Registered Training Organisation
An RTO delivering apprenticeship or traineeship training is required to liaise closely with employers to:
- develop the training plan
- deliver formal training
- gather workplace evidence to support assessments of skills
- gain employer confirmation of competence progressively throughout the training contract and before issuing the qualification
Employer
The employer of an apprentice or trainee is required in accordance with the Training Plan to:
- provide appropriate on the job training, facilities and supervision
- release the apprentice/trainee, with pay, to attend training and assessment delivered by the RTO
- liaise with the RTO in relation to the apprentice/trainee's attendance, participation and progress
- regularly report/confirm to or with the RTO the apprentice/trainee's progressive achievement of competence
- endorse the learner as being competent to industry standards on completion of formal training and prior to the RTO issuing the qualification (*)
(*) In recognition of the RTO and employer collaborative approach to the training and achievement of competency, the apprentice or trainee is not to be deemed competent by the RTO and issued a certificate until the employer has confirmed competence in the whole vocation, please refer to Part 6 of the Policy and Procedure Training Plan - Completing the Plan.
Note: A Registered Training Organisation (RTO) must obtain the employer’s endorsement of an apprentice/trainee’s competence to industry standards before they issue the qualification.
The employer is required to complete Employer Endorsement - Part 5 of the Training Plan (available as a separate document) to confirm that their apprentice/trainee is competent in the vocation and that they support the issue of the qualification by the RTO. These requirements are set out in more detail in the Policy and Procedures for Completing the Training Plan and Vocational Training Guidelines for the Training Plan.
The employer representative (or workplace supervisor) is required to confirm the apprentice’s or trainee’s competence by signing against the relevant unit on the Training Plan - this is the preferred means of recording employer support.
However Training Services NSW acknowledges that an RTO may have made an arrangement to liaise with the employer and record their confirmation/support of competence for each unit on the Training Plan in other ways, including email or other forms of electronic communication. This is acceptable, provided that the RTO retains evidence that the employer was consulted about the assessment outcomes and endorses the RTO's assessment decisions.
Note: Log books, e-profiling data and other information provided by an employer to support assessment by an RTO, does not constitute confirmation by the employer that the learner is competent. There must be explicit evidence that the employer endorses the RTO's assessment of competency.
Where an RTO has completed training and assessment (either individual competencies or the whole qualification) but the employer refuses to confirm competency, the RTO should discuss and attempt to resolve any concerns the employer may have. Where the situation is not able to be resolved, the matter should be referred to Training Services NSW through the RTO Notification Process.
For further information regarding competency based completion, see the policy and procedure Competency Based Completion.
Commissioner for Vocational Training
Updated: 15 December 2020