27.12.24
Revised Standards for RTOs
When the draft for the revised Standards was first released in October 2023, there were nine clauses relating to the learner support area. The sector erupted in concern over how RTOs - as providers of vocational education and training - were meant to morph into becoming wellbeing and mental health services.
The issue? Proposed clauses specific to the wellbeing focus area that read:
"The training environment promotes and supports the wellbeing and diversity of learners"
"Wellbeing needs of the learner cohort are identified and strategies are put in place to support these needs"
Since that first iteration, the draft has been revised to the latest version released in October 2024. Now, we have these proposed performance indicators that mention 'wellbeing':
2.1c(ii) - ...information is easily accessible to VET students: the training support services and wellbeing support services that are available and how to access them
2.6 - The wellbeing needs of the VET student cohort are identified and strategies are put in place to support these needs
4.3d - Where the RTO offers training or assessment to VET students aged under 18, risks to their safety and wellbeing are identified and managed consistent with principles for child safe organisations, having regard to the training content and mode(s) of delivery.
It's interesting to consider why the requirement to support 'wellbeing' sparked such concern.
It's important to note that there is nothing in the proposed new requirements that suggests an RTO needs to be a provider of mental health and/or pastoral care support services.
Instead, it is explicitly determined that the RTO must be able to:
Protect students from undue stress or anxiety caused by enrolment in unsuitable courses - unsuitable because the student does not have the underpinning skills or attributes to successfully complete the training
Identify available wellbeing support services suitable for specific issues and be able to advise students on how to access those services if required, ensuring the list of services encompasses a range of providers that are accessible and inclusive
Understand that particular life circumstances or industry/workplace conditions come with inherent challenges - and be open to offering flexibility to students experiencing these
Provide an environment where students are encouraged to make their own wellbeing a priority and can feel comfortable to ask for help if needed
Maintain a safe environment for students who are minors
Demonstrate they have strategies in place that are used to:
Communicate the relevant policies and procedures to staff
Identify when a student needs support
Direct the action/s in response to that - such as helping students be aware of the supports available and helping students to access those
Promote holistic security (physical, emotional and financial) for students so they can continue their training
Importantly, there is nothing that requires the RTO to:
❌Be a wellbeing support service
❌Be responsible for the factors in an adult learner's life that, whilst unrelated to training, may impact learning
❌Embed or employ the services of specialists such as mental health practitioners
❌Require trainers/assessors to take on a 'counsellor-esque' type of role
❌Ensure students take up the wellbeing services that are offered