Training courses in regulators’ sights

With the help of industry, ARC and the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) a number of sub-standard training courses have been recently closed down.

Sub-standard courses have no place in the refrigeration and air conditioning (RAC) industry or as part of the ARCTick licence scheme. After ARC pursued compliance issues related to the licence scheme, two Certificate II courses being delivered in Victoria by an interstate training body were stopped due to non-licensed handling and storage of refrigerant – clear breaches of the Ozone regulations.

In addition, two Certificate III RAC courses being delivered in Western Australia are being investigated by the training regulator ASQA due to complaints over the legitimacy of the advertised duration to complete the qualification. ASQA has since confirmed they are now taking regulatory action against the registered training organisation.

“ARC has shown that by partnering with the Australian Skills Quality Authority and acting on complaints raised to us by industry, it is possible to rid the sector of sub-standard training courses,” said ARC CEO Glenn Evans.

“Appropriate qualifications are the cornerstone of the ARCTick licence scheme and, on behalf of the 80,000 licensed technicians and businesses, ARC will keep up the pressure on training bodies to help ensure quality courses are delivered for our quality industry. While ARC has always been in this space, we have recently escalated our activities through an active partnering role with ASQA and use of promotion as an added deterrent, rather than just reporting,” said Mr Evans.

If you have concerns about the quality of training in the RAC sector contact ASQA on 1300 701 801 or visit www.asqa.gov.au/complaints
You can also contact ARC on 1300 884 483 or email our Technical and Training Manager Noel Munkman – nmunkman@arctick.org