The Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2025
The revised Standards for Registered Training Organisations (the 2025 Standards) took effect on 1 July 2025, replacing the Standards for RTOs 2015. They set the requirements every registered training organisation must meet to keep its registration with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) or the relevant state regulator.
The 2025 Standards are made up of three instruments:
- The Outcome Standards, grouped into four Quality Areas: Training and Assessment, VET Student Support, VET Workforce, and Governance. RPL and Credit Transfer sit in the Training and Assessment Quality Area (Standards 1.6 and 1.7).
- The Compliance Requirements, covering matters such as information to students, fees, certification and data reporting.
- The Credential Policy, which sets the training and assessment credentials that trainers and assessors must hold.
ASQA has said the core RPL obligations have not substantially changed. What changed is the focus on outcomes: RTOs must show that their RPL processes actually work well for students. RPL is also one of ASQA's current regulatory risk priorities.
Why This Matters to You as a Learner
When you enrol in RPL with an RTO, that RTO is legally obligated to meet the standards set out in this framework. Understanding what the standards require gives you the ability to recognise whether an RTO is operating correctly - and to know when something doesn't feel right.
What the 2025 Standards Require for RPL
The 2025 Standards contain specific obligations relating to RPL. Here is what a compliant RTO must do:
Must Offer RPL to All Students
Standard 1.6 requires RTOs to offer all VET students the opportunity to seek RPL and to make them aware of the organisation's policies for seeking recognition. An RTO that never tells students RPL is available, or that steers them away from it, is unlikely to be meeting this standard.
Evidence Must Drive Decisions
Decisions about RPL must be based on evidence of prior skills, learning, and experience. An RTO cannot grant RPL without evaluating evidence, and it cannot withhold RPL without a genuine evidential basis for the decision.
Fair, Transparent, and Consistent Process
RPL decisions must be made in a way that is fair, transparent, and consistent across students. This means the process must be clearly explained, the criteria must be the same for all applicants, and the assessment must reflect genuine professional judgement rather than arbitrary or commercially motivated decisions.
Qualified Assessors Only
RPL assessment must be conducted by assessors who hold the training and assessment credentials set out in the Credential Policy, along with vocational competency in the area being assessed. An RTO can work with a third party under a written agreement, but the RTO stays responsible for the assessment and every assessor must meet these requirements.
Compliance with Principles and Rules
All RPL assessment must be conducted in accordance with the Principles of Assessment (fairness, flexibility, validity, reliability) and the Rules of Evidence (validity, sufficiency, authenticity, currency). See our Evidence Guide for detailed explanations of each.
Documentation and Records
RTOs must document their RPL decisions, including the evidence considered and the basis for the outcome. This documentation must be retained and be available to demonstrate compliance if required by ASQA.
Non-Compliant RPL Practices to Watch For
The practices below are signs that an RTO may not be meeting the standards. Being able to recognise them helps you avoid poor-quality providers.
Red Flags - Seek a Different Provider
- Guaranteeing a qualification outcome before evidence is assessed
- Letting brokers or third parties who don't hold assessor credentials make RPL assessment decisions
- Automatically granting RPL based solely on a higher AQF qualification in the same industry, without evidence review
- Failing to adequately assess or test evidence for currency against training package requirements
- Accepting a résumé and self-declaration as sufficient evidence without further assessment
- Failing to assess overseas qualifications against Australian legislative and regulatory requirements
- Having no systems for identifying and addressing gaps in a student's RPL evidence
- Not telling students that RPL is available, or what the RTO's recognition policy is
Your Rights as an RPL Learner
- Right to be offered RPL. RTOs must offer you the opportunity to seek RPL and tell you about their recognition policy. If an RTO doesn't mention it before you enrol, ask.
- Right to a fair assessment. Your evidence must be assessed objectively against the unit requirements - not based on commercial incentives or administrative convenience.
- Right to feedback. You are entitled to understand why units were assessed as competent or not yet competent, and what additional evidence or activity would be required to achieve competency.
- Right to appeal. Every RTO must have a formal complaints and appeals process. If you believe an assessment decision was incorrect, you have the right to have it reviewed. Ask the RTO for their appeals procedure.
- Right to complain to the regulator. If you believe an RTO is operating non-compliantly, you can lodge a complaint with ASQA at asqa.gov.au. ASQA investigates complaints about RTO conduct.
How to Use training.gov.au (TGA)
Training.gov.au is the national register for vocational education and training in Australia. It is the authoritative source for information about qualifications, units of competency, and registered training organisations. Using TGA to research your options is an essential step before committing to any provider.
The walkthrough below uses Asset College (RTO 31718) as a worked example to illustrate each step. The screens below are simplified illustrations, not screenshots. The live site looks different and its layout changes from time to time, but the information to look for is the same.
Step 1: Search for a Qualification
Navigate to training.gov.au (opens in a new tab) and use the search to find the qualification you're interested in. You can search by qualification name, industry, or code.
training.gov.au - Search for a qualification
Search the National Register
Step 2: View the Qualification Details
Click through to the qualification to see its units of competency, packaging rules, and other details. This is where you'll find the specific units that make up the qualification - essential for mapping your evidence.
Qualification detail page - Units of competency
Step 3: Find RTOs That Deliver the Qualification
From the qualification page, switch to the "Delivery" tab to see which RTOs are registered to deliver that qualification. You can narrow the list by state.
Delivery tab - RTOs delivering BSB50420
Step 4: Verify an RTO's Registration
Before engaging any provider, verify that they hold current registration on training.gov.au. An RTO that is not on the national register cannot legally issue nationally recognised qualifications.
Organisation detail - Asset College (RTO 31718)
Privately Operated RTO
National (ASQA)
View all ↗
Step 5: Check the RTO's Scope of Registration
An RTO can only legally deliver and assess qualifications that appear on their current scope of registration. Always confirm that the specific qualification you want appears on their scope - and that their registration is current.
Scope of Registration - Confirming qualification is listed
You Now Have the Full Picture
Using training.gov.au, you can: confirm a qualification is current, review its exact unit requirements, identify which RTOs are registered to deliver it, verify an RTO's registration status, and confirm the specific qualification is on their scope. This five-step process takes only a few minutes and can protect you from making an expensive mistake.