Introduction
These Assessment Guidelines provide the endorsed framework for assessment of units of competency in this Training Package. They are designed to ensure that assessment is consistent with the AQTF 2007. Assessments against the units of competency in this Training Package must be carried out in accordance with these Assessment Guidelines.
Assessment System Overview
This section provides an overview of the requirements for assessment when using this Training Package, including a summary of the AQTF 2007 requirements; licensing/registration requirements; and assessment pathways.
Benchmarks for Assessment
Assessment within the National Skills Framework is the process of collecting evidence and making judgments about whether competency has been achieved to confirm whether an individual can perform to the standards expected in the workplace, as expressed in the relevant endorsed unit of competency.
In the areas of work covered by this Training Package, the endorsed units of competency are the benchmarks for assessment. As such, they provide the basis for nationally recognised Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications and Statements of Attainment issued by Registered Training Organisations (RTOs).
Australian Quality Training Framework Assessment Requirements
Assessment leading to nationally recognised AQF qualifications and Statements of Attainment in the vocational education and training sector must meet the requirements of the AQTF as expressed in the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration.
The AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration can be downloaded from www.training.com.au/aqtf2007 . The following points summarise assessment requirements.
Registration of Training Organisations
Assessment must be conducted by, or on behalf of, an RTO formally registered by a State or Territory Registering/Course Accrediting Body in accordance with the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration. The RTO must have the specific units of competency and/or AQF qualifications on its scope of registration.
Quality Training and Assessment
Each RTO must provide quality training and assessment across all its operations. See the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration, Standard 1.
Assessor Competency Requirements
Each person involved in training, assessment or client service must be competent for the functions they perform. See the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration, Standard 1, for assessor (and trainer) competency requirements.
Assessment Requirements
The RTOs assessments, including RPL, must meet the requirements of the relevant endorsed Training Package. See the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration, Standard 1.
Assessment Strategies
Each RTO must have strategies for training and assessment that meet the requirements of the relevant Training Package or accredited course and are developed in consultation with industry stakeholders. See the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration, Standard 1.
National Recognition
Each RTO must recognise the AQF qualifications and Statements of Attainment issued by any other RTO. See the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration, Condition of Registration 7: Recognition of qualifications issued by other RTOs.
Access and Equity and Client Outcomes
Each RTO must adhere to the principles of access and equity and maximise outcomes for its clients. See the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration, Standard 2.
Monitoring Assessments
Training and/or assessment provided on behalf of the RTO must be monitored to ensure that it is in accordance with all aspects of the Essential Standards for Registration. See the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration, Standard 3.
Recording Assessment Outcomes
Each RTO must manage records to ensure their accuracy and integrity. See the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration, Standard 3.
Issuing AQF Qualifications and Statements of Attainment
Each RTO must issue AQF qualifications and Statements of Attainment that meet the requirements of the current AQF Implementation Handbook and the endorsed Training Packages within the scope of its registration. An AQF qualification is issued once the full requirements for a qualification, as specified in the nationally endorsed Training Package are met. A Statement of Attainment is issued when an individual has completed one or more units of competency from nationally recognised qualification(s)/courses(s). See the AQTF 2007 and the 2007 edition of the AQF Implementation Handbook—available on the AQFAB website <www.aqf.edu.au>.
Licensing/Registration Requirements
This section provides information on licensing/registration requirements for this Training Package, with the following important disclaimer.
The developers of this Training Package, and DEST, consider that no licensing or registration
requirements apply to RTOs, assessors or candidates with respect to this Training Package.
Contact the relevant State or Territory Department(s) to check if there are any licensing or
registration requirements with which you must comply. For further information on this topic
contact SkillsDMC: www.skillsdmc.com.au
Licensing and registration requirements that apply to specific industries, and vocational education and training, vary between each State and Territory, and can regularly change. The developers of this Training Package, and DEST, consider that the licensing/registration requirements described in this section apply to RTOs, assessors or candidates with respect to this Training Package. While reasonable care has been taken in its preparation, the developers of this Training Package and DEST cannot guarantee that the list is definitive or accurate at the time of reading; the information in this section is provided in good faith on that basis.
Contact the relevant State or Territory Department(s) to check if the licensing/registration requirements described below still apply, and to check if there are any others with which you must comply. For further information contact SkillsDMC by email skillsdmc@skillsdmc.com.au
Requirements for Assessors
In order to conduct assessment for statutory licensing or other industry registration requirements, assessors must meet the requirements outlined in the following chart, in addition to the AQTF requirements.
Download the chart of Requirements for Assessors
These requirements may be met through:
Download the table Licensing/Registration Requirments
Pathways
The competencies in this Training Package may be attained in a number of ways including through:
- formal or informal education and training
- experiences in the workplace
- general life experience, and/or
- any combination of the above.
Assessment under this Training Package leading to an AQF qualification or Statement of Attainment may follow a learning and assessment pathway, an assessment-only or recognition pathway, or a combination of the two as illustrated in the following diagram.
Each of these assessment pathways leads to full recognition of competencies held - the critical issue is that the candidate is competent, not how the competency was acquired.
Assessment, by any pathway, must comply with the assessment requirements set out in the Assessment Guidelines of the Training Package and the AQTF 2007.
Learning and Assessment Pathways
Usually, learning and assessment are integrated, with assessment evidence being collected and feedback provided to the candidate at anytime throughout the learning and assessment process.
Learning and assessment pathways may include structured programs in a variety of contexts using a range of strategies to meet different learner needs. Structured learning and assessment programs could be: group-based, work-based, project-based, self-paced, action learning-based; conducted by distance or e-learning; and/or involve practice and experience in the workplace.
Learning and assessment pathways to suit Australian Apprenticeships have a mix of formal structured training and structured workplace experience with formative assessment activities through which candidates can acquire and demonstrate skills and knowledge from the relevant units of competency.
Assessment-Only or Recognition of Prior Learning Pathway
Competencies already held by individuals can be formally assessed against the units of competency in this Training Package, and should be recognised regardless of how, when or where they were achieved.
In an assessment-only or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) pathway, the candidate provides current, quality evidence of their competency against the relevant unit of competency. This process may be directed by the candidate and verified by the assessor, such as in the compilation of portfolios; or directed by the assessor, such as through observation of workplace performance and skills application, and oral and/or written assessment. Where the outcomes of this process indicate that the candidate is competent, structured training is not required. The RPL requirements of the AQTF 2007 must be met (Standard 1).
As with all assessment, the assessor must be confident that the evidence indicates that the candidate is currently competent against the endorsed unit of competency. This evidence may take a variety of forms and might include certification, references from past employers, testimonials from clients, and work samples. The onus is on candidates to provide sufficient evidence to satisfy assessors that they currently hold the relevant competencies. In judging evidence, the assessor must ensure that the evidence of prior learning is:
- authentic (the candidate's own work)
- valid (directly related to the current version of the relevant endorsed unit of competency)
- reliable (shows that the candidate consistently meets the endorsed unit of competency)
- current (reflects the candidate's current capacity to perform the aspect of the work covered by the endorsed unit of competency), and
- sufficient (covers the full range of elements in the relevant unit of competency and addresses the four dimensions of competency, namely task skills, task management skills, contingency management skills, and job/role environment skills).
The assessment only or recognition of prior learning pathway is likely to be most appropriate in the following scenarios:
- candidates enrolling in qualifications who want recognition for prior learning or current competencies
- existing workers
- individuals with overseas qualifications
- recent migrants with established work histories
- people returning to the workplace, and
- people with disabilities or injuries requiring a change in career.
Combination of Pathways
Where candidates for assessment have gained competencies through work and life experience and gaps in their competence are identified, or where they require training in new areas, a combination of pathways may be appropriate.
In such situations, the candidate may undertake an initial assessment to determine their current competency. Once current competency is identified, a structured learning and assessment program ensures that the candidate acquires the required additional competencies identified as gaps.
Assessor Requirements
This section identifies the mandatory competencies for assessors, and clarifies how others may contribute to the assessment process where one person alone does not hold all the required competencies.
Assessor Competencies
The AQTF 2007 specifies mandatory competency requirements for assessors. For information, Standard 1, Element 1.4 from the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration follows:
| 1.4 |
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Training and assessment is delivered by trainers and assessors who: |
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a) |
have the necessary training and assessment competencies as determined by the National Quality Council or its successors |
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b) |
have the relevant vocational competencies at least to the level being delivered or assessed |
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c) |
continue developing their vocational and training and assessment competencies to support continuous improvements in the delivery of the RTO’s services.” |