Issuing credits in VET
What is a credit transfer?
A credit transfer is when a student has previously completed nationally recognised unit(s) of competence with an RTO or TAFE and wishes to receive recognition for that study with another training provider. This is generally considered so that the student can reduce their workload within the qualification or course they are enrolling in.
Issuing a credit transfer does not involve any level of assessment. The only evidence required for a credit transfer is an AQTF certificate and a statement of results from the student, or additional information that supports the study that was completed, such as subject outlines from the university.
When will I.T.S issue a credit?
An RTO is obligated to offer credit at the time of enrolment. There will be a number of different scenarios to be considered when we determine credits. They include, but are not limited to:
- The student holds the same unit as included in the course they are enrolling into. In this case, we would issue you with the credit.
- The student holds an old unit that is deemed equivalent (by Training Package) to the new unit that is in the course they are enrolling into. In this case, we would issue you with the credit.
- The student holds related qualifications or units from outside the VET system. In this case, our program coordinators will need to determine whether these units are equivalent. The definition of credit under the VET Quality Framework includes studies completed at university level. In making a determination, our program coordinators are required to look at the units in the course the student is enrolling into and comparing to the subject outlines from the university, RTO or TAFE and determine equivalence. It is important to note that we may not be able to issue credits in this scenario due to the fact that it is unlikely that skills have been assessed. In this case, RPL may be a more suitable option for the student providing they also have experience.
Can I get credit for a superseded unit?
There are several scenarios when students have completed superseded units of competency. The first scenario is if the unit has been superseded and replaced with a new unit. Sometimes the unit will have been superseded and deemed as equivalent. Sometimes the unit will have been superseded but not deemed as equivalent.
Intelligent Training Solutions can only grant credit where the unit has been deemed by the Training Package as equivalent.
Can I get credit for a deleted unit?
If the unit you completed in the previous study has been deleted, then a credit transfer can not be offered.
What happens if I hold unit(s) from several training packages ago?
It is possible to grant credits for really old units. If the unit(s) you hold had equivalence all the way through to the current training package, we may be able to provide you with a credit, however, please be warned that our program coordinators might need a little extra time to work it out for you as they need to determine is the skills, knowledge and experience are still valid and current enough to meet current industry standards. Intelligent Training Solutions will use the Training Package mapping information to work out equivalence.
This is less likely, however, sometimes it does happen.
Is credit the same or similar to RPL?
Credit and RPL are quite different processes; however, the terms are often confused with each other. As you can tell from the processes discussed above, Credit is a simple mapping process. It’s an administrative process to look at whether units are the same to determine whether any credit can be granted so that the time in a student’s course can be reduced.
RPL, however, is an assessment process. RPL stands for ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ and needs to be conducted by an assessor. The principles of assessment and rules of evidence apply with RPL.
SOURCE: Information for this help tip was sourced from the RTO Advice Group wesbite. You can visit their website at: https://www.rtoadvice.com.au/