Auditing
Audits are conducted to ensure that registered training organisations (RTOs) are fulfilling their contractual obligations with Skills Victoria and that group training organisations (GTOs) are meeting national standards for registration.
How auditing works
Skills Victoria notifies the RTO of the type and timing of the audit to be conducted and appoints an auditor.
The auditor then contacts the RTO or GTO to arrange a suitable date and to discuss the scope of the audit. Organisations should allow a full day for the audit.
At the completion of an audit the RTO is provided with a verbal report from the auditor followed by a full written report. A client satisfaction survey is also provided, which is completed and returned to Skills Victoria.
Any non-compliance identified at the audit is advised to the RTO for rectification.
Contract compliance audits
RTOs funded by government may be audited for compliance with the terms of their contracts.
RTOs are audited on a risk management basis where RTOs generally receive an audit every 1-2 years. The main focus of these audits is on the:
- registered training organisation's internal audits and continual improvement process
- delivery of training to students
- qualifications of the trainers
- quality of their training and assessment instruments
National audit
On behalf of the Australian Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR), the National Centre for Vocational Education Research conducts an annual audit of Victoria's training performance.
The purpose of the audit is to improve the quality of information on participation in vocational education and training collected from states and territories. The audit assesses the accuracy of the data collected on student participation in individual modules or units of competency.
The measure of performance is called the invalid enrolment (IE) rate. An IE is identified in cases where no evidence is provided to verify that a student has participated in a module or unit of competency.
This audit includes the 19 TAFE institutions, the adult and community education (ACE) sector and 15 randomly selected private RTOs.
Group training organisation audits
Group training organisations (GTOs) are also audited against the National Standards for Group Training Organisations to assess the rigour of their business platform. GTOs can expect an audit every 2-3 years.