Regulatory requirements for training organisations have been under constant review and change for more than two decades, and we are once again immersed in another regulatory transformation of compliance principles, roles, expectations and values.

Don't tick the wrong box! Assessment systems continue to be the most challenging area in an RTO's operations and yet the most critical to demonstrate quality outcomes. When dealing with assessments in Australia's VET environment, we need to consider both the assessment system used by the training organisation, and the outcomes produced by that system. The "assessment evidence" is collected and used to make a competency judgement against the unit(s) of competency.

It is important to have a range of relevant professional development opportunities for vocational trainers and practitioners in areas such as: diversity, equity and inclusion. Equally important is having a commitment from the sector’s leaders, including managers and training designers, to take the conversation on diversity and equity out of the PD space and bring these practices into a holistic approach to training and assessment strategies.

Become fluent in the language of the virtual classroom.

After almost two decades, virtual classrooms have become an expected part of the training mix. Most organisations already have invested in virtual classroom software and are now expecting that some percentage of their training content will be delivered virtually.

When it comes to vocational training and education, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Every training sector (industry) has unique requirements and every learner cohort has different set of needs, and goals. When designing training and assessment strategies, is it best to lean toward virtual or the classroom? This rational is not only outdated, but likely ineffective, and in today’s largely work-from-home landscape, it’s also unrealistic.

By deciding your training delivery mode as purely live trainer-led or on-demand, you’ll miss valuable benefits of each methodology. Those who consider a blended approach to learning take advantage of the pros aligned with both methods and can also eliminate the cons that either approach brings to the table.