Student Informaton

There are a number of assessment instruments by which you may be assessed. The main types of assessment are below:

• Theory assessments - written questions to be completed by the participant. These may be in the form of multiple choice, short answer or extended answer.
• Practical assessments - exercises which simulate the experience in the workplace.
• One-on-one verbal questioning – completed individually with the Trainer Assessor.
• Workplace diaries or on-the-job assessments – completed in the workplace.

Depending on the qualification, the most appropriate method(s) of assessment to evidence the requirement is chosen. Each of our courses at CERT will have the types of assessment used outlined on their page.

If you have any concerns undergoing an assessments in regards to reading writing or speaking English, please indicate this on your enrolment form and our Trainers can provide further assistance in completing the assessment. All CERT trainers are skilled and experienced in dealing with students with language, literacy and numeracy issues and are adept at tailoring learning to the needs of the student.

Credit transfer is a process that provides credit for a unit of competency that you have previously achieved. Under the Australian VET Framework, qualifications and statements of attainment issued by any RTO are to be accepted and recognised by all other RTOs. Credit transfer allows a student to be awarded a unit of competency based on successful completion of the unit which has been previously awarded

In some cases, existing skills and knowledge that are relevant to rail work roles can be recognised with evidence. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment process that assesses the individual student’s formal, non-formal and informal learning to determine the extent to which that individual has achieved the competency standards. This can greatly reduce the time taken to meet compliance requirements.

For Vocational and Education Training there are just two outcomes from assessment; Competent and Non-Competent. This means that for a participant, they either meet the criteria being assessed of they do not. For example, a required skill to complete the unit Maintain and Use Hand Tools (TLIB1028) is to be able to “Identify, select and efficiently and effectively use relevant hand tools and related materials”.  A participant will be assessed by the Trainer to determine whether they satisfactorily demonstrate that skill, and if so they will be classified “competent”. If the participant does not demonstrate that skill they will be classified “not competent”.

Each of our courses listed online have noted on their page what they will receive in completing the course. For Nationally Recognised Training a Statement of Attainment is issued, for other training a certificate may not be issued where the participant already receives a Track Access Permit.

Certain job roles require an examination of your medical fitness and functional capacity, conducted by an approved doctor or medical professional. At a basic level, these test your ability to be in the rail corridor and hear instructions, move to a safe place, and maintain an awareness of your surroundings.

Category 3 – Around the Track Person

Workers in these categories are also known as non-safety critical workers.  Their ill-health will not impact directly on the safety of the rail network or the public.

As around the track personnel these workers are responsible for their own safety and the safety of fellow workers, and the categorisation of around the track personnel depends on their exposure to moving rolling stock. Medicals check your ability to walk in the rail corridor, work under supervision, and identify/move to a safe place.

Medical assessments for Category 3 workers are to be carried out prior to commencing any work on the railway, and then every 5 years from age of 40 and over.

Examples:

• If you are 29 when you commence working in rail, your Category 3 Rail Medical will expire on your 40th birthday UNLESS the authorised medical practitioner indicates otherwise;
• If you are aged 40 or over when you commence working in rail, your Category 3 Rail Medical will expire every five years (unless otherwise indicated by the authorised medical practitioner).

Category 2 – Safety Critical Worker

If a sudden incapacity will not impact on the safety of the network, the worker is a Category 2 worker. Conditions which may impact on safe working ability include epilepsy, heart disease, diabetes, alcohol dependence, drug dependence and psychiatric disorders.

Examples:

Medical assessments for Category 2 are to be carried out prior to commencing any work on the railway, and then at regular intervals as outlined below (may be more frequent if indicated by the authorised medical practitioner):

• Every 5 years up to age 50
• Every 2 years age 50-60
• Every year age 60 onwards.

Category 1 – High Level Safety Critical Worker

A worker is a Category 1 Worker if sudden incapacity or collapse while performing their work tasks could lead to a serious incident. Category 1 workers are also required to have a Cardiac Risk Score assessment - this is an evaluation of the risk of cardiovascular disease and collapse from heart attack or stroke.

Examples:

Medical assessments for Category 2 are to be carried out prior to commencing any work on the railway, and then at regular intervals as outlined below (may be more frequent if indicated by the authorised medical practitioner):

• Every 5 years up to age 50
• Every 2 years age 50-60
• Every year age 60 onwards.

No. But you must complete one before going out on track for either work, on-the-job mentoring, or practical assessments; and it must be suitable for the requirements of all the roles you will be working in.

In the last five years, State and Federal governments have made changes to Rail Safety law. The aim is to make work practices and skills the same nationally, across different regions and railway systems. Key to these changes has been the move away from individual state or rail network "non-accredited" training courses and outcomes, towards nationally recognised training.

Nationally recognised training:

• Is regulated by vocational education and training (VET) standards
• Delivers consistent skills
• Ensures that all workers have the same base skills and knowledge to do the job

Nationally Recognised Training is delivered by Registered Training Organisation (RTO), such as CERT. Only registered training organisations (RTOs) can deliver nationally recognised training and issue nationally recognised qualifications (or statements of attainment). Nationally Recognised Training consists of:

• Training Packages
• Qualifications
• Units of competency
• Accredited courses
• Skill sets

Nationally Recognised Training is maintained by the Industry Skills Council, Auto Skills Australia (training packages, qualifications, units of competency and skill sets) and Vocational Education and Training Regulators (accredited courses and Registered Training Organisation (RTO) details and scope information). 

Accredited courses are assessed by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to ensure they are compliant with the Standards for VET Accredited Courses 2012 and the Australian Qualifications Framework. The Australian Qualifications Framework is the national policy for regulated qualifications in Australian education and training. It incorporates the qualifications from each education and training sector into a single comprehensive national qualifications framework. The AQF was first introduced in 1995 to underpin the national system of qualifications in Australia encompassing higher education, vocational education and training and schools.

A VET accredited course can be accredited for all qualification types recognised under the AQF that are eligible for delivery within the VET sector, including:

• Certificate I
• Certificate II
• Certificate III
• Certificate IV
• Diploma
• Advanced Diploma
• Graduate Certificate, and
• Graduate Diploma.

Each of our courses listed online have noted on their page whether the course is nationally recognised/accredited.

If you’re still not sure you can contact your local CERT branch and enquire or simply visit the training.gov.au website which lists all nationally recognised training. If the training course you wish to enrol in is not listed on training.gov.au, it is not nationally recognised training.

A Unique Student Identifier (USI) is a reference number (made up of numbers and letters) that is linked to your individual student record. By creating a USI a secure student record is created that stores any Nationally Recognised Training that you complete online. This means that you’ll be able to access the records to give them to employers or training organisations as evidence.

From January 1^st 2015 all students completing any nationally recognised training must have a USI. Nationally recognised training defines the requirements for effective workplace performance in a specific area of work, work function, activity or process. It is used as the basis for defining learning outcomes and assessment benchmarks within the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector but also to meet Industry standards.

Under the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015, CERT cannot issue your Statement of Attainment without a verified USI on file.

CERT is required to provide training records and results to the National VET Provider Collection and you will be able to access these records through your USI account by logging in online. This allows you to obtain a complete record of their VET enrolments and achievements from a single source (for training completed after January 1^st 2015). You will continue to use your USI for any future nationally recognised training you undertake.

The USI initiative will mean that by capturing more comprehensive and accurate information in the future this data can help inform the development of Government policies relating to Vocational Education and Training (VET). This allows the VER system to better respond to students' preferences and to the skills needs of industry and the Australian economy.

To create a USI on your behalf CERT requires the following:

• Your permission – to generate the USI using your information CERT requires your consent. If you would rather CERT generate the USI for you, you can indicate this by ticking the appropriate box on your Enrolment Form.
• Chosen form of ID – At least one of the following types of ID must be supplied to CERT.Your ID is necessary to ensure that your records are being recorded to a profile that is uniquely yours.
  • Driver’s Licence
  • Medicare Card
  • Australian Passport
  • Visa (with Non-Australian Passport)
  • Birth Certificate (Australian) *please note a Birth Certificate extract is not sufficient
  • Certificate Of Registration By Descent
  • Citizenship Certificate
  • ImmiCard
• Your Enrolment Form – The CERT enrolment form captures all other information that is required to create your USI (e.g. country of birth, date of birth).

If you’d like to create your own USI you can follow the link below. All you’ll need is one form of acceptable ID (see above).

http://www.usi.gov.au/create-your-USI/Pages/default.aspx

Once you have created your USI please send this through to your booking contact and it will be updated on your student profile.