Make sure your templates within your Student Management system, or whatever you are using are current and reflecting the latest logos, wordings and criteria.

Even though often the best material is developed internally, within your RTO, there is nothing wrong with buying commercial products. There is no set rules or criteria that a developer of material needs to fulfil, other than their own commercial acumen. so it is definitely advisable to trial material and validate it before use. It is a requirements that all assessment and training material are reviewed by the RTO, to ensure that they meet the requirements of the units of competence. The responsibility to demonstrate this is on the RTO, not the author.

Remember to review the material holistically to ensure you have all the tools to make an informed assessment decision and that it meets the requirements of your particular clients and industry.

As a business owner I am well aware of the value of awards and the credit it brings to your business. Awards are just not for the local hairdresser, they are for every business, including your RTO. Does your company know the strategic value of corporate awards?

Corporate awards offer many benefits to enhance corporate performance from the boardroom to the frontlines. There are a number of Australian and local awards for excellence in business and your industry sector which your RTO may wish to pursue.

Investigating and entering into awards for excellence can give your service the opportunity to:

• benchmark your RTO’s practices against those of other high quality service providers
• learn more about the quality practices of other businesses
• share your business’s knowledge and experience about quality service provision
• understand your business better; take part in a rigorous Awards process that will help you objectively re-assess your business plan and philosophy
• promote your business through the achievement and other recognition
• attract and retain your staffing talent.

These awards may connect with your practices under the AQTF, for instance through:

• excellence in promoting the value of your Clients
• excellence in quality or service management.

Here are some awards you may wish to investigate:

• Australian Business Awards
• Telstra Business Awards
• ‘My Business’ website, listing multiple business-sponsored awards
• Awards Australia: Regional and Community Achievement Awards
• chamber of commerce awards

The Australian Business Awards challenges the full spectrum of private, public and non-profit sector organisations in Australia through its comprehensive business and product award categories. Now in its sixth year, the Australian Business Awards program recognises organisations that demonstrate the core values of business excellence, product excellence, corporate responsibility, sustainability and commercial success in their respective industries. A total of 103 recipients were honoured from the 928 organisations that participated in the 2011 Awards.

There may also be industry-specific awards that you could consider based on the services, activities of your business that your RTO operates.

Business awards are great for corporate direction, talent retention, sales advantage and PR, but can winning corporate awards offer value to a company’s bottom line? A research study by Hendricks & Singhal of the University of Western Ontario (USA) and Georgia Institute of Technology (USA), revealed more than 600 quality corporate award winners had 37% more sales growth and 44% higher stock price return than their peers.

Go for the awards, you might not be a winner or a finalist in the first year, however you definately will benefit from the experience.

Continuous improvement is one of the key components of the Quality Strategy. Continuous improvement should be part of the day-to-day life of your organisation. However, organisations are also required to conduct (at a minimum) one internal audit annually against the AQTF/NVRs. The absence of systematic internal audits  results in overlooked areas within the RTO that may not be meeting compliance. A recommendation to show this monitoring within RTOs is to demonstrate your on going monitoring  through a continuous improvement register. The register doesn’t need to be complex, although I have seen some that are, regardless it could be just like the below:

Sample continuous improve register

Save the register in a place that is easily locatable again and again – I have found that sometimes you use it daily. Allow to access from other users, so everyone knows what they are expected to do. This is a great tool to be able to demonstrate how you are aware of what is happening within the RTO, how improvements have been made and the changes made.  

Happy monitoring.

This year the conference will be co-hosted with TAFE SA, and held for the first time in Adelaide, this 21st anniversary conference will be an opportunity to celebrate, collaborate and connect.

NCVER is calling on practitioners and researchers, including early career VET researchers or those new to the VET sector, to share their research and knowledge in a range of ways. As well as standard presentations and the pre-conference professional development workshops, included this year is a new stream for refereed papers.

Closing date for submission of abstracts is 10 February 2012. For more information and details on how to submit an abstract, visit

http://www.nofrills.ncver.edu.au/

The door of possibilities of developing an RTO are many. Doing it all yourself, using a consultant, using a mentor, having someone do it all for you. Continually in my business I am approached by people who want me to prepare all the RTO material for them; place it into a beautiful box, with a shining ribbon so they can then present the material, systems and information at the audit.

Unfortunately this business model, usually does not work very well.

The reasons are many, however they basically boil down to the following:

• Getting someone else to do all the work, means you have been removed from the decision making process and more often than not, you don’t understand what has been done
• Using someone who knows how to put it all together, might be easier for you, however I have found that people then don’t have a thorough understanding of the Standards and Conditions and how you will meet the requirements
• Meeting the ongoing compliance is harder for you, as you haven’t set up the RTO in a way to work with your situation.

From my experience the best model is to work alongside the people wanting to develop the RTO, providing coaching and empowerment to develop a business structure that works. Working closely with someone enables decisions to be discussed and agreed upon together. With this model you do allot of the work, but you are guided through the areas, to ensure you are reaching the mark. It is that guidance and experience that is invaluable.

You need to give your new business the best chance of success with some careful planning and preparation. The strategic planning side is something you know, and one of the reasons you decided to go into business. The business plan will help you define your products and services, set your goals and milestones, and work out how to make your business vision a reality. The consultant should spend allot of time with each individual to try and ascertain their needs and specific situation, putting these conversations into a plan that everyone agrees upon.

It is important to have a consultant who can draw upon case studies and experience to be able to implement these into your new RTO.  From my experience, every day we are helping businesses of various sizes identify and resolve issues, implement new plans and strategies, and improve their overall performance.

When choosing a consultant it is also important to have that connection; one who uses an approach that fits how you want to communicate and work. From my point of view, it is also important to have that connection so we understand each other and can clearly discuss the situation at hand.

The benefits of using a consultant are huge, with time, experience and not lastly someone who can provide an objective viewpoint. When developing your business you can become so accustomed to your own particular patterns of thinking and operating that you are no longer able to think or decide as objective individuals. A professional RTO consultant can look at a situation or problem objectively and make recommendations based on compliance and your company’s success.

A successful RTO Consultant relationship means someone who can take you through the RTO development whilst coaching and empowering you to achieve a successful business culture of meeting compliance, providing quality services, continuous improvement and professional development.

Communicate and Connect – communication skills to build relationships for coordinators and team leaders in Community and Aged Care.

Available now for free download or purchase of a hard copy kit, the comprehensive Workplace English Language Literacy (WELL) and Numeracy resource kit is mapped up to Level 3 against the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF).

The resource is ideally suited for supporting Core Skills in the workplace without the specific need for a Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) expert.

Go the following website to view more details: https://www.cshisc.com.au/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=shop.flypage&product_id=101&category_id=6&manufacturer_id=0&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=48&vmcchk=1&Itemid=48

This Australian produced DVD gives an introduction to what is required to work safely when undertaking restricted height and basic level scaffolding work.

The DVD clearly explains each step required to erect, alter and dismantle modular scaffolding.

It covers areas such as the importance of fall protection, planning the job, hazards, scaffolding parts, components and tools, and the actual erecting and dismantling of modular scaffolding.

The accompanying CD contains learners’ worksheets that can be customised, as well as a trainers’ guide.

Scaffolding Basics can be used as learning support material for people working towards their National High Risk Licence Unit CPCCLSF2001A Licence to erect, alter and dismantle scaffolding – basic level.

This resource is also aligned to CPC30908 Certificate III in Scaffolding fromt he Construction, Plumbing and Services Integrated Framework (CPC08 Training Package) and relates to the competencies:

• CPCCM2008A Erect and dismantle restricted height scaffolding
• CPCCSC2002A Erect and dismantle basic scaffolding

The link is here http://www.ideasthatwork.com.au/industry/scaffolding-basics/

Enjoy.