On the 6 April 2016 the TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment was released, however it was not till 12 months later in 2017 that the course was being approved by the regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).

tae40116

The development of the new TAE40116 has been the most contentious qualification in the history of the qualification (BSZ98, TAA04, TAE10) and training package development. What was designed as a qualification by industry for both workplace training and the Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and TAFE (Technical and Further Education) sectors has now morphed into a compliance certification, almost exclusively for use in RTO/TAFE settings.

Common feedback during the consultation of the regional impact assessment, includes the following themes:

“The worst training package, ever”

“You can tell a bureaucrat wrote the qualification, not anyone with teaching experience, logic or experience with workplace training”

“Small business and regional communities will be decimated”

“Obviously someone from Sydney or Melbourne wrote TAE40116”

“Just privatise ASQA, at least that way applications will be processed, you will get at least some level of customer service, this is what gives public service such a bad reputation”

Regional Impact Assessment Statement (RIAS) TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment not-fit for purpose

Throughout 2016 and the first half of 2017, David Michal Lipták the National Director of Vision Psychology consulted with industry, small business and regional communities on the design and implementation of the TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment.

The Regional Impact Assessment identified 17 key issues with TAE40116, notably that:

- The TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment is not fit-for-purpose
- Regional communities and small business will be adversely affected with the implementation of TAE40116
- No consultation was undertaken with small businesses or regional communities on the design, wording, scope or implications of TAE40116
- No regional impact assessment was undertaken for the Training and Education (TAE) Training Package

The report does include 17 mitigation strategies to negate the issues identified in the RAIS including the following:

Include workplace and non-accredited training into the design, wording and unit selection at the qualification and unit of competency levels.
Remove the metropolitan centric “8” requirement for group facilitation in the unit TAEDEL401 Plan, organise and deliver group-based learning
Move the unit TAEASS502 Design and develop assessment tools from a core to elective.
Regional Awareness Training be undertaken by all stakeholders in the development of training packages, including the regulator ASQA, the Skills Service Organisations (SSOs) in this case, PwC Skills for Australia, Industry Review Committees (IRCs), and the Australian Industry and Skills Committee (AISC).

Click below to download the RIAS (Regional Impact Assessment Statement):

Lipták, D. M. (2017). Regional Impact Assessment Statement. TAE40116 CIV in Training and Assessment not fit-for-purpose. Little Hartley, NSW: Vision Psychology.