6 Mistakes RTOs Make When They Purchase Training Resources

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Aside from the skills and knowledge development of your learners, acquiring the right training resources plays a vital role in the survival and growth of your RTO. After all, these learning materials reflect your organisation’s credibility, reputation, and calibre.

Although designing and developing your own learning resources has its perks, it also comes with huge costs. Producing resources requires a lot of time, budget, and the skills of highly qualified resource developers. That’s why most RTOs opt to purchase training resources from third-party developers to avoid this costly and time-consuming process.

Check out our article about The Transition Deadlines for BSB Training Package Updates Are Almost Here: Things You Need to Do and Remember Before the Periods End.

Hopefully, this guide will help you know what to steer clear of when you purchase training resources. Without further ado, here are the common mistakes most RTOs commit when securing training resources:

1. Buying based solely on price.

You get what you pay for! Training resources for RTOs vary widely in quality, and cheap resources are generally affordable because minimal time and effort have been put into creating the training content.

You might save thousands upfront when you purchase them, but more likely than not, you’ll spend way more correcting issues in those subpar training resources. Developers cost $40 to $50+ per hour, and rectifying resources can require days of work per unit.

Cheap resources can have other long-term costs, too – for example, resources short on information and training content for students could increase your long-term trainer support requirements considerably – and trainer time isn’t cheap.

That said, the most expensive resources aren’t always the best, either. We recommend evaluating the quality of resources first to find the ones that best suit your needs and then negotiating the price.

2. Settling for low-quality assessment tools.

With this mistake, you could endanger your RTO’s registration with inadequate learning materials and assessment tools.

Low-quality assessment tools are the culprits of most RTO failures. In 2017, ASQA reported that about 72% of RTOs failed audits on Assessment, and over 80% were non-compliant with the Standard One audit (which refers to the processes of assessment and assessment tools quality).

When acquiring assessment tools, here are the things you should do:

  • Watch out for deficient ones to avoid unreliable evaluation and ill-suited training.
  • Ask reputable RTO consultants to validate assessment tools before purchasing them.
  • After acquiring learning resources, rectify any errors found before an audit or even using them.

These three steps might cost you time, money, and manpower, but this is not something that you should be skimping on!

Also, remember that some training resource providers focus on the assessment component and compromise the overall quality of the learner course materials.

3. Getting samples that are entirely unrelated to your prospected resources.

To conduct a proper validation, you need complete assessment tools. Many publishers remove large sections of their sample units for copyright reasons – however, this means you can’t really assess the quality or completeness of the assessment materials.

Some publishers and developers will also only give out their best samples, which makes you assume that the same quality is consistent in every resource you purchase. To avoid making this huge error, ask for samples of units that come specifically from the qualification packages you are eyeing.

The best way to avoid this mistake is by asking for specific unit samples.

4. “Do we even need mapping documents?”

You might have thought about that question once, and the answer is yes. Assessment tools and mapping documents go hand in hand. Mapping documents exist to help you find where all unit requirements are met in the assessment material. This will save you time validating the assessment tools and assist your compliance team and auditors in conducting an audit.

ASQA now has a stronger focus on ensuring RTOs provide sufficient learning content and information to enable the student to complete the course. Make sure to check that the mapping document also maps the learning content (e.g. Learner Guides, PowerPoints, etc.) to make it easy for your team to demonstrate you are providing sufficient information to your students.

Quality, comprehensive mapping documents help prevent audit and compliance issues!

5. Not reviewing the training of content for the volume of learning.

Above all, your training resources should help your learners meet the adequate volume of learning required by the Australian Qualifications Framework. This covers the time or period of teaching, learning, and assessment activities your students should take to reach the desired learning outcomes.

Your learners echo the skills and knowledge they acquired from your RTO. It also reflects if you provided adequate training resources to them. Before you purchase training resources, be sure to check if:

  • They use double spacing, huge spaces, or include tons of images, as these indicate that they have little content.
  • They come with a learner guide, learner resource, or textbook with the training materials.
  • They have a step-by-step guide to practice, apply the skills they gained, and earn competency in the subject.

6. Paying less attention to the content of the learning resources.

What goes around comes around. So, if you settle for learning resources that are out-of-date and lacking, this will most likely show in your students. When you purchase training resources, ensure they come complete with a comprehensive set of learning materials. This includes learner guides, assessment workbooks, PowerPoints, and assessment tools.

Plus, look for learning resources developed with the help of subject matter or industry experts. This assures you that the learning materials you provide are relevant and quality.

What Should You Consider When You Buy RTO Materials?

Acquiring training resources for RTOs is not as easy as it looks. It requires careful validation to ensure you get the right tools and sufficient knowledge for your students. Aside from that, your learning resources should be comprehensive but easy to understand so you can produce better training outcomes.

Here are seven simple but crucial tips to give you a better idea of what you should look for when you buy RTO materials.

At RTO Learning Materials, we partner with many leading resource publishers to provide the best training content we can find. Partner publishers such as Compliant Learning Resources, Precision RTO Resources, and TotalVET Training Resources validate their materials to ensure quality and compliance.

Plus, they research and write exceptional, relevant, and current content to industry needs. These resources also come with an unlimited student license, an editable format, and free enhancements and improvements to provide you with the best learning materials.

Check out our comprehensive catalogue of training resources here. You can also reach out to us on 1300 808 480 or email us at enquiries@rtolearningmaterials.com.au. Our representative will gladly answer your questions or assist you with whatever you may need.

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