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Certification – Issuance
Standards: Clause 3.1 and 3.3
3.1 The RTO issues AQF certification documentation only to a learner whom it has assessed as meeting the requirements of the training product as specified in the relevant training package or VET accredited course.
3.3. AQF certification documentation is issued to a learner within 30 calendar days of the learner being assessed as meeting the requirements of the training product if the training program in which the learner is enrolled is complete, and providing all agreed fees the learner owes to the RTO have been paid.
Related documents/links
AQF issuance policy
ASQA website: Provide secure certification
QCI considerations
- What controls are in place to ensure that certification is not issued to a learner before they have successfully completed all assessment requirements?
- What controls are in place to ensure that certification is not issued to a learner before they have paid all applicable fees?
- What proof would your RTO provide if it was asked to show that certification was issued to a learner within 30 days of the person successfully completing all assessment requirements?
Replacements
- Does your RTO have a documented process setting out how a graduate can obtain replacement certification documents?
- Does the request have to be made in writing?
- Is there a charge for the replacement documentation?
- How is it recorded that a replacement has been issued?
Scenario 1
XYZ RTO’s administrator knows that certification documentation must be issued to a learner within 30 calendar days of the learner completing all assessments. It takes two weeks for assessor results and assessment evidence to reach the office from regional locations, so the administrator projects an approximate completion date and generates all certificates for the cohort of learners.
Question
Is this an appropriate process?
No. This practice is non-compliant because the certification is dated prior to the completion of the assessment. Clause 3.3 is quite clear. The documentation must be issued (i.e. dated and sent) within 30 calendar days of the learner being assessed as having completed the qualification/unit of competency.
Scenario 2
An ASQA audit reveals that XYZ RTO has used a non-compliant assessment tool to assess candidates in a unit of competency. Thirty learners who were assessed using that assessment tool have been issued with the statement of attainment for the unit. The ASQA auditor finds the RTO non-compliant with Clause 3.1.
Question
Why has the auditor found the RTO non-compliant with Clause 3.1?
AQF certification documentation can only be issued once a learner has been assessed as meeting the requirements of the training product. The assessment tool used to assess the thirty candidates was non-compliant, which meant that it was impossible for a candidate to show that they met the requirements of the training product.