Vocational Education and Training assessment
Vocational Education and Training (VET) can be delivered by schools providing they meet Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) requirements, including having access to required physical and human resources. The AQTF is the quality system which underpins national vocational education and training in Australian states and territories.
The following website http://www.dest.gov.au/sectors/training_skills/policy_issues_reviews/key_issues/nts/aqtf/ contains details and the AQTF.
The AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration outlines a set of auditable standards that must be met and maintained for registration as a training provider in Australia. Refer to the registration process in WA via the Training Accreditation Council website, www.tac.wa.gov.au. Schools can deliver VET either by becoming a registered training organisation (RTO) school or by working in partnership with an external RTO, which provides the appropriate training. Refer to resource on VETinfonet ‘Schools Guide to Partnerships’ http://vetinfonet.det.wa.edu.au/vet/docs/partnership_in_school_booklet_version3final.pdf.
Competency-based assessment
The AQTF requires that competency-based assessment is used for all VET and that a record is held by the registered training organisation (RTO) of the competencies achieved by each student.
The assessment must be conducted by a qualified assessor under the auspices of an RTO which may be a school, TAFEWA campus or other VET provider.
In competency-based assessment, a student’s performance is judged against a prescribed standard, not against the performance of other students. The purpose of assessment is to judge competence on the basis of performance. A student is judged as either competent or not yet competent against the AQTF standard. The judgement is made on the basis of evidence which can be provided in a variety of forms.
All performance criteria need to be met concurrently to demonstrate the achievement of an element of competency. All elements of competency must be achieved to demonstrate the achievement of a unit of competency.
VET in the WACE
Students in their senior secondary years of schooling can have VET qualifications recognised as contributing towards the Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE) in two ways. They can be recognised as Council developed course units if completed through a VET industry specific course or as contributing to unit equivalence (endorsed programs) as individual units of competency.
Curriculum Council requirements
Integrated delivery requirements
If the units of competency are delivered through the ‘VET integrated within a course’ mode, the assessment outline required for the course unit should show how both the AQTF standards and course requirements are being met.
VET industry specific course delivery requirements
To meet VET industry specific course requirements and achieve course units towards a WACE, students must follow the course structure, attain required units of competency and fulfil any work placement requirements. Student achievement in a VET industry specific course will be recorded on the statement of results by recognising each unit of competency attained, and if the full qualification is completed, then a grade of ‘C’ will be awarded for each of the course units allocated to the course program.
Each VET industry specific course has an optional exam based on underpinning knowledge and skills of core competencies from the selected training package qualification. The written examination is independent of the competency-based assessment taken during the course and has no relevance to a student’s eligibility to receive training package qualifications. If students sit the exam, only the exam result is used to derive the WACE course score as there is no school assessment score.
Workplace Learning course units or unit equivalents from any of the three endorsed workplace learning programs can be used to meet the workplace learning requirement. It should be noted that where it is required and the student does not complete the associated workplace learning component, it may be determined that the student has not made a genuine attempt to complete course requirements and the student may be awarded ‘unfinished’ (U) status for the course.
Reporting achievement
The Curriculum Council recognises the achievement of units of competency and qualifications listed on the National Training Information Service (NTIS) website. All successfully completed units of competency/qualifications are recorded on the student's statement of results. Students can only be accredited once with a unit of competency.
School responsibility
It is the responsibility of the RTO to notify the school of a student's achievement. The school then advises the Curriculum Council of the student's achievement through electronic data transfer arrangements.
Schools are required to implement and maintain data that verifies and records details of VET programs undertaken by students. Schools are also responsible for the management of human and physical resources required for the delivery of the programs.
Processes for the monitoring, recording and reporting of VET achievement should be included in the school's assessment policy.
