• Section 1 - Context
• Section 2 - Authority
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Procedure
• Part A – Overview
• Part B – Requirements for all new and replacement (equivalent and non-equivalent) Training Products 
• Training Products requiring addition to Scope of Registration
• Variation to an Existing Program
• Part C – Training Product Discontinuation, Transition and Teach-out
• Programs to be removed from RMIT's Scope of Registration
• Registration of the decision to discontinue a Vocational Education Program outside Australia
• Consultation with Stakeholders
• Section 5 - Compliance
• Section 6 - Schedules

Section 1 - Context

(1) This procedure sets the requirements for vocational education and training program and course approval, amendment and discontinuation.

Section 2 - Authority

(2) The authority for this document is established by the Program and Course Policy.

Section 3 - Scope

(3) This procedure applies to all vocational education and training programs and courses offered by the RMIT Group, partners and affiliated third parties. Training products include: 

1. nationally recognised training package qualifications;
2. accredited courses;
3. accredited short courses;
4. training package skill sets;
5. clustered Units of Competency (UoC) delivered as an RMIT Skill Set; and
6. UoC and accredited modules. 

(4) This procedure does not apply to:

1. non-award Foundation Studies and English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) programs which are delivered in accordance with the relevant national standards and RMIT University Pathways (RMIT UP) procedures.
2. higher education programs, RMIT short (non-award) courses, micro-credentials or Higher Degrees by Research programs and courses (please see Program and Course Approval Procedure – Higher Education Coursework, Short Courses and Micro-Credentials and Program and Course Approval Procedure – Higher Degrees by Research. 

Section 4 - Procedure

Part A – Overview

(5) All training products delivered by RMIT must be listed on RMIT’s Scope of Registration and approved for delivery as per the requirements specified in this procedure.

(6) RMIT delivers all training products on its scope of registration in accordance with the requirements documented in the relevant training package or accredited course, and the delivery of training is structured to enable students to attain skills and knowledge consistent with those requirements.

(7) Consultation with relevant industry, employer and community representatives informs delivery and assessment arrangements for all training products.

(8) A new training product can only be advertised or commence delivery once:

1. the authorities defined in the Program and Course Schedule - Approval and Discontinuation have provided approval;
2. it has been added to RMIT’s Scope of Registration;
3. the permanent delivery location and delivery state/territory is added to RMIT’s Scope of Registration.

(9) A new training product:

1. requiring the availability of VET student loan (VSL) support can only be advertised with VSL eligibility once it has been registered with the Commonwealth Government;
2. intended to be available to students on a student visa in Australia can only be advertised or commence delivery once it has been issued with a CRICOS code.

(10) An RMIT training product must be delivered in English before it is offered in another language, so that learning and assessment materials can be aligned with internal and external compliance standards before they are translated.

1. RMIT programs that are delivered and assessed in a language other than English must be approved by the Academic Board.

(11) A Training and Assessment Strategy (TAS) must be developed for every training product’s program and plan and demonstrate how arrangements for training and assessment reflect the requirements of the 2025 Standards for Registered Training Organisations (the 2025 Standards) to ensure quality outcomes for learners, including that:

1. training is engaging, well-structured and enables VET students to attain skills and knowledge consistent with the training product;
2. industry relevance of training is informed by engagement with industry, employer and community representatives;
3. facilities, resources and equipment for each training product are fit for purpose, safe, accessible and sufficient.

(12) The approval authorities for new programs, changes to existing programs and changes to RMIT’s Scope of Registration are defined in the Program and Course Schedule – Approval and Discontinuation.

Part B – Requirements for all new and replacement (equivalent and non-equivalent) Training Products 

(13) All training products proposed for delivery, including replacements of superseded training products and associated cessations of delivery, must have:

1. a concept submission (impact analysis) endorsed by the College Executive before proceeding with a business and academic case, academic case only or business case waiver;
2. the correct CMMT forms (depending on the type of action), submitted to University Secretariat and Academic Registrar’s Group (USARG) Academic Governance and Systems.

(14) College Executive may require an academic case and/or business case for any new or replacement training product or grant a waiver.

Training Products requiring addition to Scope of Registration

(15) RMIT has delegated authority from the national VET Regulator (ASQA) to add or remove programs from its Scope of Registration.

(16) The Deputy Vice-Chancellor College of Vocational Education and CEO of the Registered Training Organisation is the nominated Delegate under the Agreement.

1. RMIT must still apply directly to ASQA for additions to scope for all training products listed in Schedule 1 of the Delegation Agreement. Refer to the ASQA Delegation Agreement for further information.
2. RMIT can only add or remove programs from its CRICOS registration with prior approval from ASQA.

1. ASQA must be notified of any changes to a permanent delivery location and/or changes to interstate delivery.

(17) New training products and replacement products that have been deemed non-equivalent on the National Register (TGA) must be endorsed by an ASQA Delegation Panel prior to being approved for addition to RMIT’s Scope of Registration by the College Deputy Vice-Chancellor Vocational Education and CEO of the Registered Training Organisation. (Refer to the ASQA Delegated Functions Processes and Guide for further information, maintained by USARG Academic Governance and Systems on the Vocational Education Program Approval SharePoint Site).

(18) USARG Academic Governance and Systems reports the outcomes of the ASQA Delegation panel submission to the Education Committee for noting.

(19) All changes made to RMIT’s Scope of Registration on the National Register by delegated approval are reconciled annually.

1. USARG Academic Governance and Systems will reconcile changes to the Scope of Registration approved by the Delegate Representative with the National Register and provide a report using the template provided by ASQA.
2. The Annual Reconciliation Report must be approved by the Delegate as an accurate record.
3. USARG Academic Governance and Systems will submit the Annual Reconciliation Report to the Education Committee for noting.

(20) Scope audit update reports are provided to the College of Vocational Education by the USARG at least twice per year to support reporting and compliance activities.

(21) Education Regulation Compliance Assurance (ERCA):

1. conducts an independent quality review of the ASQA Delegations process annually and reports to the Education Committee for noting;
2. submits the Annual Reconciliation Report and the Annual Quality Assurance Review report to ASQA as per the requirements of the Delegation Agreement.

Variation to an Existing Program

(22) A program structure amendment, or new domestic delivery location may be made or added for the following reasons:

1. to cater for an industry-specific cohort;
2. specialisation in the training package with testamur requirements;
3. introduction of a trainee apprentice cohort;
4. consultation with relevant industry, employer or community representatives including the Industry Advisory Committee;
5. external updates to units or courses (superseded or deleted units of competency);
6. community, industry or government demand.

(23) An academic case and/or business case or waiver are required for the creation of a new plan. For circumstances in which a new VE plan is created, please refer to the Program and Course Configuration Instruction clauses on New Plan creations.

(24) Program amendments are approved by the Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Learning and Teaching.

(25) If the location is not listed on RMIT’s Scope of Registration for that training product, that change must be notified to ASQA and added to RMIT’s Scope of Registration by the USARG Academic Governance and Systems.

(26) Approval and notification of new international delivery locations that involve Third Party arrangements are made in accordance with the Third-Party Education Delivery Policy suite.

(27) CoVE must discuss changes to delivery location for CRICOS registered programs with USARG Academic Governance and Systems upon approval.

Part C – Training Product Discontinuation, Transition and Teach-out

(28) Decisions by RMIT to cease delivery of a training product may emerge from periodic reviews or planning processes, including internal or external auditing or review processes. Training products on the National Register may also be superseded, deleted or removed, requiring RMIT to discontinue delivery. At times, RMIT may also be directed by a regulator or funding body to cease delivery of a particular training product.

(29) When a training product is superseded:

1. new students may commence training within 12 months of the date the replacement product is published on the National Register, except for students on a student visa;
2. all students enrolled in the superseded training product (including superseded units of competency imported by RMIT into a program structure), must have:
   1. completed all training and assessment and have been issued relevant AQF certification documentation; or
   2. transferred to a replacement training product within 12 months of the date the replacement training package qualification was published on the National Register or by the date set by the Associate Deputy Vice Chancellor Learning and Teaching (see clauses 44,46).

(30) When a training package qualification is removed or deleted without being superseded or when an accredited course has expired:

1. all training and assessment must be completed and all AQF certification documentation issued within 24 months from the date the training product was removed or deleted from the National Register; and
2. no new student may be admitted into a training product that has expired, been removed or deleted from the National Register.

(31) Where a nationally recognised skill set, unit of competency, accredited short course or module is no longer current and has not been superseded:

1. all training and assessment must be completed and all AQF certification documentation issued within 12 months from the date the training product has expired, been removed or deleted from the National Register; and
2. no new student may be admitted.

(32) For RMIT skill sets made up of individual units of competency or accredited modules, the currency/expiry of each unit or module must be managed in accordance with cl (39).

(33) Details of cessation requirements and arrangements are collated as part of the scope audit reporting process managed by the USARG and monitored by the College of Vocational Education.

(34) Where a qualification has an imported elective unit of competency, the currency of the imported unit should be checked during the TAS review and if it is no longer current or it is approaching its expiry date, it must be replaced by an alternate elective.

(35) The TAS for each training product must be reviewed at least annually, or prior to each new intake where the delivery cycle is less that 12 months to ensure: 

1. training and assessment arrangements remain consistent with the 2025 Standards and reflect current industry expectations; and
2. all units of competency and accredited modules in the program structure are current on the National Register.

(36) Where a training product is superseded, removed, or deleted, the Program Manager must develop a transition plan for current and deferred students. The transition plan allows learners to complete their studies within the transition period or successfully transition to another training product.

(37)  The transition period is determined based on the:

1. cohort characteristics and current stage of training;
2. extent and nature of changes in the training product;
3. identified industry needs and expectations (determined through consultation with relevant industry and employer representatives, where applicable);
4. sufficiency of available resources and RMIT’s preparedness to deliver the new training product.

(38) The Program Manager must develop a discontinuation plan to track the progress of all students until the program has no active students and can be removed from RMIT’s scope of registration.

(39) Where there are applicants or active students in the program, transition notifications must be drafted to students in accordance with the 2025 Standards for Registered Training Organisations and relevant published regulatory guidance.

(40) Both transition and discontinuation plans, and transition notifications must be approved by the College Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching (or equivalent).

(41) If the program includes students enrolled or studying in Australia on a student visa and is to be replaced with a new program, those students must be informed that the replacement program is the reason for the discontinuation. The replacement program cannot be marketed or promoted until it has received CRICOS registration. Where a CRICOS-registered course is discontinued ERCA, USARG Academic Governance and Systems and Global Student Recruitment should be consulted to mitigate risk of provider default.

(42) Where ASQA identifies that a provider has one or more training package qualifications listed on CRICOS that have been superseded by a new equivalent qualification:

1. ASQA will update RMIT’s registration on PRISMS and the qualification will receive a new CRICOS code when the training package is updated;
2. the College of Vocational Education must submit an ‘Add program/plan to CRICOS’ form to the USARG Academic Governance and Systems, to ensure any changes to the program are accurately reflected on CRICOS;
3. the College of Vocational Education must continue to apply to add accredited courses to CRICOS.

(43) If the discontinuation includes an offering at an RMIT partner institution outside Australia, the Associate Director, College of Vocational Education Quality and Compliance must consult the Associate Director Global Operations to ensure the partner is informed of the discontinuation and the transition plan for active students.

(44) The College of Vocational Education must also submit the discontinuation form to the RMIT manager of the partner contract for endorsement prior to submission to the College Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor Learning and Teaching (or equivalent) for approval.

(45) Programs cannot be marketed to prospective students until they are published on RMIT’s Scope of Registration on the National Register.

(46) If RMIT is directed by a regulator or accrediting or funding body to cease delivery of a vocational education program, the transition plan will include individual counselling to students on their options to continue their study at other providers. The College must approach other providers to facilitate this transfer on the students’ behalf.

Programs to be removed from RMIT's Scope of Registration

(47) All students must have exited a training product before its expiry on the National Register.

(48) The College of Vocational Education must liaise with USARG Enrolment and Student Records to ensure all students have exited the training product before the program expiry, and before removal from scope can be requested.

(49) For an equivalent replacement training package qualification, ASQA will remove the superseded version of the qualification from RMIT’s Scope of Registration once the transition period has ended.

(50) For CRICOS registered programs CoVE must submit a request to remove the program from the CRICOS register upon cessation of delivery.

(51) Removal of a superseded qualification that has been replaced with a non-equivalent qualification must be approved by the College of Vocational Education Deputy Vice-Chancellor and CEO of Registered Training Organisation for removal from RMIT’s Scope of Registration.

1. The College of Vocational Education must notify the USARG when all students have exited the training product that is to be removed from RMIT’s Scope of Registration.
2. ARG Academic Governance and Systems must confirm there are no existing Confirmation of Enrolments active in PRISMS before proceeding with CRICOS cancellation.
3. CRICOS cancellation must occur before the qualification can be removed from RMIT’s Scope of Registration.
4. ASQA may cancel CRICOS registration where there are no active Confirmation of Enrolments.

(52) Where possible, discontinuations must be planned, coordinated with International Admissions and registered well in advance so that marketing materials can be updated, international applicants can be issued with alternative offers and there is adequate time for consultation with students affected by the discontinuation.

Registration of the decision to discontinue a Vocational Education Program outside Australia

(53) To discontinue an offering with an approved partner institution outside Australia, first follow the Third-Party Educational Delivery Policy.

1. A decision to discontinue a vocational education partner program may need to be reported to ASQA: consult ERCA for advice.

(54) Once the decision to discontinue has been endorsed by the Vice-President, International, continue with planning the discontinuation process.

(55) If the discontinued program has an offering at an RMIT partner institution outside Australia, the College of Vocational Education must seek input from Global Operations in drafting letters to students.

Consultation with Stakeholders

(56) Where a discontinuation is the result of an RMIT internal decision (rather than the superseding of the qualification or its deletion from the training package) consult with the following groups as soon as the decision to discontinue is made:

1. relevant industry groups;
2. relevant licensing or professional accreditation agencies;
3. relevant regulatory agencies, as required;
4. students with current enrolments including those on leave of absence;
5. Global Student Recruitment (if CRICOS registered);
6. Education, Regulation, Compliance and Assurance (if CRICOS registered);
7. USARG, Academic Governance and Systems (if CRICOS registered).

Section 5 - Compliance

(57) Compliance with this procedure is monitored by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education or delegate.

(58) Breaches of this procedure are reported by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education to Academic Board.

(59) Actual or suspected breaches of this procedure can be reported through the Organisational Breach Reporting Form and are managed in accordance with the Compliance Breach Management Procedure.

Section 6 - Schedules

(60) Program and Course Schedule – Approval and Discontinuation.