Outcome Standard 3.1
- for Education Matters members
Navigate the Standards Hub
Outcome Standard 3.1 is in:
Quality Area 3 - VET workforce
VET students are trained, assessed and supported by people who are qualified, skilled and committed to professional development.
Division 1 - VET workforce management
Standard 3.1 requires:
| The workforce is effectively managed to ensure appropriate staffing to deliver services. |
What’s an “appropriate staffing” level?
Under the 2025 Standards, there is no magic ratio such as one trainer to every 25 students.
Instead, the RTO must provide a defensible rationale for its staffing levels. An appropriate level is one where service standards are met consistently, and students never feel stalled in their progression due to a lack of human resources.
Staffing must be responsive to:
Delivery methodology
- Online students often require higher-frequency, short-burst "IT and Navigation" support, whereas practical workshops require intensive, high-supervision ratios for safety
Cohort complexity
- Students with higher support needs (LLND or disability) require a lower staff-to-student ratio to ensure equitable outcomes
Cohort experience
- Experienced students will likely be more developed in their self-study skills than those who are new or re-entering formal learning and so may need less support
Service guarantees
- If you promise a 48-hour marking turnaround, your "appropriate" staffing level is the number of assessors required to meet that peak volume without burnout
Further, “staff” must extend beyond trainers/assessors. Think about whether there are enough:
Administrative staff to respond to emails within the advertised service standard timeframe
IT support staff to assist with queries like password resets or LMS access
Housekeeping staff to ensure all training rooms and common areas are cleaned each day
People at the third-party provider to meet the same service standards as set by the principle RTO
Support officers to assist with student wellbeing needs and/or referrals
Specialist educators to provide peripheral training such as in digital skills to access course content
Supply staff - people who can backfill or step in when people are away so that services can continue with minimal disruption
In terms of determining “appropriate” RTOs should consider documenting all of the considerations taken into account.
The main aim is to ensure there are enough people on hand to respond within a timeframe that keeps the student engaged and motivated to progress through the course.
Look to the future too
Workforce planning in the 2025 framework is about proactive risk management.
Especially in tight labour markets like we’re currently experiencing in the VET sector, RTOs must be proactive and look to future staffing requirements.
For example, an RTO intends to add to its scope of registration, and qualified trainers and assessors will be required for the new qualification. It is difficult to secure trainers/assessors, so the RTO plans its recruitment process with sufficient advance notice to have someone on board so they can demonstrate “readiness to deliver” to the regulator. They also plan in advance to train existing administration personnel to handle enquiries about the new course.
RTOs must also look beyond their current enrolment numbers to identify single points of failure. This will include succession planning to deal with unexpected events.
For example, is your RTO prepared if your only Lead Assessor for a niche qualification leaves or is off sick for three weeks?
Overall, RTOs must employ risk management strategies and workforce planning to address shifts in student populations or sudden personnel changes.
What is succession planning?
Succession planning is the systematic process of identifying and developing potential future leaders or "key person" replacements within the RTO.
In a VET context, this isn't just about the CEO; it’s about identifying who can step into the role of Lead Assessor, Compliance Manager, or Student Support Officer if the current incumbent leaves.
Effective succession planning ensures that the "institutional knowledge" (how we do things here) isn't lost and that service delivery remains seamless during transitions.
Standard 3.1 Overview
(The audio is AI generated. It has been reviewed by a human)
Outcome Standard 3.1 requires RTOs to shift from reactive hiring to strategic workforce management.
It requires RTOs to ensure that every stage of the student journey is supported by the right number of qualified personnel.
This means that the number and mix of staff across training, assessment, administration, and support are sufficient to maintain the RTO’s service guarantees.
Under the 2025 Standards, compliance is demonstrated through systematic proactive workforce planning and a commitment to the continuous professional development of the entire workforce. By aligning staffing levels with student needs and training product risks, RTOs ensure operational integrity and improved student completion rates.
For providers, compliance with Standard 3.1 means demonstrating how they meet the following performance indicators:
3.1.2a How it [the RTO] ensures the number of trainers, assessors and other staff are appropriate for the delivery of the services it offers
This is about Capacity Planning. You must prove that you have analysed your business and allocated resources accordingly. RTOs might consider operations, service time guarantees, delivery methodologies and cohorts to determine the needs that must be addressed and met.
RTOs should move away from "accidental" staffing and toward a Workforce Capacity Model.
This involves mapping your maximum student capacity against the hours required for administration, marking, support, and delivery.
Plus, remember, RTOs are ultimately accountable for third-party providers. If a third party delivers on your behalf, you must audit their staffing levels to ensure they aren't cutting corners that lead to poor student experiences.
What is a Workforce Capability Model?
A Workforce Capability Model is a structured framework that defines the specific skills, knowledge, and behaviours (capabilities) required across the organisation to achieve its strategic goals.
For an RTO, this model maps out the technical skills (vocational expertise), pedagogical skills (teaching and assessment), and operational skills (compliance, IT, admin) needed to deliver the current scope of registration effectively.
How do you carry out workforce planning?
Here is a brief overview of the steps:
Analyse Current Workforce
- Identify the skills and capacity of your existing staff
Forecast Future Needs
- Review your enrolment pipeline and strategic plans (e.g., adding a new qualification) to determine future requirements
Gap Analysis
- Compare your current capacity against future needs to identify where you are under-staffed or under-skilled
Strategy Development
- Create a plan to bridge the gaps through recruitment, internal promotion, or professional development
Suggested tools to support operations
Workforce Capacity Calculator - a tool that estimates staff hours needed based on current and projected student volume
Recruitment & Scoping Roadmap - a timeline for hiring and training staff ahead of scope expansions
Workforce Plan/Workforce Planning template
Role-Based Skills Matrix - a tool to track the specific capabilities required for every position in the RTO
Suggestions to demonstrate compliance with requirements
Remembering under self-assurance, RTOs can determine how they will meet requirements suited to their own context of operations, different RTOs may provide various forms of evidence.
Some ideas for this include:
Position descriptions (PDs) or role statements that clearly define workloads and performance expectations
A Workforce Plan as a formal document identifying current staff, future needs, and backfill strategies for key roles. Consider including a risk-rated list of key personnel and their potential successors
Capacity modeling data as evidence showing how you calculated the need for additional staff. For example, an additional assessor based on a 15% increase in enrolments
3.1.2b It [the RTO] facilitates access to continuing professional development opportunities to enable staff of the organisation to effectively perform their role
This is about ensuring staff are trained and remain up-to-date with the skills and knowledge to do their job well. Often staff are employed for their skills but then not offered opportunities to keep those skills sharp.
Note too, that this performance indicator includes all staff, not just trainers and assessors. We are used to hearing about PD requirements for trainers/assessors as this has always been a component of maintaining currency. Well now, the currency extends to everyone working in the RTO to ensure they can effectively perform their roles in a regulatory environment.
Does this mean the RTO has to pay for the PD?
No, not necessarily. While paying for the PD will certainly be one way to facilitate opportunities for staff - especially with cost of living pressures making many people feel cautious about expenses - the Outcome Standard is not saying RTOs must pay.
Instead, this is about the RTO creating a “learning organisation” where staff are encouraged to build skills and bridge gaps. For trainers and assessors, RTOs must balance vocational currency (industry skills) with pedagogical (TAE) currency (how to teach effectively). For trainers delivering TAE qualifications, these are one and the same.
Facilitating opportunities for PD may look like:
Allowing paid time/days to attend webinars, workshops or conferences
Booking guest speakers to deliver custom-PD for staff
Alerting staff to the various opportunities available
Authorising industry release
Arranging mentoring sessions between more experienced and newer staff members
And of course,
Paying for, or subsidising, professional development
Opportunities for professional development and growth have been linked to increased productivity, higher job satisfaction and higher retention rates - as staff feel appreciated and valued for their contributions to the business.
Note though, the results from Skills Education’s 2025 research into VET PD Needs, Practices and Preferences, showed that staff don’t always link their employer paying for their PD with increased job satisfaction. Just having the opportunity to undertake PD is the driver.
What is a learning organisation?
A learning organisation is one that facilitates the learning of all its members and continuously transforms itself.
In VET, this means the RTO doesn't just provide training; it embodies a culture where every staff member, from the receptionist to the lead trainer, to the compliance manager, is engaged in ongoing growth.
This culture is essential for self-assurance, as it ensures staff are empowered to identify risks and implement improvements in real-time.
Suggested tools to support operations
Annual PD Calendar
PD Request Form
PD Reflection Template
Trainer Matrix Template
Industry Release Request Form
Suggestions to demonstrate compliance with requirements
PD calendar showing a scheduled program of internal and external sessions for all staff levels - and evidence that the PD has been attended and undertaken
PD Register as a master list showing the activities undertaken by all staff members over the last 12 months.
Industry release records as proof of trainers spending time back in industry to maintain vocational currency
Completed trainer matrices with verifiable evidence of completed PD
Completed PD reflections as brief records from staff explaining how a specific workshop or professional development activity improved their ability to perform their role
Meeting minutes showing PD opportunities are discussed during regular staff meetings
Known Quality Risks and Ideas for Mitigation
A number of known risks to quality outcomes against Outcome Standard 3.1 have been identified.
Here are some ideas for how to mitigate those risks.
Risk: Failing to determine the appropriate skills, qualifications and workload for all roles, including staff, contractors and third parties |
Mitigation ideas:
Ensure each role has a job description statement that has been verified by the people actually performing the roles
Have staff keep a "Time-on-Task" log for one week every six months to verify if their current Job Description reflects reality - and make adjustments as needed to maintain accurate workload and task descriptions for various roles
Risk: Not having a workforce plan in place to ensure there are sufficient trainers, assessors and staff available to deliver services to current and future student cohorts |
Mitigation ideas:
Create a workforce plan
Use enrolment pipeline data to trigger recruitment 3 months before you reach maximum capacity thresholds
Create a regular schedule (e.g. quarterly) for management to review staffing levels against current student progression rates
Risk: Failing to undertake due diligence or verify credentials of applicants during the recruitment of new staff |
Mitigation ideas:
Build verification and authentication of credentials into the recruitment process as a mandatory requirement. Verification must be via the USI transcript or the issuing RTO
Monitor announcements of RTO closures and AQSA cancellation of AQF certification documentation as this may impact validity of credentials (Join the LinkedIn Community of Practice and read the Skills Education newsletters to stay up to date with this information)
Risk: Having a staff to student ratio that does not adequately support students through their training and assessment pathway |
Mitigation ideas:
Hire more staff, reduce student numbers, implement streamlined processes to allow existing staff more time to support students as required
Conduct workforce planning including succession planning
Identify and have access to "emergency backfill" contractors for all key teaching roles
Risk: Not having a systematic approach to assessing and evaluating the performance of your staff and addressing their professional development needs |
Mitigation ideas:
Implement annual performance reviews that include feedback from students and peers (360 degree feedback) to identify specific PD needs
Implement regulator (quarterly or six-monthly) PD planning sessions in collaboration with staff
Conduct quarterly coaching sessions with staff as check-ins focused on "future growth" rather than "past mistakes"
Risk: Not providing staff with the opportunity or time to undertake professional development relevant to their role in your RTO |
Mitigation ideas:
Invest in membership products (like Education Matters Elite RTO) that allows access to multiple methods of PD on various topics for all staff in the RTO
Support staff in their requests for time and/or funding for professional development
Allocate time in the calendar for ‘campus is closed’ mandatory PD days - these will be no-contact days with students to allow dedicated time for whole-of-staff development
Implement dedicated "PD Blocks". Schedule monthly "no-contact" afternoons where students are self-studying, and all staff engage in scheduled PD
Other Materials and Resource Links
[Download] ASQA's Practice Guide that covers Standard 3.1. This offers suggestions but does not impose legal or compliance obligations: Quality Area 3 Practice Guide - VET Workforce Management.pdf
[Website] Legislation - National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Outcome Standards for Registered Training Organisations) Instrument 2025 (the "Outcome Standards")
Related Education Matters Modules
Your membership includes access to the following related modules in the Learning and Resources Hub:
Related Skills Education Professional Development
Following are some of the Skills Education professional development options that support requirements from Outcome Standard 3.1.
Depending on your membership level, you may already have access.
When you click on the items, it will either take you straight to the PD (meaning your membership has access included) or a payment page (meaning this item isn't part of your membership level).
Select from the PD Library category:
