If something has gone wrong with your recognition of prior learning (RPL) application, the first question is often: who should I tell? The answer depends on whether you want an assessment decision reviewed, you are concerned about a registered training organisation’s (RTO’s) conduct, or your issue relates to fees or a licence. These matters may have different complaint pathways.
Start with your RTO’s complaints or appeals process
If you disagree with an RPL assessment decision, ask the RTO for its written assessment appeals process. If your concern is about the way you were treated, the information you were given or how your application was handled, ask for its complaints process. Check your enrolment documents and the RTO’s website for the steps and any applicable deadlines.
Explain what happened, identify the qualification and relevant dates, and say what outcome you are seeking. For example, you might ask for an explanation of the assessment decision or for your complaint to be investigated. Keep a copy of what you send and any response. If the RTO has not resolved the issue, or you have a serious concern about its compliance, you can consider reporting it to its regulator.
Find the regulator responsible for the RTO
Use the Australian Government’s training.gov.au register to search for the RTO by name or registration number. Check its registration details rather than assuming that the regulator is determined by your home state or the location of your assessment.
The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) regulates many RTOs. Some RTOs are regulated by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) or Western Australia’s Training Accreditation Council (TAC). Once you have identified the regulator, use the complaints information on its official website to check what it accepts and how to submit a report.
What can a regulator do?
A training regulator considers information about whether an RTO is meeting its regulatory obligations. A report about inconsistent RPL assessment practices, misleading information or inadequate complaint handling may be relevant to its oversight. However, contacting a regulator is not the same as appealing an individual assessment result. A regulator may use your information without providing the personal remedy you requested, and it does not guarantee that your RPL outcome will change.
Prepare a complaint that is easy to assess
Before submitting the regulator’s form, put together a concise timeline and supporting records. Include:
- The RTO’s name and registration number, if known, plus the qualification or unit codes involved.
- What you applied for, what the RTO told you and what happened, with dates where possible.
- Why you believe there is a problem, distinguishing facts from your concerns or conclusions.
- Copies of relevant emails, enrolment terms, invoices, RPL instructions, evidence requests and written decisions.
- The steps you have already taken with the RTO and copies of its responses.
Follow the regulator’s instructions about attachments and sensitive information. Send copies rather than your only originals, and keep a record of your submission. If you have not contacted the RTO first, explain why. The regulator can then tell you whether it can consider the matter or whether another process is more appropriate.
What if the issue is a refund, visa or licence?
A dispute about fees or potentially misleading sales claims may also involve consumer protection processes. The Australian Consumer Law website explains consumer rights and provides links to state and territory consumer protection agencies. Check the RTO’s published refund terms as well as the relevant complaint options; a training regulator may not be able to order the refund you want.
If you are an international student, check whether your provider has an external complaints and appeals arrangement and whether the Commonwealth Ombudsman is an appropriate contact for your type of provider. If the issue is a trade or occupational licence, contact the relevant licensing authority: an RTO’s RPL assessment and a licensing decision are separate matters. Visa and migration decisions also have their own processes and are not decided by an RPL adviser or training regulator.
If you used an RPL support service
Be clear about which organisation did what. RPL Access Australia can provide RPL support and help you understand and organise potential evidence. The RTO is responsible for assessment and any certificate it issues. If your complaint concerns an RTO’s assessment or conduct, identify that RTO in your report. If it concerns advice or a service you purchased from a separate business, use that business’s complaints process and consider the applicable consumer protection options.
You do not need to make your complaint sound technical. A clear account of what happened, what you have already tried and which records support your concern gives the receiving organisation a practical starting point.