Terminology

An accredited VET (Vocational Education and Training) course is:

• a structured sequence of training developed to meet training needs that are not addressed by existing training packages
• a course accredited by the national VET regulator or by a delegated body of the national VET regulator, and
• a course that has been assessed by ASQA as compliant with the Standards for VET Accredited Courses 2012 and the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

Bonus points—

Equity schemes, such as QTAC's Educational Access Scheme, distribute bonus points to OP scores or ranks, depending on the severity of an applicant's financial or educational disadvantage.
 

Bonus ranks—

Subject-based bonus schemes, such as the UQ Bonus Rank Scheme, distribute bonus ranks to a student's entry rank if they have studied certain Year 12 subjects: Languages other than English (LOTE), Mathematics C and university enrichment subjects.

Alternative pathways—

A way of showing preparedness for tertiary study. Applicants apply on the basis of life skills and employment experience instead of previous academic achievement.

Alternative pathways include sitting the Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) and applying on the basis of paid employment experience, bridging programs and/or a tertiary study pathway.

Special entry schemes—

UQ has a range of admission schemes to encourage students from specified backgrounds. They can also encourage students to apply for specific programs.

The person who has lodged an application For example - The person who has lodged an application for a UQ College program or the person who has lodged an application with a Tertiary Admissions Centre (QTAC) or UQ's online application service.

The Australian Qualifications Framework specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. It is administered nationally by the Australian Government's Department of Industry, with oversight from the States and Territories, through the Standing Council of Tertiary Education Skills and Employment.

AQF levels:

• Level 1 – Certificate I.
• Level 2 – Certificate II.
• Level 3 – Certificate III.
• Level 4 – Certificate IV.
• Level 5 – Diploma.
• Level 6 – Advanced Diploma, Associate Degree.
• Level 7 – Bachelor Degree.
• Level 8 – Bachelor Honours Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma.

The Australian Qualifications Framework specifies the standards for educational qualifications in Australia. It is administered nationally by the Australian Government's Department of Industry, with oversight from the States and Territories, through the Standing Council of Tertiary Education Skills and Employment.

ASQA is the national regulator for the VET sector in Australia. ASQA maintains quality in the sector through the regulation of:

• providers that deliver VET qualifications and courses (i.e. RTOs)
• providers that deliver VET courses to overseas students
• accredited VET courses
• certain providers that deliver English Language Intensive Courses to Overseas Students (ELICOS).

ASQA’s purpose is to provide nationally consistent, risk-based regulation of VET that contributes to an informed, quality VET sector that meets Australia’s needs.

A study program specifically to build academic and discipline skills and knowledge and create an academic profile to apply for degree entry.

Certificate in Adult Tertiary Preparation. Available at UQ College as a whole VET qualification or individual VET units within specialisations (eg – Mathematics, Chemistry )

The consistent application of knowledge and skill to the standard of performance required in the workplace. It embodies the ability to transfer and apply skills and knowledge to new situations and environments.

Recognition of a complete qualification or discrete courses/units within the qualification that are deemed to be the equivalent of a course/unit in another qualification

Training site, owned or leased by a provider.

The bodies that have a stake in the training, assessment and client services provided by vocational education providers.

An organisation representing an industry, including peak business and employer organisations and industry advisory bodies, such as industry skills councils.

National bodies formerly recognised and funded by the Australian Government to develop and maintain training packages specific to particular industry areas; this role is now performed by Skills Service Organisations

A person being trained and/or assessed by the RTO for the purpose of issuing AQF certification documentation.

Moderation is a quality control process aimed at bringing assessment judgements into alignment. Moderation is generally conducted before the finalisation of student results as it ensures the same decisions are applied to all assessment results within the same unit of competency.

The requirement in the Standards for RTOs 2015 to undertake validation of assessment judgements does not prohibit your RTO from undertaking moderation activities, or any other process aimed at increasing the quality of assessment.

training.gov.au, the official national register on vocational education and training (VET) in Australia. It is the authoritative source of information on training packages, qualifications, accredited courses, units of competency, skill sets and registered training organisations (RTOs).

training.gov.au helps people to find information about RTOs that are registered to deliver a particular nationally recognised training (NRT) product.

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), the national body responsible for registering training providers and accrediting courses in Australia.

Nominal (supervised) hours represent the supervised structured learning and assessment activity required to sufficiently address the content of each unit (acknowledging that progress can vary between learners).

A program that provides an outcome other than a specific qualification. For example – a program that enables a student to gain an entry rank and /or prerequisites to apply for degree entry

Non-compliance occurs when the requirements of the VET Quality Framework or other relevant standards or registration conditions have not been met.

National VET Regulator

Future student—

A person who is considering attending a university or UQ College and/or lodging an application.

‘Provider’ may refer to:

• a registered training organisation (RTO), or
• an RTO that is also registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) to deliver to overseas students, or
• an organisation that is registered on CRICOS and delivers English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS).

Formal certification, issued by a relevant approved body, in recognition that a person has achieved learning outcomes or competencies relevant to identified individual, professional, industry or community needs.

All registered training organisations (RTOs) registered with ASQA are required to provide an annual summary report to ASQA of their performance against three quality indicators:

• learner engagement
• employer satisfaction, and
• competency completion quality.

Quality indicator data is used by registering bodies to inform each RTO’s risk assessment.

An assessment process that involves assessment of an individual’s relevant prior learning (including formal, informal and non-formal learning) to determine the credit outcomes of an individual application for credit.

Registered Training Organisation

ASQA registers vocational education and training (VET) providers as ‘registered training organisations’. VET registration is confirmation that a training organisation can deliver, assess and issue the qualifications it is registered to provide, or statements of attainment to a nationally agreed standard.

ASQA also registers providers seeking to enrol overseas students who are on student visas as Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS) providers.

The particular services and products that a provider is registered to provide.

The national standards against which applicants for registration as a VET (vocational education and training) provider, and existing VET providers, are assessed.

• Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015

A statement given to a person confirming that the person has satisfied the requirements of units of competency or modules specified in the statement.

A person being trained and/or assessed by the RTO for the purpose of issuing AQF certification documentation.

An approach to audit that focuses on the practices and behaviours of RTOs, as well as checking on the compliance of RTOs’ systems and processes.

Upgrading pathways—

The process of undertaking further study to meet eligibility requirements to apply for a desired program.

An official certification document that confirms that a qualification has been awarded to an individual

Transition period means, where a training product has been superseded, removed or deleted from the National Register, the allowable timeframe within which the learner’s training, assessment, and AQF certification documentation issuance must be completed or, in the case of a superseded training product, within which the learner is transitioned into the replacement training product.

An academic year that is divided into 3 sub-periods of study. For example 3 x 14 week study periods.

UQ College’s Tertiary Preparation Program

The specification of the standards of performance required in the workplace as defined in a training package.

Spending additional (unsupervised hours) self-paced study, review, and research.

The quality review of the assessment process. Validation involves checking that the assessment tool/s produce/s valid, reliable, sufficient, current and authentic evidence to enable reasonable judgements to be made as to whether the requirements of the training package or VET accredited courses are met. It includes reviewing a statistically valid sample of the assessments and making recommendations for future improvements to the assessment tool, process and/or outcomes and acting upon such recommendations

Vocational education and training

A set of standards and conditions used by ASQA to assess whether a registered training organisation meets the requirements for registration.

The VET Quality Framework comprises:

• the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015
• the Fit and Proper Person Requirements
• the Financial Viability Risk Assessment Requirements
• the Data Provision Requirements, and
• the Australian Qualifications Framework.

The notional duration of all activities required for achieving learning outcomes. Volume of learning includes nominal (supervised) hours and unsupervised hours