COVID-19 Training and Assessment Changes to your RTO
Hi,
I hope you are all travelling (whoops – wrong word) – I mean managing well during these challenging days.
It is important during this time of change (for many of my clients) to remain compliant (ugh, you say). I understand this may be the last thing in your brain space at the moment but that is what I’m here for. 😊
As some of you may be (or already have been) contemplating sending your students home, your staff home, delivering totally online, changing delivery strategies, etc. it is important to record all business decisions in relation to changes to the courses you are delivering. Whilst ASQA are being considerate of the challenges in the VET sector at the moment, they are still very much preaching compliance, compliance, compliance! What if you were audited in 12 months from now when this is all over (and IT WILL BE!)?
Staying Compliant
Document any changes you make: – No need to update all your Training and Assessment Strategies – Attached below is a very basic template we have created to track your decisions and actions in a central location (refer attached “COVID-19 Training and Assessment Change Register”), with the aim of recording:
- What the changes are you have made to delivery arrangements:
- Can you change around the order of units being delivered?
- What the changes are you have made to assessment methods:
- Can you get videos for practical assessments (remember your unit requirements and rules of evidence)?
- Can you delay practical assessments (i.e focus on knowledge assessments now and practical later)?
- Many licensed units need to have an assessor ‘present’ – be aware of what you can and cannot do – you may not be able to delay assessments according to state WHS requirements – keep a tab on those websites.
- What the changes are you have made to support learners,
- How you have communicated these changes to your stakeholders (clients, staff, students, etc.), and
- Course-wide changes as well as individual student reasonable adjustments (e.g. if a learner needed to self-isolate).
I hope the attached excel template helps a little – but please, please remember we are here if you need anything at all 😊
All the best and regards, Carolyn
Carolyn Claridge
Director and Lead Consultant
Finest Compliance
