Where to start on the transition to the new Standards?
- Specialised VET Services
- Mar 23
- 3 min read
Revised Standards for RTO are now in place
Coming into full regulatory effect for ASQA-regulated RTOs on 1 July 2025, the new requirements for ongoing registration as an RTO are now in place on the Federal Register of Legislation.
They comprise:
Outcome Standards (legislative instrument)
Compliance Requirements (legislative instrument)
Credential Policy (policy document; incorporated by reference within the Outcome Standards)
These documents, together with other, supporting information can be found in the one location here
Many changes
Going through the documents, you may note there are many changes from the Draft versions to the final requirements. Please exercise due care if your RTO had pre-emptively applied changes to RTO documents prior to 14.3.25.
Self-assurance
The Outcome Standards set out the key elements of quality training and assessment which, to maintain registration, RTOs must demonstrate.
Compliance with the Standards will be tested by VET Regulators (ASQA and TAC) at audit as well as through risk-based monitoring activities.
RTOs must implement a self-assurance model to their operations and have context-dependent, risk-informed responses in place for how they will demonstrate meeting - and that they are meeting! - the requirements.
This means that RTOs must evaluate their operations and continuously scan for areas where improvement opportunities exist. ASQA and TAC-regulated RTOs are responsible for ensuring they meet the Standards at all times, including in circumstances where third parties may be involved.
Each RTO is different
With the new requirements, there will be no 'one size fits all' approach to compliance. Simply, because each RTO is different and each RTO must determine their own approach.
When doing so, RTOs must:
underpin decisions with a risk-based methodology
consider the RTO's:
operating environment as the context
size
geographical location
products and services delivered
delivery methodologies
target student cohort
staffing
partnerships
develop systems and processes to address their approach to meeting the Standards, ensuring all of the above is included in considerations
rely on data to provide evidence-based inputs
Whilst the approach from each RTO will differ, the expected minimum outcomes are standardised; in that the Outcome Standards and underlying Performance Indicators set out what RTOs are expected to do to achieve high-quality training delivery in the Australian VET Sector.
This is a significant shift from the Standards for RTOs 2015 where essentially, RTOs have been told what to do and how to do it. Under self-assurance, the onus of 'the how' is now squarely the responsibility of the RTO.
Making the transition
So, with the 1 July 2025 deadline fast approaching, how can RTOs get started on making the transition?
Our suggestion in the context of the new Outcome Standards, is to evaluate current operational areas and analyse for known risk areas to quality outcomes. Identify what, within the RTO's operations needs work to mitigate risk, and prioritise those areas for review.
When making the review, confirm what actions are required to align with the Performance Indicators in the Outcome Standards and develop or enhance or confirm your RTO's approach.
Help to get started on the transition
If you don't know where to get started on the transition to the new requirements, or would like to conduct a risk analysis of current operations, this set of four templates will guide you through a workable process.
Each template addresses a corresponding Quality Area from the new Outcome Standards.
Use the template tools to get actionable insight into the RTO’s performance against all operational areas that are known risks to quality outcomes.
The set supports self-assurance and can provide a catalyst for creating necessarily customised responses to operational policy and process requirements.