08 Feb Why an RTO may have to decline an enrolment?
In years gone by it was considered there were 3 main pillars to a person’s education and these were described as:
- Reading
- Writing
- Arithmetic
Parents would do their best to ensure their children studied and did well in these subjects at school and those of us who are older will vividly recall parental discussions when exam results were not as expected. As time passed and Vocational Education & Training evolved, the so called “3 R’s” have developed into Foundation Skills and these are quite complex, sophisticated and embedded in the various Units of Competency. They are designed to supplement the elements in a Unit which identifies what a person is required to know and do to effectively hold the Unit of Competency found in any given Qualification.
As an example, let us consider a core unit from TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment – TAEASS412 Assess Competence. The Learning outcomes include the Foundation Skills in the table below and the relevant training course develops these to the appropriate levels BUT there must be a basic level of competence in the individual on which the RTO’s learning can be based.
| Skill | Description |
| Digital literacy | Uses main features and functions of digital tools and electronic applications required in own role to access and exchange information |
| Reading | Accesses and interprets nationally recognised training products, assessment system policies and procedures, and assessment tools |
| Numeracy | Estimates assessment timeframes, and prioritises and schedules tasks Communicates and works within time schedules |
| Oral communication | Uses techniques appropriate to audience and environment when communicating information and process requirements Obtains information to support the assessment process |
| Initiative and enterprise | Interacts with candidates to build rapport and enable 2-way communication that supports the assessment process |
| Planning and organising | Plans job tasks and organises work to meet organisational requirements |
| Problem solving | Uses systematic, analytical processes to collect and evaluate evidence |
| Self-management | Takes responsibility for adhering to organisational requirements for conducting assessments Recognises, and follows protocols and meets expectations associated with own role |
When an enrolment is received by an RTO it is required to ensure the person can complete the qualification thus HBA Learning Centres has an extensive pre-enrolment questionnaire that each person must detail prior to an enrolment being entered into the Learner Management System, this is often followed up by a discussion on the telephone. If a person cannot, for example, use a computer, then they must either gain the knowledge and skills necessary or be denied entry into the qualification. The denial is authorised by Standard for RTO’s 2015 standard 5.2 part e item ii) which states
The learners obligations:
ii) any requirements the RTO requires the learner to meet to enter and successfully complete their chosen training product.
HBA Learning Centres does not wish to take payment from someone who does not possess the capacity to complete the chosen course.