demonstrates:

(a) VET students are offered opportunities to seek recognition of prior learning and are made aware of the organisation’s policies for seeking recognition of prior learning;

(b) decisions relating to recognition of prior learning are based on evidence of prior skills, learning and experience, and are undertaken in accordance with the organisation’s assessment system; and

(c) decisions relating to recognition of prior learning are documented and decided in a way that is fair, transparent, consistent amongst VET students, and maintains the integrity of the training product.

Risks

Using inadequate assessment practices or business models that cut corners in issuing RPL which can lead to persons without the expected competencies entering critical roles, including in industries with mandatory qualifications such as aged care, disability services and early childhood education and care.
Promoting RPL as an easy, quick or guaranteed path to qualifications.
Using RPL systems that do not apply the same rigour as the organisation’s assessment system, including not upholding assessment record retention requirements.
Making inadequate inquiries with students seeking RPL, or agents seeking RPL on their behalf – for example, not being wary of non-genuine students that may be seeking RPL as a vehicle to facilitate other objectives.
Failing to verify that RPL evidence submitted by students is authentic.
Outsourcing RPL assessments to unregulated third parties that do not understand or apply the Standards to their practices – for example, using third parties that do not engage properly qualified or trained assessors.
Failing to ensure RPL assessment practices are robust enough to meet the applicable threshold for high-risk work licencing, where applicable.
Failing to ensure that RPL evidence of overseas qualifications or competencies has been mapped to Australian legislative and regulatory requirements – for example Australian Work Health and Safety legislation or other industry-specific laws.
Failing to robustly assess or test RPL evidence for currency against training package requirements, or against the rules of evidence.
Automatically granting RPL for students that hold a higher AQF level qualification in the same industry.
Having insufficient systems for identifying and addressing a student’s RPL gaps.