Becoming a Registered Training Organisation

Benefits of being a Registered Training Organisation (RTO)

Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are recognised providers of nationally recognised training having met quality assured national standards.

Only RTOs can:

• deliver, assess and issue parchments for nationally recognised courses and qualifications.
• be eligible to apply for State and Commonwealth Government funding
• use nationally recognised training logo on all qualifications and statements of attainment they issue
• be approved to provide courses to overseas students studying in Australia.

Nationally recognised training

As an RTO, you can use the nationally recognised training logo on all qualifications and statements of attainment you issue. The logo is a valuable marketing tool. It signifies that:

• your training courses are nationally recognised under the  Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF)
• the qualifications you issue are nationally recognised by all other RTOs.

This means that those you train will be confident that the skills they attain are of a high quality at industry standards and will be accepted and valued nationwide. It also allows students from other organisations to enrol, transfer or complete their training at your institution.

All RTOs are listed on a national register of authorised organisations known as the National Training Information Service (NTIS) http://www.ntis.gov.au/, allowing potential clients and partners to view your services.

What should you do in order to become registered as an RTO?

To become registered, a training organisation must apply in the State or Territory where the organisation has its head office, or where it will conduct most or all of its training and assessment.

In South Australia the Quality Directorate within the Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology under the authority of the South Australian Training and Skills Commission manages the registration of training organisations in South Australia.

Application process

The process has in five steps:

Step 1: Preparation

1.1 Read the following documents to assist your organisation meet the standards:

•  AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration (PDF 195KB)
•  AQTF 2007 Users' Guide to the Essential Standards for Registration (PDF 512KB) 
•  Guidelines for RTOs registered in South Australia under the Training and Skills Development Act 2008 (PDF 295KB) 

1.2 Read  Guide A for Initial Registration or Renewal of Registration (PDF 110KB) to assist you in completing your application for initial registration.

1.3 Complete  RTO1 - Application for Initial or Renewal of Registration (DOC 469KB).

Note:  If you are planning to deliver educational services to overseas students, there are additional requirements to be met. For further information refer to the section  Provide education and training to students studying in Australia on a student visa.

1.4 Read about Licencing and  Council approval for premises that will be used for educational purposes.

Step 2: Application

The application process requires you to complete the application form and forward to Quality Directorate, Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology with the evidence detailed in section 8 of the application form which includes an application fee; refer to Schedule of Fees. 

Step 3: Assessment

Your application may be assessed based on the application alone or additional evidence assessed may be required and assessed either through a desk based audit or a site audit (see Preparing for an AQTF Audit). Risk factors that determine the assessment process include; the applicant's risk rating and whether the application is for delivery of qualifications in an area closely related or distinct from its current approved operations.

Further information on these and other risk factors considered in this process is provided in  the National Guideline for Risk Management.

Step 4: Approval of Application

The audit team will provide a written report to the delegate on the organisation’s compliance with the AQTF Standards for Registered Training Organisations.

Quality Directorate will inform the organisation of the decision on registration and if relevant require the organisation to address any areas of non-compliance before registration is approved. The organisation will be provided with a summary of the audit report indicating any non-compliance, opportunities for improvement and areas of good practice.

Step 5: Length of Registration

Registration under the AQTF is for a period of five years. You can apply to vary your scope* of registration at any time.

*Scope of registration refers to the training products and assessment services that a registered training organisation (RTO) is registered to deliver.

Timeframe of the assessment of an application

Applicants should note that the assessment of an application may take up to 3 months. Actual time taken will depend upon how the application will be assessed. This is determined based on risk factors relevant to the application and the nature of evidence required to assess the application.