General information, not legal advice. The official places to check are ASQA’s pages for providers and the law itself on the Federal Register of Legislation.
How each standard is written
Every standard has two parts: an “Outcome Standard”, one sentence on the result, and “Performance Indicators”, each list opening “An NVR registered training organisation demonstrates:”. The instrument was made under section 185(1) of the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011, and its section 5 ties it to registration: the Regulator “must consider whether an applicant is complying, or will comply, with Schedule 1” when deciding whether to grant registration. File 01 covers that application.
The instrument’s own name, in section 1, is the one used on this site. The title on the instrument’s cover page reads “for NVR Registered Training Organisations”, a small difference worth knowing when searching the Register.
All twenty-three, in the instrument’s words
The Outcome Standard sentence for each, printed complete. The Performance Indicators beneath each one are in the instrument.
| Standard | Outcome Standard |
|---|---|
| 1.1 | “Training is engaging, well-structured and enables VET students to attain skills and knowledge consistent with the training product.” |
| 1.2 | “Engagement with industry, employer and community representatives effectively informs the industry relevance of training offered by the NVR registered training organisation.” |
| 1.3 | “The assessment system is fit-for-purpose and consistent with the training product.” |
| 1.4 | “The assessment system ensures assessment is conducted in a way that is fair and appropriate and enables accurate assessment judgement of VET student competency.” |
| 1.5 | “The assessment system is quality assured by appropriately skilled and credentialled persons through a regular process of validating assessment practices and judgements.” |
| 1.6 | “VET students with prior skills, knowledge and competencies are supported to seek recognition of prior learning to progress through the relevant training product.” |
| 1.7 | “VET students who have completed an equivalent training product are supported to obtain a credit transfer.” |
| 1.8 | “Facilities, resources and equipment for each training product are fit-for-purpose, safe, accessible and sufficient.” |
| Standard | Outcome Standard |
|---|---|
| 2.1 | “VET students have access to clear and accurate information concerning the organisation, the relevant training product, and students are made aware of any changes that may affect them.” |
| 2.2 | “VET students are advised, prior to enrolment, about the suitability of the training product for them, taking into account the student’s skills and competencies.” |
| 2.3 | “VET students have access to support services, trainers and assessors and other staff to support their progress throughout the training product.” |
| 2.4 | “Reasonable adjustments are made to support VET students with disability to access and participate in training and assessment on an equal basis.” |
| 2.5 | “The learning environment promotes and supports the diversity of VET students.” |
| 2.6 | “The wellbeing needs of the VET student cohort are identified and strategies are put in place to support these needs.” |
| 2.7 | “Feedback and complaints management addresses concerns and informs continuous improvement of the NVR registered training organisation.” |
| 2.8 | “Effective appeal processes are available to VET students where decisions of the NVR registered training organisation or a third party adversely affect the student.” |
| Standard | Outcome Standard |
|---|---|
| 3.1 | “The workforce is effectively managed to ensure appropriate staffing to deliver services.” |
| 3.2 | “Training and assessment is delivered to VET students by credentialled people with current skills and knowledge in training and assessment.” |
| 3.3 | “Training and assessment is delivered by persons with current industry skills and knowledge relevant to the training product.” |
| Standard | Outcome Standard |
|---|---|
| 4.1 | “An NVR registered training organisation operates with integrity and maintains accountability for the delivery of quality services.” |
| 4.2 | “Roles and responsibilities of NVR registered training organisation staff and third parties are clearly defined and understood.” |
| 4.3 | “Any risks to VET students, staff and the organisation itself are identified and managed.” |
| 4.4 | “An NVR registered training organisation undertakes systematic monitoring and evaluation of the organisation to support quality delivery and the continuous improvement of services.” |
Indicators with firm points
A few Performance Indicators set firm points rather than outcomes. Among them:
- Validation, Standard 1.5: “every training product on the organisation’s scope of registration is validated at least once every five years”, and more often where risks, product changes or feedback call for it.
- Information before enrolment, Standard 2.1: documentation, before enrolment or before any fees are required to be paid, setting out the training, “all fees, costs and charges”, and any obligations or liabilities the RTO or third parties may impose.
- Students under 18, Standard 4.3: risks to their safety and wellbeing identified and managed “in accordance with the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations”.
- Money, Standard 4.3: its note says that, under section 24 of the Act, RTOs “must also comply with the Financial Viability Risk Assessment Requirements made under section 158 of the Act.”
Recognition of prior learning under Standard 1.6 is offered to students and decided on evidence through the RTO’s assessment system.
Standard 3.2 and the Credential Policy
Standard 3.2’s first indicator is that training and assessment “is only delivered by persons who hold the appropriate credentials for the delivery of training and assessment as specified in the Credential Policy”, and where that policy permits a person to deliver training or assessment under direction, the RTO “has systems in place that ensure the person does not make assessment judgements and is delivering quality training and assessment”. The instrument defines the Credential Policy as the document of that title listed on the National Register, as in force from time to time; the Credential Policy itself sets out which credentials trainers and assessors need for particular training, assessment and validation roles.
What the 2025 Standards replaced
Schedule 3 of the Compliance Standards instrument repeals the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (NVR registered training organisations) 2015, the whole of the instrument. The department notes that the 2025 Standards build on early changes made to the 2015 Standards from 1 March 2024. ASQA’s practice guides set out its regulatory expectations against the revised Standards, which it says came into full regulatory effect on 1 July 2025. An RTO registered by Victoria’s regulator is held to a different set of standards, covered in file 05.