AQTF Quality IndicatorsThe AQTF 2007 Quality Indicators form part of the AQTF 2007 Essential Standards for Registration. The three quality indicators agreed to by the National Quality Council are:
- Employer satisfaction (competency development, and training and assessment quality)
This indicator will focus on employer evaluation of learner competency development and the relevance of learner competency to work and further training, as well as employer evaluation of the overall quality of the training and assessment - Learner satisfaction (learner engagement and competency development)
This indicator will focus on the extent to which learners are engaging in activities likely to promote high-quality skill outcomes, and will include learner perceptions of the quality of their competency development and the support they receive or have received from registered training organisations - Competency completion rate
This indicator will be derived from information about the number of enrolments and qualifications completed and/or units of competency/modules awarded in the previous calendar year by each registered training organisation.
How will data be collected against these quality indicators?
To facilitate the collection of data for the employer and learner satisfaction indicators, two instruments are being developed:
- a national learner satisfaction instrument—designed to measure learners’ engagement with learning activities provided by registered training organisations and their self-reported competency development
- an employer satisfaction instrument—designed to measure various aspects of employers’ satisfaction with learners’ competency development, its relevance to their enterprise/s and their perception of the quality of education and training provided by the responsible registered training organisation.
Two collection approaches will be piloted for each of these instruments—a collection that could be managed locally by a registered training organisation and a collection that could be managed centrally.
For the third quality indicator, it is anticipated that registered training organisations will be asked to provide data about the following five activities conducted by their training organisation during the previous 12 months:
- for each qualification code which a registered training organisation has delivered, the number of enrolments in the previous year
- for each qualification code which a registered training organisation has delivered, the number of qualifications awarded in the previous year
- for each unit of competency/module code which a registered training organisation has delivered, the number of enrolments in the previous year
- for each unit of competency/module code which a registered training organisation has delivered, the number of units of competency completed in the previous year
- whether the registered training organisation operated offshore in the previous calendar year.
The first collection will take place in March 2008 and thereafter on an annual basis at this time. This first collection will be a test run. The initial collection will apply to information collected from July 2007 or for the full year (March – December 2007) if available. Registered training organisation who already provide this data as part of their obligation for receiving public money for training will not be required to provide the data again through this process.
A final decision concerning these instruments and the respective collection approaches will be made by the National Quality Council to support sector-wide implementation in 2008.
Why collect quality indicator information?
Collecting information about performance will provide a valuable source of data for registered training organisations. It will help them to:
- gauge how well they are meeting client needs
- supplement information already collected by registered training organisations to inform their continuous improvement planning
- identify areas for improvement in their training and assessment services.
The quality indicator data, along with other factors, will contribute to a registering body’s risk assessment of a registered training organisation’s quality, which will help inform decisions concerning the frequency and targeting of audits.
What is happening now?
The National Quality Council has asked the Australian Council for Education Research and the National Centre for Vocational Education Research to work collaboratively on further developing the quality indicators and their respective instruments and collection methods. This work will be undertaken in close cooperation with peak provider bodies and state and territory registering bodies.
Registered training organisations will be consulted throughout the remainder of 2007 to assist with finalising the design and validation of the instruments and collection methodologies, and to establish the amount of support required by registered training organisations.
For more information go to http://www.acer.edu.au/aqtf/
