Quality strategies are vital to the success of an RTO, not only for compliance but firstly for sustainable business. Within the VET sector there has been numerous reviews to identify concerns the latest was the Joyce Review and the ASQA Rapid review.
One of the key concerns identified by the Joyce Review was with respect to quality assurance. In 2019, ASQA included the following clauses of concern in the Standards for RTOs:
* 1.8 implement effective assessment systems
* 1.1 have appropriate training and assessment strategies and practices, including amount of training
* 1.3 have the resources to provide quality training and assessment – this includes sufficient trainers and assessors, learning resources, support services, equipment and facilities.
Even in more recent times ASQA's rapid review identifies the need for 'strategy' to be a key point of the regulators action - 'The Regulatory Strategy feeds into ASQA’s strategic planning, as reflected in ASQA’s Corporate Plan each year and ASQA’s strategic review program.'
So considering that at all higher levels of the VET industry compliance strategies are the norm, and there is registration compliance includes the reference to specific strategies, however there is a lack of corporate governance linking the business sustainability strategy and the quality of training and assessment strategies.
There are heaps of posts out there about quality strategies - I like this one from Diane Murray - although not specifically RTO compliance still very relevant. She notes the following reasons:
1- You’re worried about compliance instead of enterprise performance.
2 - You’re not using a risk-based approach to supplier management.
3 - You don’t know how your company stacks up on the capabilities maturity model. (this might be a little too much for some in RTO business but the importance is the same - substitute maturity model for years of registration
4 - You’re not looking outside your industry for ideas and best practices.
5 - Your team is focused on getting the “right software” instead of transforming the business. - this is mostly related to LMS systems and reporting requirements or more currently the ability to deliver and assess online. How many however are looking at innovation in quality and assessment compliance? - FIND OUT MORE - Here are 5 reasons why your quality Compliance strategy is not working
There are other posts related to ISO quality management systems however the long and the short is the same.
Here are my general tips
1 - Work out what actual strategies you have for compliance - not just training and assessment but all compliance AND quality
2 - Measure if they are working to achieve the KPI of the business, including time and cost
3 - (If you don't already) identify how you can measure action and improvement toward the KPI
4 - (If you don't already) start to monitor and record these.
Specifically, for example, you could focus on HR compliance - the KPI in business maybe to reduce staff turnover and maintain IP through supporting staff to maintain compliance.
The strategy should include the measuring of their compliance coming into the organisation, the recruitment and induction process, the record management of maintaining compliance with currency for a vocation as well as facilitation(training and assessment). Monitoring could be during your validation processes and the outcome could be linked to the budget for PD and strategic focus on industry. Surveys of staff and performance reviews are all great ways to measure, monitor and record action, cost and improvement.
Other Blogs you may be interested in if you liked this one - checkout
Take the Assessment Quiz or Mapping for Compliance
Need a bit more help with mapping or other strategies? There is a tool and tactic to optimise your reviews and identify your bottle necks in assessment compliance - which is based on this Assessment gap analysis. No more will you have to manually map the assessments - Valid8ed can do it for you.
Reference
- Strengthening Skills: Expert Review of Australia’s Vocational Education and Training System (the Joyce review)—this review, conducted by the Hon. Steven Joyce, examines ways to make the VET system more effective in providing Australians with the skills needed for individual and economic success.
- Regulatory strategy - 2019 - 2021 - https://www.asqa.gov.au/sites/default/files/2019-08/asqa_regulatory_strategy_2019-21.pdf
