16 _ Training product development policy and procedure

Purpose of the policy

This policy ensures a systematic, compliant, and evidence-based approach to the development of all training products offered by Allara Learning. It defines the responsibilities of stakeholders and establishes a standardized lifecycle for the development of training strategies, learning resources, and assessment materials, ensuring compliance with the Standards for RTOs 2025.

Scope

This policy applies to the development of:

Training packages or products on the scope of registration
Client-specific development requests.
Individual accredited units of competency and short courses.
Non-accredited subjects.

Policy

Allara Learning is committed to ensuring all training product developments are completed in a professional and ethical manner. The General Manager and Learning & Development personnel will ensure that all developments:

Meet the needs of industry.
Meet the needs of individual stakeholders.
Are completed within realistic and reasonable timeframes.
Are benchmarked against both the training package requirements and industry standards.
Meet the requirements of the unit of competency as prescribed on training.gov.au, the Principles of Assessment, and the Rules of Evidence.

Procedures

Step1 - Business case for development

All new training product developments must be supported by a formal business case. This may be initiated by the General Manager or CEO via executive directive or submitted by staff for management consideration. The business case must include the product purpose, target market analysis, and alignment with the RTO’s strategic goals. Development will only proceed following written approval by the General Manager or CEO.

Step 2 - Industry Engagement

Industry engagement must be purposeful, documented, and demonstrate a clear link to the training product.

Stakeholder Identification

Before development, the development team must conduct a "Stakeholder Profile" to identify relevant participants (e.g., current employers, SMEs, peak industry bodies and associations).

Consultation

Industry requirements and insights will be collected by the team through various channels, including surveys, email correspondence, telephone interviews, and face-to-face meetings. These consultative activities, which may take place at different intervals, are designed to establish a comprehensive understanding of broader industry needs. Information gathered will be used to guide the development of Training and Assessment Strategies (TAS).

Engagement Records

All records of industry engagement must be stored in HubSpot. A record is valid only if it captures:

The context of the training product.
The specific feedback or advice received.
A summary of proposed inclusions for TAS or assessment tools.

Step 3 - Training and Assessment Strategy (TAS) Development

The General Manager implements the TAS development procedure whenever a new product is added, a new cohort is introduced, or the training package changes.

Unit Selection

The selection of units of competency must align with the target cohort's needs, industry demand, and the strategic goals defined in the Business Case. Selected units must offer a coherent learning pathway and directly address the specific skills and knowledge requirements identified during the Industry Engagement.

Delivery Modes

The chosen delivery mode (e.g., online, classroom, workplace-based) must be determined based on the nature of the competency, industry-standard practices, the intended student cohort and accessibility. This decision must explicitly reflect the feedback gathered from industry stakeholders regarding how skills are best acquired and demonstrated in a professional environment.

Assessment Methods

The selection of assessment methods must align with the requirements of the unit of competency, ensuring that the chosen methods are consistent with the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence. The choice of methods must reflect industry-standard practice for gathering evidence of competence, provide students with flexibility, and explicitly incorporate provision for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and reasonable adjustment where appropriate.

Learning Volume

To ensure the Volume of Learning is reasonable and realistic, the developer must document the logic used to determine, instructional time, guided practice, and assessment. The TAS must explicitly map and justify the duration of the training, accounting for:

The complexity and depth of competency standards for training package and unit requirements
Target student characteristics, including Language, Literacy, and Numeracy (LLN) levels, current skill levels, and prior experience.
Constraints or advantages of the chosen method (e.g., online, classroom, or workplace-based).
Practical application and access to industry-standard equipment or workplace environments required for demonstration of competence.

Incorporating Industry Needs and feedback

The TAS must explicitly document how industry engagement was analysed and integrated into the TAS or assessment tools.

Compliance

All TAS documents must be created using the approved template available in SharePoint, ensuring alignment with the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence.

Step 4 - Resource and Assessment Development

The General Manager liaises with the learning design team to ensure resources are developed prior to training product release and implementation.

Development stages

The development process includes seven (7) key stages:

Writing of the first draft.
First review by a Subject Matter Expert (SME).
Second draft incorporating feedback.
Pre-use validation report.
Amendments and formatting of the final version.
Training support tools creation.
Product release.

Assessment tools

All assessment tools must be designed to strictly adhere to the Principles of Assessment (validity, reliability, flexibility, and fairness) and the Rules of Evidence (validity, sufficiency, authenticity, and currency). Every assessment tool must include:

a range of assessment methods (more than one) to ensure the unit of competency requirements are fully addressed and to support flexibility of assessment,
detailed instructions for both students and assessors,
benchmarks (suggested responses), and
a mapping reference to the relevant unit criteria and requirements.

Learning resources

Learning resources used to provide the core knowledge and content for the student are developed by the Learning Designer under guidance of the Head of Learning Design prior to training product implementation. Learning resources may include but are not limited to:

Reference guides/textbooks
eLearning modules

Training support tools

Training support tools used to facilitate the delivery and engagement process are developed by Training Facilitators under guidance of the Head of Training prior to training product implementation. Support tools may include but are not limited to:

Formative learning activities
Information handouts
PowerPoint presentations
Training session plans

Brand guidelines

All published learning resources and assessment tools are to be developed in accordance with the Allara Learning brand guide.

Timelines for Development

Timelines for the development of learning resources and assessment tools and their prioritisation will be determined based on several factors:

The expected volume of students to be enrolled in the training product or unit of competency.
The anticipated timeframe for accepting enrolments into the training product or unit of competency.
The complexity of the writing task.
The AQF level of the unit/s of competency or subject.

Step 5 - Product Release and Version Control

Pre-validation

Before release, all documents must undergo pre-validation (refer to the Validation Policy).

Marketing collateral

Prior to the release of any new or updated training product, the General Manager must ensure that all marketing collateral, website information, and course documentation are updated to accurately reflect the new product details and versioning.

Access to Materials

Access to final versions of training product documentation is provided via the Training Products Library. All documentation must be assigned a unique version number and date. This information must be recorded in the Training Product Register.

Notification

The General Manager will notify internal stakeholders via Slack of all new releases, providing links to the updated TAS, learning guides, and tools.