Quality Indicators

1. Quality Indicators

2. What are the Quality Indictors? • As part of the AQTF Essential Standards for Registration, RTOs are required to collect data on three Quality Indicators: • Learner Engagement • Employers Satisfaction • Competency Completion This data will be collected through learner and employee surveys and from enrolment and completion data held by the RTO. • This data will be used by RTOs to continuously improve their operations and by Registering Bodies to inform an RTO’s risk rating • RTOs are required to report this data to their Registering Body annually (by 30 June each year) • Survey tools and software have been developed nationally for RTOs to use. These can be downloaded from www.acer.edu.au/aqtf

3. What are the reporting requirements? The requirement to collect and report data in relation to the Quality Indicators is being implemented as a two phase process: Phase 1 – • Data collection period 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2008 • Mandatory submission of ‘competency completion’ data only • Voluntary collection and submission of ‘learner engagement’ and ‘employer satisfaction’ data • This data needs to be provided to the Registering Body by 30 June 2009 Phase 2 – • Data collection period 1 January 2009 to 31 December 2009 • Mandatory collection of data for all three Quality Indicators • This data needs to be provided to the registering body by 30 June 2010.

4. What software is available?

5. Competency Completion Online system • The Competency Completion Online System (CCOS) is used for collating competency completion data. • This system can be accessed at http://rto.ncver.edu.au/. • RTOs will need to enter enrolments and completions by qualification and unit of competency. • If an RTO delivers in more than one state, this data will need to be entered by state. • The report provided to the registering body includes space to provide comments/context of your RTOs completion data.

6. Competency Completion Online system The options for entering this data are: • Manually entering data • Importing data from your current student management system or excel spreadsheet • Submit data to your State Training Authority using AVETMISS compliant software – this will then be pre-populated into the CCOS in May every year • RTOs will need to generate two reports for submission to their • Registering Body for this Quality Indicator: • Number of enrolments and completions per qualification • Number of enrolments and completions per unit of competency/module.

7. Competency Completion Sample Report • Example of data required by CCOS for qualifications when delivering in one state only

8. Competency Completion Sample Report • Example of data required by CCOS for units of competency when delivering in more than one state

9. Survey Management, Analysis and Reporting Tool (SMART) • The Survey Management, Analysis and Reporting Tool (SMART) is used for collating learner engagement and employer satisfaction data. • The SMART Software produces a ‘Registering Body Report’ that summarises data collected • There are two different survey tools: • Learner Questionnaire • Employer Questionnaire • Questions in surveys cannot be changed or re-worded • The SMART software, questionnaires and guide books can all be downloaded for free from http://www.acer.edu.au/aqtf. • The ‘Registering Body Report’ contains space for explanation if the Employer Questionnaire has not been used or to explain context of the results

10. Are there any exemptions? • If the student does not have an employer OR the employer is not a party to the training, you do not need to administer the Employer Questionnaire • The ‘Registering Body Report’ contains space for explanation if the Employer Questionnaire has not been used or to explain context of the results • If an RTO did not enrol, train or assess any students in the data collection period, they are exempt from providing data. These RTOs will need to provide a Statutory Declaration to the department. • There are no other exemptions

11. Administering the surveys • The Employer Survey Guide and Learner Survey Guide provide guidance on how to sample and minimum numbers required for the surveys to be accurate, In brief: • If conducting census (i.e. questionnaires are sent to every employer and student): • Obtain feedback from at least 50% • If conducting a survey (i.e. a sample of students and employers): • Select groups of different learners that are representative of your RTO (by Qualification, campus, delivery mode etc.) • Get responses from at least 50 people per group • If a group/RTO has less than 50 students, the RTO should survey them all

12. Administering the surveys • Surveys can be administered in several ways: • By phone • In paper form • Online • Surveys should be administered towards the end of study or on completion of study • Surveys can be administered several times throughout the study period e.g. for a three year course, once a year • Phone/paper surveys then need to be coded and entered into the smart software • Data from online surveys can be populated into the SMART software without the need to code the data

13. Submitting data to the department • The relevant reports are to be provided (faxed/emailed) by 30 June each year… check with your registering body for specific details • The data will be analysed and every RTO’s risk rating reviewed • Competency completion rates outside of 50-90% range that are satisfactorily explained will not affect and RTOs risk rating • Data from learner and employer surveys will contribute as follows: • 65 and above = high performance • 31-64 = marginal performance • 30 and below = poor performance