“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems”. James Clear – ATOMIC HABITS

Self-assurance is a regulatory approach used in VET in Australia and around the world, referring to the way providers manage their operations to ensure a focus on quality, continuous improvement, and ongoing compliance. Providers with effective self-assurance systems evidence a commitment and capability to delivering quality training according to ASQA. Self-assurance means being confident in your RTO’s systems, that they are fit for purpose and meet regulatory obligations and compliance requirements as well as ensuring quality outcomes for students and industry.

Quality Culture:

The best growth strategy for RTOs is to focus on quality rather than quantity. Quality is more than compliance, it’s a culture not a practice. A quality driven culture requires full support from senior leaders and a commitment to change. Prioritising your customers experience first ensures you achieve a competitive advantage. Persistent quality problems are an indication of systemic issues, and if you’re not working on your systems, you’re not going to improve. Focus on customer service and satisfaction as poor performance from this perspective is a future indicator of decline even though your current financial position may be good. RTOs who develop a culture of quality have employees that make fewer mistakes and achieve a stronger financial performance.

Risk Management and Control:

The ability to identify and manage risk in your RTO is a vital element of success for business growth. Leading training providers find the right balance between risk management and risk taking to navigate change and drive sustainable growth. Your risk management framework should clearly identify the types of risks your RTO must control with a systemic approach. Non-compliances are indicative of systemic failures in the management of RTO operations. Proactive risk management is the key to business success and drives competitive advantage and sustainable profitability and growth.

Continuous Improvement:

RTOs who create an environment of continuous improvement consider all aspects of operations at a macro and micro level. By focusing on the details, they understand that every aspect of their business must hold up to scrutiny and be constantly improved to be a high performing organisation. RTO operations need to be flexible enough so you can adapt quickly to changing circumstances to seize business opportunities as well as mitigate key risks. Successful RTOs continually improve self-assurance processes through understanding their performance and capability and by effectively using data and information for evidence based decision making while simultaneously driving organisational learning and knowledge. Data and information are essential components of performance monitoring and direction-setting for management. Any good growth strategy is going to rely on data to be truly successful and an effective cycle of planning, implementation, review and improvement.