RTO Registration

Did you know that approximately two-thirds of all RTO applications get rejected by ASQA?

Setting up your very own Registered Training Organisation does not need to be a complicated experience. With over 10 years of experience in the vocational education industry, your expert team at RTO Advantage can assist and guide you throughout the entire registration project – from your pre-planning stage all the way through to your audit stage, to ensure you are in the best possible position to obtain ASQA’s approval for registration as an RTO.

Please note. If you are looking to lodge your application in 2024, unfortunately our book is full. We only have spots available for 2025 onwards.

RTO REGISTRATION PACKAGES.

 

Basic
RTO
Registration^

Premium
RTO
Registration^^

Basic
RTO + CRICOS
Registration^

Premium
RTO + CRICOS
Registration^^

Value

Expert advice and guidance*
(including phone and e-mail support)

Up to 10-hours

Up to 40-hours

Up to 10-hours

Up to 40-hours

$2,200 - $8,800

Project management of RTO registration
(4 x 1-hour project meetings at the commencement of each phase)

$880

Project management of CRICOS registration
(4 x 1-hour project meetings at the commencement of each phase)

 

 

$880

Project board set-up and personalised to your project on Trello
(listing the various stages of a project and outlining the actions required to be completed in each stage)

$1,100

Video training on the Australian Qualifications Framework, the Standards of RTOs 2015, and the National Code 2018 (if applicable) and reporting obligations

$550

Liaising with accountant for them to prepare the FVRA, business plan and financial projections – up to 2-hours worth

 

 

$440

Liaising with resource providers to obtain samples, review samples, provide a report to the client on the different resources and secure the training and assessment resources– up to 4-hours worth

 

 

$880

Assistance to help source a 9B-approved premise for your RTO - we will provide a list of 9B-approved properties to you

 

 

$880

RTO Policies and Procedures manual - you can view the full list of the RTO policies and procedures here
NB. Branding included at no extra cost!
Free upgrade of the Policies and Procedures manual to the new Standards for RTOs (to take effect on the 1st of January 2025) when they are available!

$2,200

CRICOS Policies and Procedures manual - you can view the full list of the CRICOS policies and procedures here
NB. Branding included at no extra cost!

 

 

$1,320

RTO management and operations forms and templates - you can view the full list of the RTO forms and templates here
NB. Branding included at no extra cost!
Free upgrade of the forms and templates to the new Standards for RTOs (to take effect on the 1st of January 2025) when they are available!

$1,870

CRICOS management and operations forms and templates - you can view the full list of the CRICOS forms and templates here
NB. Branding included at no extra cost!

 

 

$770

Comparison of Public Liability policies required for RTO registration

$220

Development of Training and Assessment Strategies - only one cohort per training program, and up to two training programs
NB. This includes one revision only**

 

 

$5,676

Preparation of timetable up to two intakes per training program
NB. This includes one revision only**

 

 

 

$880

Review of council approval & 9B certificate documents

 

 

$220

Development of an Assessment Validation Plan

 

 

$440

Development of the Student Handbook

 

 

$880

Preparation of the Continuous Improvement and Review Schedule

 

 

$220

Preparation of resources list
NB. This list will inform you of the equipment and tools you will need to purchase specific to the courses that you are going to be delivering.

 

 

$880 - $2,200

Development of the Induction Program slides
NB. This includes one revision only**

 

 

$880

Review of up to 4 Trainer & Assessor files – including employment contracts, trainer matrixes, evidences and declarations
NB. This includes one additional review only, meaning two reviews included in this package in total for your staff files**

 

 

$3,520

Preparation of AQF certification documentation
NB. Design work for Testamur, Record of Results and Statements of Attainment included at no extra cost!

 

 

$400

Assistance with the completion of ASQA's new RTO Registration Form + CRICOS Registration Form(previously the self-assessment tool and Organisation Profile)

$7,040

A mock audit session (conducted virutally) and an audit report
NB. This does not include any travel costs if an onsite audit is required

$3,520

Assistance with the lodgement of the initial application for registration on ASQAnet

$880

$12,980
+ GST

(Total value: $14,960)

$22,980
+ GST

(Total value: $43,696)

$15,980
+ GST

(Total value: $17,050)

$28,980
+ GST

(Total value: $51,066)

 

1. ^ Suitable for those who already have experience running their own RTO or have been a in the VET industry for several years.

2. ^^ Suitable for those who have their TAE qualification but are relatively new to the VET industry.

3. For those who have never worked in the VET industry before, please contact us to discuss your suitability and compatibility with owning and running an RTO business.

4. * Where you require more support than the allocated hours, the cost is $200 + GST per hour.

5. ** Where you require more than one revision for the submitted requirement(s), the cost is $380 + GST per additional review.

6. The packaged price is based on a maximum of 2 qualifications (no more then 12 units in the qualification) or skill sets only. If you have other requirements or want to register with more than 2 qualifications or skill sets, please contact us and we will provide you with a custom quote.

7. Payment terms: 30% is due on initial confirmation, 40% is due prior to the start of Phase 2, and the remaining 30% is due when when RTO Advantage has completed all of its responsibilities required to lodge the application with ASQA.

8. We are happy to provide you with contact details for various services and share our experiences with you, but we do not make it a habit to refer you to other service providers such as accountants and course materials providers as we cannot guarantee the quality of other parties’ work and outcomes. Our premium package includes us helping you get the samples for the resources from various resource providres, but we do not make the purchasing decisions for you. You will need to determine which resource best suits your goals and operations.

9. We do not undertake industry engagement activities on your behalf as we believe it is important for the CEO or key personnel of the RTO to understand the industry well so that proper decisions can be made. That being said, we are happy to support you in this process. However, where you are short on time, are already in the industry or know the industry very well and would rather us undertake the industry engagement activities on your behalf, there is a fee of $1,790 + GST per industry engagement contact for a maximum of 2 industry engagement activities per contact.

10. Should you require us to contextualise your training and assessment tools for you, please contact us and we will provide you with a custom quote. The fees for contextualisation range between $100-650 + GST per unit depending on whether you have developed these yourself, or whether you have purchased them and from whom you have purchased them from.

11. Should you require assistance with completing the initial registration application form on ASQAnet, there is a fee of $200 + GST.

12. Should you require support on the day of the audit, there is a fee of $1,760 + GST per day, not including any travel costs.

What do I need to register a new RTO?

When lodging your application to register as a new RTO, you are required to meet certain requirements:

  • Familiarise yourself with the requirements of the national VET system
  • Demonstrate your business’ financial viability
  • Complete a self-assessment evidencing:
    • Your readiness to deliver training and assessment
    • Your ability to manage the recruitment, enrolment and support of students that meets the Standards of RTOs 2015
  • All owners and certain executive officers of the organisation must meet ASQA’s Fit and Proper Person requirements

It is important that you first take the time to consider the following factors:

  • Why do you want to set up an RTO?
  • Have you conducted enough research to ensure that an RTO is the right business for you?
  • Have you prepared a detailed business plan and have a solid business concept?
  • What courses or qualifications will you be offering?
  • What gap or need will you be addressing in the VET industry?
  • Will you be developing your training and assessment materials from scratch or will you be purchasing an off-the-shelf product and customise it to the industry and your target market’s needs and expectations?
  • What type of training will you be delivering – face-to-face, online, blended or workplace training?
  • What are your staffing requirements – do they already have the required qualifications such as the TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and the relevant vocational qualification and meet the relevant vocational experience requirements?
  • What is my target market – am I wanting to deliver training to the local market or the international market?
  • What will be your marketing approaches to the recruitment of students?
  • What policies and procedures will be put in place for the smooth and efficient running of your RTO?
  • What plans do you have to support your future students and staff members?
  • What fees do you intend on charging?
  • Do you have sufficient funds – this figure will vary based on the types of qualifications you are delivering, the size of your operations, the facilities, equipment and manpower you will need, along with your basic establishment and application costs?
  • Do all owners and executive officers meet ASQA’s Fit and Proper Person requirements – have they ever been convicted of an offence (both in and outside of Australia), have they ever been disqualified from managing corporations, have they ever been bankrupt or insolvent, have they ever been issued with an Immigration Minister’s suspension certificate, have they ever been associated with an organisation which has breached an Australian Government or state or territory government training contract, or have they ever provided false or misleading information or statements to a state, territory or Australian Government agency or department?
  • What knowledge, skills and experience do you have that will make your RTO business a success?

What are the costs for a new RTO Registration?

The fees for a new RTO setup can vary depending on the business structure, size of the operations, the site and equipment needs, learning content and assessment provider fees, and even the choice of qualifications you intend to deliver.

As a guide, below are estimates as to what you should budget for in your first year (estimate is based on information available as at 01 Jul 2023 and calculated based on an enrolment of 50 face-to-face students):

Item

Approximate Cost
(not including GST)

Company establishment fees

$1,500 - $5,000

Accounting fees (including software)

$3,600 - $7,500

ASQA application and assessment fee

$8,600

RTO compliance consultant fees

$10,000 - $60,000

Student Management Software

$1,200 - $7,000 per year

Learning and assessment resources

$4,500 - $25,000 per course

Equipment required

$1,000 - $50,000

Staff and recruitment expenses

$60,000 - $120,000 (based on 2 PT employees)

Training premises

$40,000 - $120,000 (location dependent)

Website development

$2,500 - $5,000

What is the turnaround time of a new RTO setup?

The pre-planning stage can take anywhere between three to twelve months.

Once you lodge your application with ASQA for initial registration, they aim to finalise the assessment of your initial application within six months.

Below is an overview of ASQA’s assessment stages:

  1. You submit your application
  2. ASQA will check that your application is complete
  3. A review is conducted into your Fit and Proper Person declaration(s) and Financial Viability Risk Assessment (FVRA) tool
  4. An assessment fee invoice is issued if everything is in order
  5. A desk and validation audit is conducted to ensure that you meet all of the requirements for registration
  6. A decision will be made by ASQA to approve or reject the application

Does an RTO registration expire?

Yes. After you have successfully attained the approval to operate as a registered training organisation, you are initially granted with a 2-year registration period. At least 90-days before the end of your registration period, you are to apply for re-registration if you want to renew your RTO registration. If you are successful, you may be provided with a registration period of up to 7-years. The granting of a 7-year period is not guaranteed as ASQA will exercise its discretion when determining an RTO’s registration period. This does not apply to CRICOS registrations which is granted only for a period of 5-years.