How to Make the Assessment Instruments AQTF Compliant
Fri, Mar 26 2010
HOW TO MAKE THE ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS AQTF COMPLIANT By James Tennant Dip.T,B.Ed,Gad.Dip.Ed(Tesol),MA(Tesol) Managing Director Easy Guides Australia Pty Ltd Easy Guides Australia Pty Ltd published an editorial recently noting that some states and territories do not believe the new high risk licence Assessment Instruments are AQTF compliant. A registered training organisation (RTO) Easy Guides is doing some contract work for has shown us a copy of one of the Assessment Instruments. The Assessment Instrument, in the way it is formatted, shows no evidence that it is covering the Elements,Performance Criteria (PC), Required Skills (RS), Required Knowledge (RK) or Critical Aspects of Evidence (CAE) of the Unit of Competency it is deemed to assess. If this mapping does exist elsewhere, it has not been given to the RTOs who have received the Assessment Instruments so that they can be safe in knowing that along with all of its other learning and assessment strategies, The Assessment Instrument is AQTF compliant and meets the requirements of the Unit of Competency. It is easy to be critical without providing a solution. Taking the positive approach, Easy Guides Australia has provided a sample template to show how the Assessment Instrument could be set out to transparently show that it meets the requirements of the unit. Easy Guides Australia has done this using the existing NOHSC:7019 Forklift Truck Assessment Instrument (freely available on the Internet) to create the sample template. As mentioned, the Assessment Instrument should be accompanied by a mapping document showing that it clearly meets all the requirements of the Unit of Competency. Finally, and this comment is given absolutely in the spirit of a helpful observer, Easy Guides Australia believes that knowingly releasing a 'flawed tool', if the Assessment Instruments are indeed flawed as some states believe, then legal action could follow at some future time. If a worker is killed or injured working on a crane for example, and it can be shown that the final summative assessment (Assessment Instrument) did not assess an aspect of the Unit of Competency that would have prevented the accident, then the victim or family of that victim would be entitled to compensation. In contributing to this discussion over the Assessment Instruments, Easy Guides Australia Pty Ltd stands to gain no direct commercial advantage. We may receive an indirect advantage if this contribution is seen to enhance our professional reputation in the industry we serve - that is for others to decide. A thorough review of the Assessment Instruments (if that is proved to be necessary) may delay the 1st July 2010 implementation for those states and territories intending to start using the new Units of Competency and Assessment Instruments on that date. However, any delay that may be necessary will far outweigh the future cost resulting from not identifying and addressing the potential problems. Footnote: Easy Guides Australia Pty Ltd fully supports the introduction of the new national high risk licence system. This editorial has been written in the spirit of a helpful observer. We have been writing learning materials for this industry for over ten years now and we want to see the new system be the best it can be. Please forward this page to any persons in government and elsewhere who might find its contents helpful.
