The new high risk licence system - What's the difference?
Wed, Jul 22 2009
By James Tennant, Managing Director, Easy Guides Australia Pty Ltd The "driving school" has become compulsory!" When I sat for my driving licence test, it didn’t matter if I had been trained by mum or dad or a professional at a driving school. The only thing that mattered was that I could pass a knowledge and practical test and then I would be allowed to take to the roads! How I was trained to pass that test was not something the system was interested in. Using the analogy of getting a car licence, the new high risk licence system has made the ‘driving school’ compulsory! The ‘driving school’ is called a registered training organisation (RTO). The course I do at the RTO is checked by the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) to make sure it meets all the requirements set by the government. The RTO will train me in the practical skills and knowledge needed, and will give me mini tests (formative assessment) along the way to make sure I’m reaching the standards required as I move through the course. Once the RTO is satisfied that I have met all the standards in the course, I will go on to do a final (summative assessment) test. This final test will be conducted by an accredited assessor who will use a test set by the guidelines of an ‘Assessment Instrument’. I will complete a knowledge and practical test, and if I pass, I’ll have my licence which will be recognised anywhere in Australia. In a way I will have been tested twice in the new system. First I’ll have to pass all the things in the RTO course and then I’ll have to do a final test to receive my licence. In the new system I’m not the only one being tested. The RTO is checked by the State Registering and Course Accrediting bodies and the assessors who conducts the final ‘Assessment Instrument’ test are checked by the OH&S regulator (eg. WorkSafe). The National Standard for Licensing Persons Performing High Risk Work covers areas including scaffolding, rigging, dogging, forklifts and crane operators. With the emphasis on training in the new system, I’m sure Australia will be a safer place for people working in high risk licensed areas. [NOTE: This article may be reproduced in full with acknowledgement to Easy Guides Australia Pty Ltd. You may find it helpful in explaining to employers and members of the public the key features of the new system. At the time of writing, no state or territory is using the new high risk units of competency. This is expected sometime in the next 12 months.]