Training & Assessment Glossary (for TAA40104 & TAA50104)

Gary Eckstein Training & Assessment 4 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

The following glossary is intended to be of assistance to TAA40104 (Certificate IV in Training & Assessment) & TAA50104 (Diploma in Training & Assessment) candidates:

AAC: Australian Apprenticeships Centres (AAC) are contracted by the Australian Government. Staff help complete and lodge the training contract. They also provide general information about apprenticeships and traineeships and process claims for employer incentive and apprentice or trainee allowances.

Accredited course: A group of modules established to meet an industry training need which is not covered by a qualification.

Appeal process: A process whereby the person being assessed, or other interested party, such as an employer, may dispute the outcome of an assessment and seek reassessment.

Apprenticeship: A structured employment based training program that leads to apprentices becoming qualified tradespersons and gaining a nationally recognised qualification. Apprenticeships are established by the Minister, through a Parliamentary process and may be full-time, part-time or school-based.

AQF: The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a unified system of national qualifications in schools, vocational education and training and the higher education sector

AQTF: The Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) is the national set of standards which assures nationally consistent, high quality training and assessment services for the clients of Australia’s vocational education and training system.

Assessment instruments: Course-specific materials used to conduct and record a particular assessment, including materials to be filled in by learners. Some of these can be customisable templates.

Attrition rate: The proportion of students starting who discontinue through withdrawal, dropping out, etc.

Audit: A systematic, independent and documented process for obtaining evidence to determine whether the activities and related outcomes of a training organisation comply with the Australian Quality Training Framework Standards for Registered Training Organisations.

Certificates I–IV: A set of qualifications awarded in the vocational education and training sector and recognised under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). The four levels of certificate recognise increasing levels of skill.

Certification: The provision of a certificate, qualification or Statement of Attainment to an individual in recognition of their achievement in meeting the outcomes or partial outcomes and requirements of a course or qualification.

Competency: Demonstrated capacity, knowledge and ability to perform a task or skill needed to satisfy the special demands or requirements of a particular situation.

Competency Based Training: Training developed for and based on the competency requirements of a job.

Credit(s): The agreed value of the achievement or partial achievement of one qualification when related to another qualification. This value translates to the student as equivalent to an exemption from undertaking a component or components of the destination qualification based on the acceptance that these components have already been completed through previous formal study. This exemption reduces the amount of time and learning required in achieving the second qualification.

Credit Transfer: The process of evaluating the components of one qualification for the purpose of determining the overlap/equivalence with the components of another qualification to establish credits for individuals.

Curriculum: A structure or framework for achieving the desired learning outcomes of a course and/or qualification specified through a sequential approach to learning that incorporates the learning objectives, content, and assessment requirements of the individual components of the course/qualification. In VET, curriculum is generally organised as a related combination or series of modules which must address endorsed competency standards. In a Training Package context, a curriculum can be developed as one of many approaches to Training Package Support Materials.

DEEWR: Commonwealth Department of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations.

Delivery and assessment strategies: Means delivery and assessment strategies for each qualification, or part thereof, within the registered training organisation’s scope of registration. Delivery and assessment strategies are determined and developed by the registered training organisation with industry input into the development of the assessment strategy. Each delivery and assessment strategy should include identification of the target groups, delivery and assessment modes and strategies and pathways for learning and assessment.

Delivery type: A classification in AVETMISS which describes the method(s) used to impart the knowledge or skills required to complete a module or unit of competency.

Diploma: A qualification in the vocational education and training and higher education sectors.

Distance education (also called external studies): A mode of education in which students enrolled in a course do not attend the institution, but study off-campus and may submit assignments by mail or email.

Entry requirements: The qualifications, knowledge, skills or experience required for entry to an education or training program.

Equity: Fairness, social justice. In vocational education and training, equity policy incorporates measures to improve access to, participation in, and outcomes of vocational education and training for those who may be disadvantaged or have traditionally been under-represented, especially indigenous Australians, people with a disability, women, people in remote and rural communities, and people from a non-English-speaking background.

Flexible learning: The provision of a range of learning modes or methods, giving learners greater choice of when, where and how they learn.

Full-time equivalent: (FTE) a teaching or study load expressed as a proportion of the normal full-time teaching or study load.

Full-time student: A student who has a full-time study load. For AUSTUDY entitlement, the Department of Education, Training and Youth Affairs regards a normal full-time study load as 720 student contact hours in a year, and any student undertaking 540 hours or more is regarded as a full-time student.

Group Training Organisation (GTO): Organisation which employs apprentices and trainees and places them with host employers. The host employers provide the on-the-job training and experience, while the group training organisation organises off-the-job training, handles recruitment, job rotation and pay.

Host Employer: A host employer hosts an apprentice or trainee employed at that time by a Group Training Organisation and provides the on-the-job training. The Group Training Organisation is the legal employer and is responsible for all the associated administrative functions including workers compensation, payroll tax.

Industry Skills Council (ISC): National organisations which provide independent advice and support on industry training, including development of training packages.

Integrated assessment: An approach to assessment that covers multiple elements and/or units of competence from relevant competency standards. The integrated approach attempts to combine knowledge, understanding, problem solving, technical skills, attitudes and ethics into an assessment task to reduce the time spent on testing and make assessment more ‘authentic’.

Key competency: Any of several generic skills or competencies considered essential for people to participate effectively in the workforce. Key competencies apply to work generally, rather than being specific to work in a particular occupation or industry. The Finn Report (1991) identified six key areas of competence which were subsequently developed in the Mayer Report (1992) into seven key competencies: collecting, analysing and organising information; communicating ideas and information; planning and organising activities; working with others and in teams; using mathematical ideas and techniques; solving problems; and using technology.

Language, Literacy and Numeracy Program (LLNP): A national program which has operated since January 2002 when the Literacy and Numeracy Training Program and the Advanced English for Migrants Program amalgamated to provide a more integrated management approach to addressing language, literacy and numeracy needs among jobseekers.

Learning object: Any entity, digital or non-digital, which can be used, reused or referenced during technology supported learning.

Mutual recognition: A feature of the Australian Quality Training Framework which allows a registered training organisation (RTO) registered in one state or territory to operate in another without a further registration process, qualifications and statements of attainment issued by any RTO to be accepted and recognised by all other RTOs, and Training Packages endorsed by the National Training Framework Committee to be delivered by all RTOs registered to do so.

Nationally Recognised Training: The Nationally Recognised Training logo is used to signify that the associated training has met nationally agreed standards. The logo may be displayed in association with a training organisation that has been formally recognised by the relevant State / Territory Training Authority to deliver training or it may be displayed in association with an accredited course or a Training Package and/or one of the components.

NCVER: The National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) is Australia’s principal provider of vocational education and training (VET) research and statistics.

NTIS: National Training Information Service. National website that provides information on the vocational education and training system, including RTOs and Training Packages.

Off the Job Training: Training that takes place away from a person’s job, usually off the premises and at the RTO premises but may be on the premises of the enterprise such as in a special training area.

On the Job Training: Training acquired or learned while working at a job.

Performance criteria: The part of a competency standard which specifies the required level of performance to be demonstrated by students to be deemed competent.

Qualification: A nationally endorsed group of units of competency to meet the training requirements of industry workforce roles.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL): A process of identifying and assessing the relevance and value of an individual’s prior experience and/or uncredited learning against the requirements of a qualification to determine the exemptions or advanced standing that may be granted towards that qualification.

Private provider: A non-government training organisation, including commercial providers (providing courses to industry and individuals for profit), community providers (non-profit organisations, funded by government or community sponsors), enterprise providers (companies or other organisations providing training mainly for their own employees), and industry providers (organisations providing training to enterprises across an industry).

Range statement The part of a competency standard which specifies the range of contexts and conditions to which the performance criteria apply.

RTO: A Registered Training Organisation (RTO) is a vocational education organisation that provides students with training that results in qualifications and statements of attainment that are recognised and accepted by industry and other educational institutions throughout Australia.

Registered Training Organisations can be State and Territory government or privately owned training organisations. All Registered Training Organisations in Australia and the qualifications they are registered to deliver are listed on the National Training Information Service (NTIS).

Scope of Registration: The list of qualifications a Registered Training Organisation has been approved to deliver by their state registering body.

Short course: A course of vocational education and training which stands alone and does not usually lead to a full qualification. A statement of attainment may be issued on successful completion.

Skills cluster: Training course or program consisting of units of competencies grouped together from different qualifications, training packages, and/or AQF Levels.

Skill shortage: Where the demand for employees in specific occupations is greater than the supply of those who are qualified, available and willing to work under existing industry conditions.

Statement of Attainment: Formal certification issued by RTO to provide evidence of partial completion of a qualification.

Traineeship: A structured employment based training program that leads to trainees gaining a nationally recognised qualification. Traineeships may be full-time or part-time. Traineeships at Certificate II level are generally available under school-based arrangements.

Trainer: Anyone who fulfils one or more activities linked to the (theoretical or practical) training function, either in an educational institution, training institution or at the workplace.

Training Contract: A legally binding agreement between an employer and an apprentice or trainee and their legal guardian, where required, to undertake apprenticeship or traineeship training.

Training Journal / Training Record Book: The Training Journal is a document provided by the RTO to the apprentice or trainee with the purpose of monitoring the progress of the apprentice or trainee against the Training Plan.

Training Plan: A documented program of training and assessment required for an apprenticeship/traineeship training contract. It is developed by an RTO in accordance with AQTF requirements and in consultation with the parties to the contract as the basis for training and assessment.

Training package: Training packages are nationally endorsed manuals developed by industry that establish the vocational education and training qualifications and units of competency for occupations within each industry sector. The packages define the guidelines and standards surrounding delivery of training and assessment against these qualifications. They provide flexibility to enable training organisations to meet an individual’s training need and guidelines on how to customise training to meet this need.

TVET Australia: Technical and Vocational Education and Training Australia Limited, a ministerial company owned by the Commonwealth, state and territory Ministers responsible for training. It was established by the Ministerial Council for Vocational and Technical Education (MCVTE) on 18 November 2005 to provide responsive and high quality services to support the National Training System.

Unit of Competency: The nationally recognized guidelines and standards against which a participant receives training and assessment to meet industry workforce requirements. Guidelines include performance standards and customisation rules.

Vocational education and training: Acronym: VET Post-compulsory education and training, excluding degree and higher level programs delivered by further education institutions, which provides people with occupational or work-related knowledge and skills. VET also includes programs which provide the basis for subsequent vocational programs. Alternative terms used internationally include technical and vocational education and training (TVET), vocational and technical education and training (VTET), technical and vocational education (TVE), vocational and technical education (VTE), further education and training (FET), and career and technical education (CTE).

Vocational qualification: Qualifications that are delivered by registered training organisations such as TAFE, private providers and vocational divisions of universities that are nationally recognised.

Work-based training: Training provided by an organisation primarily for its own employees using the employer’s own staff or external consultants. Work-based training can be conducted either on-site or at an off-site location.

Workplace assessment: The gathering and judging of evidence during normal work activities in order to determine whether a required standard of competence, knowledge or skill has been achieved. Workplace assessment usually involves observation of work in progress, checking the product(s) of a work activity, and receiving oral responses to questions posed while work is in progress.

Glossary Sources: Australian Flexible Learning Framework, Australian Government (Department of Education, Employment & Workplace Relations), National Centre for Vocational Education Research,  National Training Information Service , NSW Department of Education & Training, The Government of Western Australia (Department of Education and Training).