15 _ Training and assessment policy and procedure

Purpose of the policy

This policy outlines the processes and procedures employed by Allara Learning to ensure that its Training and Assessment practices meet with the requirements set out in the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2025.

Policy

Allara Learning will in accordance with the Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2025:

Determine the support needs of individual students prior to the delivery of training and/or assessment and ensure access to the necessary educational support services (see the access, equity and enrolment policy and procedure); and
Implement an assessment system that ensures that assessment (including RPL):
- complies with the assessment requirements of the relevant training package or VET accredited course; and
- is conducted in accordance with the Principles of Assessment and the Rules of Evidence.
Systematically validate the TAS, practices and assessment tools (Se the Validation Policy and Procedure): and
Ensure training and assessment is delivered only by persons who have the required credentials as stipulated in the credential policy (See the Trainer and assessor requirements policy and procedure); and
Transition participants from superseded training products (see the Transition Policy and Procedure).

Training and assessment procedure

Informing students

At the time of enrolment and prior to the commencement of training and assessment in a unit of competency, students are provided with information relating to the conduct of training and assessment via the Training with Allara Learning eLearning module.

This information includes:

The training plan and training session delivery schedule,
The conduct of and instructions for completing assessment,
Student support and reasonable adjustments to assessment,
Information on the RPL Policy and Procedure,
Plagiarism and copyright policies.

Assessment tools and individual assessment tasks include detailed instructions for the completion of assessment. These instructions include:

An overview (e.g. the purpose) of the task,
Step by step guidance for completing the task,
How the student will be assessed, i.e. The criteria that must be met to be deemed satisfactory and/or competent for the task,
The resources, tools and equipment you will need to complete the task,
The conditions for which the assessment must be conducted,
The expected timing and due dates for the assessment,
How to submit your assessment tasks.

Training commencement

At the commencement of a unit of competency or subject the appropriate information about the unit of competency or subject is discussed with the student, this includes:

The intended application of the unit or subject and its relevance to the student’s employment or prospective employment,
A summary of the expected knowledge and skills (the performance criteria) of the unit or subject,
The individual assessment tasks and duties that will be conducted,
The role of the workplace supervisor in providing workplace training (if applicable).
Work placement requirements (if applicable).

Records of training commencement is retained by either:

Completion of eLearning tasks within the LMS (Online training modes), or
Workshop attendance records and associated training session plans (face-to-face training modes)

Delivering training

Training may be conducted via online or face-to-face methods.

Online training may be completed via student self-paced study and/or virtual webinar facilitated by an Allara Learning Training Facilitator.

Face-to-face training is conducted by an Allara Learning Training Facilitator within a classroom or workplace environment, whichever is relevant to the student cohort and training product.

During facilitated training, students will complete a range of learning and assessment activities. Activities may be either formative learning or summative assessment tasks.

To conclude a training session, the Allara Learning Training Facilitator provides a summary of the:

content addressed and
learning and assessment tasks completed within the session, and
the learning and assessment tasks to be completed prior to the next session.

Records of training is retained by either:

Completion of eLearning tasks within the LMS (Online training modes), or
Workshop attendance records with a copy of the associated training session plan attached (Facilitated training modes)

Conducting assessment

Prior to assessing a student in a unit of competency the Allara Learning Training Facilitator will:

Review the students progress records in the student management system.
Consider reasonable adjustments required to support a student’s identified within the students training support plan (if applicable)
Ensure a student has commenced the unit of competency by either:
- completing learning and formative assessment tasks within the LMS, or
- attending a training workshop.
Contact the student and their supervisor/employer (if applicable) to determine the time and readiness of the student to undertake assessment.
Schedule an assessment date.

In conducting assessment, Allara Learning Training Facilitator will:

Review the instructions for assessor of the individual tools and tasks,
Provide the student with detailed instructions for the completion of the task including steps to complete and the expected performance standards,
Conduct the assessment in conditions as described in the instructions contained within the assessment tool,
Record details of all assessment undertaken providing comments as required by the assessment tool,
Record details of assessment judgements,
Ensure the student has signed the student declaration by either:
- signing the assessment tool summary cover sheet, or
- electronic signature in the learning management system.

If applicable, the Training Facilitator will meet with the student’s workplace supervisor/employer to complete a third-party report interview.

After assessment

After conducting an assessment, the Training Facilitator will:

Provide the student and their workplace supervisor/employer (if applicable) with feedback on the assessment process by way of Verbal discussion and recording written feedback recorded against the assessment task in the LMS, and
Make a determination of the students’ competence (Competent or Not Yet Competent) for the unit/s of competency

Note: Final judgement of competency must not exceed a total time-period of 30 days from the date of unit of competency completion.

Submission of Training and assessment materials

At the conclusion of each week the Training Facilitator and assessor is to complete a Trainers End of Week (EOW) report detailing the unit/s of competency codes and the dates of assessment outcome.

The EOW report is to be finalised saved in the Training facilitator SharePoint folder by no later than 9am Monday of each calendar week.

All print-based training and assessment evidence must be marked and submitted to the RTO administrator for processing by COB Wednesday of each calendar week, this is inclusive of:

Workshop training session plans and attendance records;
Completed assessment tools;
Updated signed training plans;
Any additional assessment evidence.

Updating training and assessment records

The RTO administrator processes the training and assessment records as provided in EOW report within 5 business days of receipt of assessment evidence records.

Prior to processing assessment outcomes, the administrator conducts a quality assurance review of supplied assessment materials for accuracy and compliance.

Where gaps in assessment quality are identified, the administrator will:

Record the details of identified gaps in the Assessment QA Register; and
Notify the assessor of the gaps identified; and
Provide details of actions required to rectify the gaps; and
Provide timeframes for submitting rectifications (typically 5 working days).

The General Manager is notified of all assessment QA gaps recorded and conducts regular reviews of assessors’ rectifications to ensure gaps are resolved to a satisfactory standard and within required timeframes.

Quality assurance of assessment

In addition to the above requirement, an independent Quality Assurance Consultant will conduct a quarterly quality assurance review of a valid sample of assessment judgements to ensure compliance with the principles of assessment, rules of evidence, training package requirements and assessors guides in accordance with the Validation policy and procedure.

Participant progress monitoring

Training contact records

All students are to be contacted by the training facilitator and assessor at minimum monthly. Contact may constitute:

A phone call, or
Email correspondence, or
Workshop; virtual or face-to-face.

Records of contact are to be recorded in the student management system via:

File note, when contact made by phone call or email, and
Workshop attendance records (virtual or face-to-face).

Assessment progress

On a monthly basis, the Training Facilitator, in conjunction with the Client Relationship Manager, is to review student progress against the assigned training plan to identify:

if progress is consistent with the requirements of the training plan, training contract and/or training and support plan, and
students at risk of non-progression and/or completion of training, and
determine and document additional student support requirements not previously identified.

Employers (if applicable) are provided with a student progress report monthly.

Reporting non-progression

If required, the Training Facilitator with the support of the Client Relations Manager are to discuss identified areas of concern with the student, and if applicable their parent/guardian, employer or other relevant stakeholder.

Training facilitators are required to report participants non-progression and/or non-attendance via the non-progression email templates provided within the student management system (aXcelerate)

If the participant is undertaking subsidised training, and where non-progression and/or non-attendance occurs on more than three occasions, the Client Relationship Manager is to notify the relevant state training authority.

Withdrawal and/or cancellation due to non-progression

The Training facilitator and/or Client Relationship Manager may submit a cancellation form if:

progression of student continues to be deemed unsatisfactory, or
a student formally requests withdrawal, or
an employer notifies of a student’s cessation of employment.

Training contract review

Continuous maintenance

Training plans are continuously monitored by the Training facilitator monthly with the student and their employer (if applicable) as training and assessment activities occur.

Annual review

Training plans for registered traineeships and apprenticeships are reviewed at least once within each 12-month period of training. Reviews are conducted collectively by the Training Facilitator, Client relations Manager, student and employer to ensure unit progress and/or unit selection is consistent with the training plan and/or the students job role.

Updates and execution

If variations to agreed training plans are required, a request to vary must be approved by the General Manager.

Where approved, amendments to the students unit of competency selection and/or their proposed training and assessment dates are made within the student management system aXcelerate.

A revised training plan is generated with all parties signing the revised training plan in agreement of the changes. A fully executed copy of the training plan is provided to all stakeholders via email.

The Training Facilitator must submit the previous training plan to the RTO Administrator for filing in the student’s portfolio records.