In all workplaces in NSW there are a large number of organisations that are called training providers or training organisations. Anyone can set up a training business and offer their services to a particular community. As with all businesses some organisations are very high profile and others are barely known but with training providers for Australian apprenticeships this now becomes important as to their actual training status.

Many training organisations may be able to deliver the training that employers and apprentices/trainees require. However to provide nationally recognised and accredited training it MUST be provided by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO).

When an apprentice/trainee commences, the employer and the apprentice/trainee must choose a training provider who will work with them throughout the apprenticeship/traineeship. The training provider that is chosen should help the employer and the apprentice/trainee to develop a training plan, deliver training, assess apprentice's/trainee's achievement of skills, and issue a qualification on successful completion of the training.

Each training provider offers different methods of training apprentices and trainees. The employer and the apprentice/trainee should shop around for the right one to suit both parties needs.

The training provider must be a Registered Training Organisation that is capable of delivering and assessing the qualifications that are selected. Different RTO’s are able to deliver different qualifications.

You should ensure that the training provider is registered and can provide Nationally Recognised Qualifications. To be a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) a training provider has to comply with a set of standards, called the Australian Qualifications Training Framework (AQTF) and be registered with the Vocational Education and Training Accreditation Board.

Public (TAFE) and private organisations are subject to a rigorous audit process, of the AQTF standards, to become and maintain their accreditation as a Registered Training Organisation. Each separate organisation can only offer the qualifications that they have been approved for; i.e. not all RTO's can deliver and/or assess all qualifications.

The AQTF standards apply to every RTO across Australia. As well as this, each organisation has to register with the State Government through the applicable State Training Authority (STA) in the state from which they operate. In NSW this is the Vocational Education and Training Board (VETAB). VETAB is responsible for the auditing and monitoring of RTOs within NSW.

Your chosen AAC can recommend an RTO that is capable of delivering Automotive units of competence and qualifications to you or you can view all available RTO's by clicking here NTIS Automotive Training Providers in NSW. This weblink lists all training organisations nationally including both private and public RTO's, the qualifications that they offer and the states in which they operate.

Points to discuss with the selected training provider include:

• Can they deliver the qualification selected;
• now and when the training provider can deliver training;
• who will assess the apprentice or trainee, and when and how often those assessments will take place;
• what learning assistance is available - e.g. help with maths, reading or writing skills, or support for an apprentice or trainee with a disability;
• what training methods suit the workplace and the apprentice or trainee;
• what feedback or progress reports can be expected; and
• what skills are required for the apprentice/trainee to learn.

RTO's can choose to deliver their qualifications to a specific area of NSW or they may deliver state wide. This is something that needs to be considered when sourcing an appropriate RTO.

Each qualification is made up of units of competence that must be packaged in accordance with qualification packaging rules.

At the commencement of the training the RTO, the employer and the employee will develop a training plan that is suitable for the business.

It will outline all the units of the qualification and the time frames in which the RTO expects them to be completed.

It is a choice which RTO you choose to use. Training is an investment in human resources capital and, even where funding is available, it is never free. All training requires adequate employee release, support from workplace supervisors and the involvement from management.

It is worth spending the time to find an RTO who is willing to meet all of the business needs of the employer.

STA/VETAB
http://www.vetab.nsw.gov.au

Public RTO
http://www.tafensw.edu.au/campuses/

Private and Public RTO
http://www.ntis.gov.au/Default.aspx?/trainingpackage/AUR05/provider&state=01