COMPETENCY BASED TRAINING

All apprenticeships and traineeships in Queensland operate under competency-based training and assessment arrangements.  While apprenticeships and traineeships were previously time-based, competency-based training enables apprenticeships and traineeships to progress through their training and complete their apprenticeship/ traineeship once all parties have determined the attainment of competence - regardless of the time served.

Competency-based training places an emphasis on the workplace application of the attained knowledge and skills - not how long an individual may have spent in training, or the amount of knowledge acquired in a formal learning environment. Competency-based training is defined by industry standards and focuses on training outcomes.

Outcomes from competency-based training reflect workplace tasks, the working environment and any significant performance requirements.  This should include performing higher level duties such as planning, problem solving and managing tasks through to completion.

Supervising registered training organisations need to be flexible in their delivery of training to allow apprentices and trainees the opportunity to achieve required training outcomes as soon as their level of skill permits.  As soon as an apprentice or trainee demonstrates competence to industry standard, on and off-the-job, they must progress.  This will allow apprentices or trainees to move through their apprenticeship or traineeship as efficiently as possible while maintaining an emphasis on their quality of work.

Ensuring progression through training:

When parties to a training contract negotiate the training plan it is important that they all have a clear understanding what they are negotiating.  This will include;

• the training that will take place in the workplace provided by the employer
• the formal training a supervising registered training organisation (SRTO) will deliver, where and when.

The supervising registered training organisation will develop a training plan which must be agreed to and signed by all parties.  If the apprentice is undertaking a school-based apprenticeship an "Education, Training and Employment Schedule", must be developed in conjunction with a guardian and their secondary school.

When all parties sign the training plan they are agreeing to:

• participate in, and supervise the training outlined in the training plan
• ensure the work necessary for the apprentice to gain competence in the workplace is available within the timeframes stated in the training plan
• ensure that both workplace and off-the-job training provided by the employer and supervising registered training organisation is completed prior to the relevant progression points stated in the training plan
• allow the apprentice or trainee to progress through their apprenticeship/traineeship based on the achievement of competence, not the amount of time spent training
• complete the apprenticeship or traineeship when training required under the training plan has been delivered and assessed, and the employer, apprentice/trainee and supervising registered training organisation agree that the apprentice is competent.