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RTO Success April 2013 1RTO Success April 2013 1

www.rtosuccess.com.au

April 2013$14.95 inc. GST

Negativity

Lead scoring, Lead nurturing & Lead conversion

Minimisingworkplace

KNOW YOUR ISCInnovation & Business

Skills Australia

ARE WE THERE YET?

RTO

Success M

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success.co

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- Ap

ril 2013Facebook is changing Are you changing with it?

2 www.rtosuccess.com.au

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RTO Success April 2013 3

From The EditorWelcome to Our Magazine!

Publishers Details

RTO Success MagazineIssue 12 April 2013www.rtosuccess.com.au

Published by: RTO Success Group Pty LtdPO Box 8773, GCMC, Bundall QLD 9726Suite 2, 160 Cotlew Street, Ashmore QLD 4214Phone: 1300 031 312ABN: 85 142 708 361www.rtosuccess.com.au

Publisher: Sandeep [email protected]

Editor: Melissa Hamilton-Matt [email protected]

Copy Editor: Kendall Sethi

Adverti sing Manager: Rashmi Mehraadverti [email protected]

Subscripti on: RTO Success Magazine is a monthly magazineMonthly - $14.95Yearly - $179.40

Subscripti on Enquiries: [email protected]

Art Director: Vimaljeet Singh

Copyright: No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the publisher’s writt en permission.The names, images and logos of any third parti es and their informati on, products and services are proprietary marks and property of those third parti es. RTO Success Magazine does not lay claim to any third party intellectual property and nothing contained in this magazine shall be construed as conferring (by implicati on or otherwise) as RTO Success Magazine having any licence or right under any trademark or patent.

If you wish to seek request for permission to use the names, images or logos of any third party it should be in accordance with the individual copyright statement contained in that third party site.

Contributi on: the views expressed in the RTO Success Magazine by external contributors and adverti sers are not necessarily those of RTO Success Group Pty Ltd.not necessarily those of RTO Success Group Pty Ltd.

Designed in Australia, printed in India.

Dear Reader,

I can't believe it's April already! In March we attended the MR WED Learning Leaders Summit 2013, in Sydney. It was lovely to catch up with some of our subscribers and supporters as well as meeting a lot of new people. Congratulations to MR WED, it was a great two days!

In this month's magazine we look at Minimising Workplace Negativity, Wendy Cato asks if your RPL process is heading down the right road in 'Are we there yet', and Lead Scoring, Lead Nuturing & Lead Conversion. If you have a Facebook page have you noticed how much it has substantially evolved and how it will eff ect the way you recruit students. Are you changing with it?

We are heading to ANZA (The Australia New Zealand Agent Workshop) in Brisbane from the 17th to 19th April. I recommend CRICOS providers attend ANZA as it's a great way to network, meet new high quality, pre-screened agents and get insights into key markets, international education trends, current visa issues and guidance on building successful relationships with agents.

If you are a Trainer, RTO Owner or Manager, manage departments such as HR & Admin, Sales & Marketing, Finance or Compliance for an RTO and you have some ideas that you would like to share please consider contributing to our magazine. Feel free to email me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time, have a wonderful month.


CONTENTS April 2013

COVER STORY

12 Know your ISC - Innovation & Business skills Australia20 Book Summary - Think and Grow Rich30 NCVER Media Release34 Tech Tools - TeamViewer41 ASQA Updates46 Inspire Me - RTO Success Stories - ET Australia50 Its not News - When to use i.e. in a sentance52 Events56 Time Out

REGULARS

16 InfocusSandeep Sethi

Sandeep is the owner and founder of RTO Software and the RTO Success Group of companies. He has been serving the education industry around Australia for the past 15 years and has seen a lot of growth, upheavals and change within the industry. He is a passionate entrepreneur and loves to bring new ideas to market. He believes that the right group of people, use of smart technology and systems, as well as eff ective marketing, is crucial in taking a company from a small start-up to a large conglomerate in a short span of a few years.

16

34

8 Minimising workplace Negativity

Negativity in the workplace has always been a concern for businesses, however with the economic instability in the last few years and the uncertainty in this industry, this concern has grown.

Generally the larger percentage of negativity in the workplace is based on stress, especially work-related stress. It has many causes including:

• Long hours• Heavy workload• Job insecurity (the threat of job loss or redundancy) • Confl icts with other workers or bosses

8


26 Are we there yet?

When my children were younger and we would travel from Adelaide to Melbourne on a frequent basis, there was a process that we would undertake to get to Melbourne that would try and stave off the constant question of ”Are we there yet?” This process involved “mile stones”. These milestones included breakfast at McDonalds in Murray Bridge, looking for the first grain silo and then counting the other 16 to the outer areas of Melbourne (with a stop in Bordertown for lunch) and then looking for the Westgate Bridge, Beach Road to the SE Suburbs and then to where we stayed.

RPL has a process. In some cases the processes that have been made by some RTOs can be as tedious as driving with two young children from Adelaide to Melbourne! The RPL process is made of milestones as well. Good milestones will ensure that you arrive ultimately at a perfect ending, feeling sane!!

38 Lead scoring, Lead nurturing & Lead conversion

The advent of marketing automation tools has brought a whole lot of benefits in the marketing realm and above all, a feeling of comfort knowing that you can accomplish more by doing less. While there are many trustworthy vendors in this area, the article zeros in on core features, focussing on popular tools such as Eloqua, Pardot, and Marketo, and on what they offer and the benefits of their use.

Lead Scoring and Grading – why does my business need it?

Not all leads are equal. Some are better than others and it is the practice of lead scoring that makes the difference. Using it, you can automatically rank leads based on their sales-readiness and identify which are ‘hot’ and ready to speak with a sales person.

38

42 Facebook is changing: Are you changing with it?

Facebook has made some substantial changes over the last year, and many of these should affect the way student recruiters are using the platform to reach out to and engage with students. Facebook’s recent evolution has been motivated by its need to:

• Monetise the platform;• Provide more value to the brands who use it;• Respond to users’ changing preferences for engaging with each other and brands they like;• Allow users to reflect, on Facebook, their activities on other social networks, and viceversa;• Adapt to users’ increasing use of mobile devices.

26

42


Having studied, worked and lived abroad for a number of years, Jovana has developed a diverse set of skills and a unique perspective into the business world, which she applies in her current role as Marketing Automation Consultant. Her passion for online marketing and a keen interest in global marketing trends are what drives her to produce eff ective online campaigns for international clients in the IT sector. Jovana graduated from St. Cloud State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and a minor in Public Relations. Jovana enjoys learning languages and is fl uent in Serbian, English and Italian. Her other interests include social media, travelling and cooking.

Jovana Stevanovic

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS

Wendy Cato is the Director of CatoHR /RPL Assist. Wendy has worked in senior management positions with numerous RTOs and is still a practicing trainer and assessor. She is a former COAG RPL Mentor (SA) and NARA auditor. She is recognised as a RPL specialist across Australia and has worked on a number of signifi cant RPL projects including assisting redundant workers from Mitsubishi and Bridgestone. She also worked on a project assisting approximately 200 experienced Riggers and Scaff olders gain their Certifi cate III.

Wendy Cato

Melissa Hamilton-Matthews is the Editor of RTO Success Magazine as well as the Product Implementation & Support Manager for TEAMS which is built by RTO Software.

Melissa has over 25 years in Business Administration in Industries such as Tourism & Hospitality, IT Recruitment, Public Hospitals; with the last 13 years spent in the RTO industry working for RTO Software.

Melissa Hamilton-Matthews


All our staff are trained by our in-house industry experts with over 10 years experience in the VET sector. They are taught extensively about industry terminology and business processes. They also have excellent written and spoken English, are very � exible and easy to deal with.

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NNegativity

Minimising workplace

Diagnosing Workplace Negativity

As managers or business owners you need to keep your ‘fi nger on the pulse’ of what is happening in the workplace. You need to be able to identify early warning signals that all is not well. To do this you need to put some or all of the following in place.

1. Do exit interviews – when you have staff leaving do an exit interview to gauge what they believe is happening in your workplace. It is true that not

everyone leaving will tell you the truth or even want to do an interview but you should always try, you’d be amazed what you can fi nd out about what is going on in your business from someone who is no longer threatened by ‘losing their job’, especially when it is their choice to leave.

2. Respond to employee complaints in a timely manner – you need to listen to every employee complaint and act on them in a timely fashion. Keep the employee updated on actions to be taken, when

Negativity in the workplace has always been a concern for businesses, however with the economic instability in the last few years and the uncertainty in this industry, this concern has grown.

Generally the larger percentage of negativity in the workplace is based on stress, especially work-related stress. It has many causes including:

• Long hours

• Heavy workload

• Job insecurity (the threat of job loss or redundancy)

• Confl icts with other workers or bosses

Symptoms of work-related stress may include:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• A drop in work performance

• Feelings of being overwhelmed

• Fatigue

• Headaches

• Increase in sick days or absenteeism.

Companies and employers should recognise work-related stress as a signifi cant health and safety issue. In the 2004/2005 tax year, more than $133.9 million was paid in benefi ts to workers who had made claims related to workplace stress; imagine what it is for the 2011/2012 tax year?

By Melissa Hamilton-Matthews


this will occur and what the outcomes are. It’s not about ‘answering to your employee’ it’s so they know they were heard.

3. Do not use the shotgun eff ect to address issues - do not punish the whole organisation for one mistake of one or a small group of employees. Do not create “rules” for all employees, when just a few people are violating the norms.

4. Monitor any company blogs, intranets for warning

signs – with the introduction of social media many companies allow staff blogs on intranets etc. Although you should allow your staff the ability to freely discuss openly in blogs it is still a good idea to monitor for early signs of trouble brewing.

5. Provide appropriate leadership and a strategic framework - this includes mission statement, vision, values, and goals. People want to feel as if they are part of something bigger than themselves. If they understand the direction, and their part in making the


desired outcomes happen, they can eff ectively contribute more. Lead by example, the moral and ethical character of your leadership will directly infl uence all employees.

6. Be aware of overtime hours against sick leaves taken – don’t just count how many sick leaves staff is taking, have you consider how many hours overtime they have worked? In many cases business never looks at how many hours overtime in a week, fortnight, month an employee has given to the company against how much sick leave they have taken. Are you employees giving back more hours than you are complaining about how many they are taking? Have you taken any notice that a staff member who never took or very rarely took sick leaves is now all of a sudden taking them?

Open communication channels

A great way to open the communication channels with staff is to have regularly ‘one on one’ chats with each staff member. Have specifi c areas for discussion around 'what's working well' or 'what are you enjoying' as well as 'what is not working well' or 'what do we need to change'. Set the employee's expectations and let them know that it is their opportunity to make some changes. It is also your opportunity to let the employee know in very clear terms that certain behaviour is not acceptable.

Other ideas include:

Provide opportunities for employees to make decisions about and control and/or infl uence their own job – one of the most frequent causes of workplace is traceable to a manager or the organisation making a decision about a person’s work without their input. Almost any decision that excludes the input of the person doing the work is perceived as negative.

Increase the ability for input at all levels - allow employees to express concerns, make suggestions, develop ideas, and have ownership in the policies and procedures.

Treat people with fairness and consistency - equality is important for employees. This transparency shows all employees that the department is doing the right thing.

Aff ord people the opportunity to grow and develop - training, perceived opportunities for promotions, lateral moves for development, and cross-training are visible signs of an organization’s commitment to staff .

Confronting Negative Behaviours

Confront negative behaviours early and decisively. When you fail to confront negative behaviours, you subtly signal acceptance of them. In eff ect, you encourage them to continue.

If you are someone who prefers encouragement over

discipline, because personally you are not comfortable with confrontation, then you will ultimately fail in your role as a leader. Your desire for peace and harmony will at times stop you from quickly confronting negative behaviours. The paradox is this. As the leader of a team, if you do not address negative behaviours, you will get more of them. And, in the end, you will have less peace and harmony. In order to get what you do want, you have to do what you do not want to do.

What you need to do to confront negative behaviour is:

• Be prepared – don’t read from a script, plan what you are going to say.

• Be specifi c – don’t use interpretations, be specifi c with examples of specifi c behaviours that are inappropriate.

An example of words used as interpretations are:

RudeInconsiderateDisrespectfulArrogantObnoxiousFlightUnfocused

Whereas specifi c behaviours are:

InterruptingRolling eyesSpeaking loudly (or softly)Shrugging shouldersLooking awayWalking awayTone of voice

• Explain the impact and perception of these behaviours on others and what is expected - don't just describe the negative behaviour, describe what you expect in the future. By stating the desired positive behaviour, you can use positive reinforcement rather than punishment to drive performance in the future.

• Be brief and stay on topic.

• Stay calm - the behaviour/s may frustrate you, but now is not the time to vent. You need them to focus on your message and their behaviour, not on your frustration or anger.

The best way to combat workplace negativity is to keep it from occurring in the fi rst place. Where it does occur, refocusing the workplace is the key to increasing performance.

Remember, problems in the workplace are often created not by what we do, but by what we fail to do.

Minimising workplace Minimising workplace NegativityNegativity


1. Please tell us about Innovation & Business Skills Australia - IBSA - and its history.

As one of 11 industry-led, not-for-profi t Industry Skills Councils, IBSA has been authorised by the Australian Government to develop, continuously improve and support the implementation of high quality, nationally recognised training products and services that respond to industry skills needs in the current and future work environment. Established in 2004, IBSA covers six broad industries: Business Services; Cultural and Creative; Financial Services; Information and Communications Technology and Telecommunications; Training and Education; and Printing and Graphic Arts.

With the Board, six Sector Advisory Committees and national project reference groups, IBSA articulates and meets the skills needs of its six industries through an annual environment scan, continuous improvement of Training Packages, implementing the

innovation agenda with applied research projects, and workshops and tools for workforce development. We have a program for developing and delivering outstanding products and services to support newly endorsed Training Packages and provide professional development workshops for VET practitioners. IBSA also works on the ground with individual enterprises to build their capabilities in workforce development and planning through Australian Government-funded programs. We recognise that the demand for skills, capability and knowledge in Australia is being re-shaped by changes in work, changes in the labour market, changes in technology, compliance requirements, industry convergence and increasing competition in global markets.

IBSA now off ers around 300 qualifi cations across its Training Packages and there are around 300,000 participants in training in the packages, with Business Services the most highly used of all national Training Packages. The Training and Education (TAE) Training Package is unique in the training system as it underpins training delivery in every industry sector and includes new qualifi cations ranging from entry and higher level trainer and assessment, higher level language, literacy and numeracy skills and other VET professional qualifi cations.

2. Has the initial scope of IBSA changed over the years and if so how?

IBSA’s role has always been to provide Industry and Government with reliable and current data and evidence from its industries through its annual environment scan. The Escan references the specifi c industry skills needs, occupations in demand and responsiveness of the training packages covering IBSA’s six industries; however many of these workforce skills needs apply broadly across many industries and sectors. Escan 2013 utilised the ‘foresighting’ approach to give a clear understanding of factors shaping and impacting on the workforces of our sectors and we analysed social, demographic, technological, economic and labour market factors that are infl uencing skills demands.

Identifi ed in the 2010 Escan as a critical area for improving productivity, IBSA undertook applied research into leadership and productivity, resulting in three important publications: Karpin Revisited, Leadership and Management Challenges in Australia – what has happened in the last 15 years since the Karpin report, analysis and implementation of its recommendations, and newly framed challenges for the next 20 years; Australian Cultural Imprints @ Work

KNOW YOUR ISCIntroducing

Innovation & Business Skills Australia

ntroducing


2010 and Beyond – what is the correlation between the workplace culture and the national culture and how does culture infl uence productivity and skills acquisition, and Corporate Social Responsibility – the characteristics of CSR, ‘how to’ ‘what for’ and ‘how’ around both broad and specifi c aspects of CSR as it might be practised in Australian businesses in the future.

Escan 2011 identifi ed that the cultural and creative industries required a Workforce Development Strategy which IBSA developed for these sectors to assist them to achieve the skilled workforces needed to meet current and future demand: Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Records and Museums Workforce development Strategy.

Digital literacy was identifi ed in Escan 2012 as a skill increasingly in demand for full workforce participation in the digital economy, noting that literacy capability requirements varied across industries. IBSA developed an eReadiness Tool and undertook research in the superannuation and printing industries to determine their readiness for highspeed broadband resulting in the publication: NBN in the Enterprise: An Investigation into the Insurance Broking and Printing Industries, 2012. The results of the initial pilot studies were confi rmed in fi ndings of the Stage II research which looked into Post-NBN impact on enterprises and e-skills and the fi ndings of the IBSA digital literacy research project undertaken concurrently, which found that the skills and training were needed at all levels of digital literacy: foundation, extended and strategic skills.

A major change that has taken place under IBSA’s leadership has been the development in response to VET practitioners’ needs and the fi ndings of the Productivity Commission of multiple qualifi cations within the Education and Training industry. From a single Certifi cate IV Training and Assessment qualifi cation, there is now a Certifi cate IV in Training and Education, Vocational Graduate Certifi cates, Diplomas, a Capability Framework and Professional Development options and Skill Sets in Language, Literacy and Numeracy.

3. What projects is IBSA currently working on and what impact will these projects and initiatives have on your audience? Please include as much detail as possible to assist.

There are a number of important projects and initiatives being undertaken by IBSA on behalf of industry

and VET. As the Industry Skills Council responsible for the education industry, IBSA was funded by the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education to develop the national

Foundation Skills Training Package. After extensive national consultations, the Training Package was condensed into three qualifi cations with an additional 91 units which can be embedded into occupationally specifi c units. It was endorsed by the NSSC in February 2013.

IBSA’s environment scan, Escan 2013, and six sector-

specifi c Escans have been completed and will be offi cially

launched in late March. Skills needs arising across the IBSA industries are being addressed through refi nement of the training packages.

IBSA has published workforce development case studies highlighting examples of the successful skilling outcomes for organisations using the National Workforce Development Fund, including Sydney Credit Union, Australian Industry Defence Network and Network Neighborhood.

The major undertaking for ISCs is the implementation of the new model for training packages. IBSA held a series of ‘Streamlining’ workshops nationally in mid-2012 and the new model is anticipated to be completed by the end of 2014. Major achievements include the endorsement of the Work Health and Safety qualifi cations in the Business Services Training Package which are used across all industries and all sectors. Workshops have been held for WHS-specifi c content as well as more general overviews of the changes to the Business Services Training Package including new qualifi cations in Project Management and Human Resources. Other key features of IBSA’s continuous improvement for training packages are current work on the updated Entertainment standards and the new Indigenous Arts qualifi cations.

In what ways is IBSA involved or hands on with RTOs delivering the industries training packages? Are there any plans to increase this involvement?

IBSA is keen to maintain strong involvement with RTOs particularly in relation to the Education and Training area. Consequently, IBSA has developed and trialled an online VET Practitioners’ community which will be available to all VET practitioners across all industry sectors. The community provides an open and collegial forum for guest presenters to raise issues for discussion

Chair and panellists - web


around matters critical to the high quality performance both of practitioners and RTOs. In this way IBSA will have direct access to the views and interests of the Education industry and we anticipate that the forum will be considered a lively and productive professional development activity.

IBSA is also undertaking research into higher level qualifi cations including Associate Degrees. These qualifi cations are emerging in a number of industry sectors in response to industry requirements for higher level skills and are seen as an excellent occupational and pathway qualifi cation. Associate Degrees are not currently available in Training Packages and IBSA wishes to better understand the drivers and value of developing Associate Degrees within the AQF.

Since the announcement of the Australian Government’s Skills Connect program in September 2011, IBSA has received referrals for consolidated workforce development and skilling advice and worked with enterprises to achieve their aims. IBSA continues to give great emphasis to its role in working with enterprises through Australian Government funded programs. A spread of projects across industries, States and Territories, and qualifi cations, has resulted in projects which have the direct involvement of

enterprises in determining the workforce development needs and solutions for their own workforces. These enterprises work with RTOs to deliver the training to the highest standards and bring about successful outcomes. In addition, IBSA and the Hargraves Institute have developed the Innovator Recognition Program which utilises skill sets to bring about productivity and growth through employee engagement. RTOs wishing to off er the accredited Skills Sets in Innovation Practice and Innovation Management can contact Hargraves (Hargraves.com.au) for more information.

4. There has been a lot of change in the RTO industry in the last few years. What opinions or position does IBSA take on these changes? Are there any particular changes or suggestions that can help things further?

IBSA and the other ISCs now play an important role in supporting the Australian Government’s reform process to transform skills development in Australia. We support the Standing Council on Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment (SCOTESE)’s recent decision in relation to the mandatory collection and reporting of total VET activity data from 01 January 2014. Collecting detailed and comprehensive data on training by RTOs will better inform future IBSA Escans as well as tertiary policy making and planning.

5. Please include any other specifi c information about Innovation and Business Skills Australia that can be relevant to showcasing your capabilities, services off ered and benefi ts for your audience and RTOs.

IBSA is responsible for a range of national industry training packages all featuring in the top 20 most used training packages: Business Services 15.8 percent, Financial Services 3.4 percent, Information &

Know your ISCKnow your ISC

Ruth Smiles, Brian Kerwood, Linda Arnold, Keith Harvey, Rosalie Staggard

Susan McCarthy and Juliana Potulic


Communications Technology 2.9 percent and Training & Education at 2.6 percent of publicly funded VET activity.

6. What would be your recommendations and guidance for your audience about how to best use your services and engage with you?

IBSA is able to achieve its goals only in partnership with industry stakeholders who help us align training packages with contemporary skills needs. IBSA is increasingly confi dent that stronger industry engagement and timeliness of training package improvements is delivering quality training products that are responsive to industry skills requirements.

There will be an increasing strong demand in Australia for high level skills in order to build the future workforce necessary to maintain and grow a productive economy. Our research shows that the higher skills base refl ects a range of factors including the changing industry structure of the economy, higher expectations of consumers, the challenge to improve productivity, and the diff erent skills required to participate in the ‘Asian Century’. Across IBSA industries the challenge is to keep up with technology changes and IBSA’s view is that VET capability is about both teaching ICT skills and delivering training using opportunities off ered through technology. Moreover, professional development of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) specialists and mainstream VET practitioners is critical in addressing the LLN needs of the Australian workforce and to increasing skills utilisation.

IBSA’s Escan 2013 found that RTOs need to respond to market forces without compromising on outcomes. There are numerous challenges for the VET system including funding models, the impact of changes and overlaps between VET and schools and VET and higher education, the increasing need for digital literacy in delivery of training, growth in the diverse student cohorts including the disadvantaged and those in remote or regional areas, increased national regulation and compliance driving quality and pressure for delivery of quality educational experiences and outcomes benchmarked nationally and internationally.

• IBSA encourages RTOs to align training delivery to workforce needs. We encourage RTOs to see the value of investing in skilling for their organisation and the wider industry.

• IBSA calls on RTOs to ensure that assessment meets not only the criteria set in the training packages but also gives confi dence to participants and industry as to the level of competence to meet work requirements.

• IBSA calls on RTOs to ensure that trainers and assessors are equipped to incorporate LLN and foundation skill development to underpin and support transferability of skills and knowledge.

• IBSA encourages RTOs to practise good business skills and workforce planning and development within the RTO including ongoing professional development of trainers and assessors in their areas of expertise, the use of new technologies to deliver training and assessment, and the promotion of innovation and sustainability.

IBSA will continue to focus on optimising the development of skill sets to address the varying needs of the Training and Education Industry.

Current News questions

1. Recently there was a question raised on an online industry forum that asked “Is the RTO Industry a dying industry?” what would be Innovation and Business Skills Australia’s response to this?

IBSA would not agree. While publicly funded RTOs are facing diffi cult times in a number of jurisdictions at the moment and some private RTOs have been vociferous in their criticism of the audit activities of ASQA, we believe that overall most RTOs have developed the expertise and fl exibility required to succeed in competitive markets. We expect this competitive trend to intensify and, provided that disadvantaged clients are adequately catered for, there seems no reason why new RTOs wouldn’t continue to enter the industry.

2. There is much talk in online forums about RTOs that have been audited, and in some cases de-registered, where a major factor seems to be that they were delivering qualifi cations in a very short duration. Two specifi c examples are where RTOs are delivering the TAE over a weekend or even in one day or in one specifi c thread it discussed how one RTO was delivering the Certifi cate III in Aged Care in fi ve weeks where typically other RTOs are delivering it in twenty plus weeks. What would IBSA’s concerns be where they saw this happening and what would their recommendations be?

IBSA supports a strong audit regime and if this results in some unsatisfactory RTOs losing their registration, so be it.

The issue of course duration is complex. A competency based system of training must allow for people who already have some or most of the skills required, as well as those who require additional support in, for example, the area of foundation skills. The problem with the short courses referred to is that they are not only absurdly truncated, but they also represent a one size fi ts all approach.

Competency based training works properly if RTOs develop fl exible and innovative approaches to delivery and assessment.

Innovation & Business Skills Australia


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Sandeep’s journey began in his rural homeland of India before moving to Australia at a young age of 18 as an overseas student in 1993. He was particularly interested in technology interested in technology, having mastered programming and tinkering with computers from the age of 16, whilst still completing grade eleven. He was particularly inspired by the creative aspects of computers and how there was absolute freedom in being able to create from a blank canvas to a game, a business system or a database.

While he enjoyed building games and small fun projects, it soon developed into a serious hobby and he was spending all of his spare time learning things such as databases, coding and system design. Whilst still in India, pretty soon Sandeep realised his passion was in designing business systems, so he dropped out of high school and did a couple of diplomas in computers and programming instead. He then went on to open his own software company called Computer Oasis. He built up quite a number of clients in the space of a few short months. He had built and installed (he was a one man band at the time) a range of systems including accounting, inventory and business resource management. He was selling his software in multiple cities around north India and at a young age of 17 was able to support himself and his family!

His Passion for more knowledge and a desire to gain formal education saw him fi nish his grade 12 by enrolling as a distance student, completing the exams required for his high school graduation. He was then drawn to Australia to pursue his higher education. He quite liked the idea of Australia, as it was a pukka western country in his view, after all they played cricket and drove on the correct side of the road. Also he had met a few Australian backpackers while in Grade 11 and was quite enamoured with the idea that Australians shared the value of Egalitarianism, where there was no racism and each person could rise according to their eff ort and merit rather than privileged background or name. He put his energies towards procuring a Bachelor’s degree in Science (they didn’t have IT as a separate stream back then) at Griffi th University on the Gold Coast.

His programming background saw him on good footing with the degree that he was pursuing. He was recognised in many technical subjects as being extremely profi cient and when it came to coding his program written for Microprocessors, Sandeep developed the smallest and most effi cient in his class. University life was a real eye opener for him and not quite what he had expected. He found that a lot of what

Sandeep SethiSandeep is the owner and founder of RTO Soft ware and the RTO Success Group of companies. He has been serving the education industry around Australia for the past 15 years and has seen a lot of growth, upheavals and change within the industry. He is a passionate entrepreneur and loves to bring new ideas to market. He believes that the right group of people, use of smart technology and systems, as well as eff ective marketing, is crucial in taking a company from a small start-up to a large conglomerate in a short span of a few years.


was being taught at university was not ‘practical’ and not how the industry worked in real life. This made him a bit disillusioned with the degree that he was pursuing and he decided to drop out (again) to go work fulltime for a computer software development company in Brisbane called Infoplan.

Infoplan was a development partner of Technology One and working for them was a chance for him to see how successful, large companies really work. He was 20 and working for a large international company that had all the enterprise level systems and was serving large government and corporate clients across Australia. He was able to get an indepth glimpse at what processes were powering the large corporates and how a big company stands out due to its power of systems, people and capital. Learning the complex structures and libraries of enterprise level systems such as Asset Management, General Ledger, Education Management and others were to set the stage for his future growth and development. He witnessed fi rst hand that the diff erence between "Big Business" and (the sometimes struggling) "Small Business" rested largely with their "Systems" (or lack thereof ).

He then went on to work for a company called Systems F1, which was a hardware vendor to a lot of educational organisations around the Gold Coast and Brisbane area. This is how he got his fi rst exposure into the RTO sector. He was commissioned through Systems F1 to write the replacement for an old DOS based system called BECAS, which was being used then by Gold Coast College of Business. He single-handedly built a replacement system, which was to later become known as College Management System or CMS. This system was launched in 1997 and was well known throughout the CRICOS and domestic RTO sector. It was sold across Australia and was the pre-cursor of other systems such as eMinerva. Working with an RTO closely and helping them with their day-to-day admin challenges gave Sandeep a lot of insight into the inner workings of a college.

Always the entrepreneur, having had his fi ll of being an employee and learning the key skills that he felt he needed, he forayed back into the business world to establish his own software fi rm, which was originally called Software Dreams, in 2000. He was an early adopter of outsourcing and employed a complete off shore development team in India serving the needs of the RTO sector in Australia.

Having built numerous systems for a range of industries, he returned back to serving the RTO sector clients in 2002 with a brand new software system called TEAMS. It was very well received and has been sold across Australia since. In 2012 he decided to expand the operations and

branched out into publishing by launching the RTO Success Magazine. He also setup two new operations that were focussed on the RTO sector as well in 2012. First one was to off er industry-trained admin staff that allows a college to hire admin staff at will on a month to month basis. The admin staff is located off shore and provides RTOs the fl exibility to hire casually as required and at a signifi cantly reduced fee, compared to employing domestically. The second venture saw him off er off shore printing services that can allow a college to print their brochures and other print materials in a cost eff ective manner compared to doing it locally.

Having been involved with the RTO industry since 1997 he has seen a lot of change in that period. He believes that the industry has always had the challenges that have been highlighted recently. The key challenges that he believes the industry faces are in balancing the multiple demands placed on them. Ranging from Compliance obligations and Government reporting, to balancing that against being a commercial organisation that also has to show a profi t and meet the needs of the market (its students). These are what he believes are the key drivers. Sandeep has seen a lot of professional operations and high quality colleges that have grown and morphed, and the key characteristics that he has found are that the owners are generally very dedicated, focussed on making sure that the organisation delivers high quality compliant education. However in this instance, he believes the key drivers to success, for the owners, in his view, is marketing and systems.

Infocus

When asked about where he thinks the industry isheaded he states,


InfocusInfocus


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You literally become and achieve what you think about all day long so to control your life, control your thoughts. It is rightly said that every achievement, including every fortune ever

built, have their beginning in an idea.

The wealth comes from turning the idea from something we can see in our minds eye alone, into something that serves other people, and for which they are willing to pay.

Here are some of the points which will give you better understanding of this thought. Thoughts Are Things

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe man can achieve. Thoughts can be very powerful when mixed with a defi niteness of purpose and a burning desire for their translation into riches or other material objects. An intangible impulse of thought can be transmuted into material rewards by the application of known principles. It actually begins with a state of mind and defi niteness of purpose - with little or no work. Success comes to those who become success conscious - or those who are obsessed with success. Failure comes to those who allow themselves to be failure conscious.

Another common weakness is the habit of measuring everyone and everything by our own experiences. We can foolishly believe that our own limitations are the exact measure of everyone else’s limitations.

Desire

Burn your bridges behind you whenever you decide on a defi nite course of action or have a defi nitive goal to work towards. There are no limitations except those we set ourselves. Both poverty and riches are the off spring of thought. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, planning defi nite

THINK AND GROW RICHThe Way To Personal Achievement

By NAPOLEON HILL

“He stood there before me like an ordinary tramp, but there was something about the expression of his face which conveyed the impression he was determined to get what he had come after. I had

learned from years of experience that when a man really desires something so deeply that he’s willing to stake his entire future on a single turn of the wheel in order to get it, he is sure to win. I gave him the opportunity he asked for because I

saw he had made up his mind to stand by until he succeeded. Subsequent events proved no mistake

had been made.” - Thomas Edison.

Thoughts Are Things

Desire


Book Summary

ways and means to acquire riches and backing those plans with persistence that does not recognise failure will bring riches.

The method by which a desire for riches can be transmuted into its fi nancial equivalent is;

1. Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire.

2. Determine exactly what you intend to give in return for that amount of money.

3. Establish a defi nite date by which you intend to possess the amount of money you desire.

4. Create a defi nite plan for carrying out that desire and begin at once to put that plan into action.

5. Write a clear, concise statement of the amount, by when and your plan for how you will achieve it.

6. Read your written statement aloud each day - when you arise in the morning, in the middle of the day and before retiring for the night.

If you truly desire money so keenly that desire becomes an obsession and visualise yourself already in possession, you’ll become determined to have it. The real leaders of the world have always been those people who could convert their thoughts into skyscrapers, factories, airplanes and everything else.

Often, the turning point in their lives comes at the moment of greatest crisis when they seem to discover hidden sources of strength.

Faith

Faith is the head chemist of the mind. Ideas are translated into huge fortunes all around you every day. Using the medium of faith, you can join that group of people whose achievements know no bounds.

The emotions of faith, love and sex are the most powerful of all the major positive emotions. When the three are blended together, thoughts reach the subconscious where they are changed into their spiritual equivalent, the only form that can receive instruction from the Infi nite Intelligence.

That’s why you should write down your chief aim and repeat it audibly day after day until these vibrations of sound reach your subconscious mind. This principle can be used to build self confi dence by memorising and repeating aloud the following or similar statements;

1. I know I have the ability to achieve anything I demand of myself.

2. I realise the dominating thoughts of my mind will eventually reproduce themselves in outward, physical action and gradually transform themselves into physical reality.

3. I know that any desire I persistently hold in my mind will eventually seek expression through some practical means.

4. I have a clearly written description of my chief aim in life and I will never stop trying until I have developed suffi cient self-confi dence to attain it.

5. I realise no wealth can endure if it is built on a base of injustice.

Now sign your name to the formula, commit it to memory and repeat it aloud at least once a day believing that it will gradually infl uence your thoughts and actions. Giant organisations are created in the minds of one or two men before they are translated into reality.

The Sixth Sense

The sixth sense is the apex of the philosophy and can only be understood after mastering all other principles. It is the creative mind or that part of the mind that receives hunches or inspiration.

Understanding of the sixth sense actually comes through meditation and mental development from within.

Try this as an exercise to develop a sixth sense;

1. Pick some people who you have admired for their achievements.

2. Just before going to sleep each night, sit in a quiet place where you can be alone with your thoughts. Imagine sitting in a council with these men and women discussing how to build a character that is a composite of the best traits of every person in the group.

3. This will create a fertile environment for self- suggestion – the principle by which characters are built.

4. Specifi cally address each of the people in your mind’s eye and ask their advice on how to develop similar character qualities.

Autosuggestion

Autosuggestion is the technique by which you can guide and stimulate your subconscious. Each and every Adversity, every Failure and Heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or greater benefi t.

Faith

The Sixth Sense

Autosuggestion


Book SummaryBook SummaryIt is the medium for infl uencing the subconscious mind. The challenge is to create thought habits which are favorable to your eff orts to transmute desire into its monetary equivalent. Create a defi nite plan and begin at once to put that plan into action. Then start visualising yourself rendering the service or delivering the merchandise.

For example, you can read aloud twice a day a written statement of your desire for money and visualise yourself already in possession of that amount of money. Reality doesn’t concern it - only thoughts, ideas and emotions.

To stimulate your subconscious mind;

1. Go to a quiet spot, close your eyes and read aloud the written statement of the amount of money you intend to accumulate, the time limit for its accumulation and a description of the service or merchandise you intend to give in return for the money.

2. Include in your statement an expectation that your subconscious will deliver the plan to follow, and a commitment to follow that plan when it is received.

3. Repeat aloud the statement every morning and every night.

4. Place a written copy of your statement where you’ll see it every morning and every night.

5. Add as much emotion as you possibly can.

Transmuting desire into reality involves the use of autosuggestion as an agency or a tool to infl uence your subconscious mind. Skepticism is normal at fi rst, but if you follow the instructions, you’ll soon fi nd a whole universe of power opening up to your vision. Man is the master of his own destiny because he has the power to infl uence his subconscious mind.

Specialised Knowledge

Knowledge alone won’t attract money unless it’s intelligently directed and organised through practical action. The intelligent application of specialised knowledge is the most frequent way of creating wealth. Specialised knowledge is one of the keys to amassing a fortune.

Generating large fortunes comes from the organisation or use of specialised knowledge. Interestingly, that knowledge does not necessarily need to be in the possession of the man who accumulates a fortune.

Successful men never stop acquiring specialised knowledge relating to their major purpose, business

or profession. Both success and failure are the result of habit. Capability means imagination - the quality needed to combine specialised knowledge with ideas in the form of structured plans designed to yield riches.

The Brain

Every human brain is capable of picking up vibrations of thought sent out by other brains. The power of the mind is similar. It’s not impossible that at least some of these lines and cells should be solely for the purpose of communicating with other minds or other intangible forces.

‘‘The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.’’

Imagination

The imagination is the workshop of the mind where plans are fashioned. Any impulse or desire starts to take shape and form through the imaginative faculty of the mind. Man’s only limitation lies in the development and use of his imagination.

The two forms of imagination are;

1. Synthetic - actually creates nothing new but arranges concepts, ideas or plans into new combinations.

2. Creative - through hunches and inspiration, the mind becomes attuned to the subconscious minds of other people.

To develop this type of imaginative faculty, think about these principles;

1. Creative faculties become more alert with frequent use.

2. Have a defi nite purpose magnifi ed by a burning desire to transform desire into reality.

3. Visualise yourself already in possession of your goal.

4. Remember that ideas can be transmuted into cash through the power of defi nite purpose and specifi c plans.

5. There is no standard price for ideas.

6. The story of almost every great fortune began on the day a single unique idea was created.

7. When an idea is fi rst born, it must be coaxed, nursed and enticed to remain alive.

8. Ideas are tangible forces. They have more power than the physical brain that created them.

Specialised Knowledge

The Brain

Imagination


Decision

Procrastination, the lack of a defi nite decision, is a common enemy that every successful person must conquer.

The majority of people who fail to accumulate money suffi cient for their needs are generally easily infl uenced by the opinions of others. A guiding principle should be to tell the world what you intend to do by doing it. Financial independence is not within the reach of a person who refuses to plan for and demand it.

Organised Planning

Everything man can create or acquire fi rst begins in the form of a desire. Desire is the fi rst part of the journey from the abstract to the actual.

To build plans which are practical;

1. Ally yourself with a group of as many people as you will need along the way - the Master Mind principle.

2. Consider the advantages you off er others who join your group.

3. Meet with your Master Mind group at least twice a week.

4. Maintain perfect harmony within the group.

Nobody can accumulate a great fortune without other people. If your fi rst plan fails, replace it with another. Intelligent planning is essential for success in any undertaking designed to accumulate wealth.

The major attributes of leadership are;

1. Unwavering courage: The self-confi dence to follow the right course at all costs.

2. Self-control: The man who cannot control himself can never control others.

3. Sense of justice: To command and retain the respect of others.

4. Defi niteness of decision: Nobody confi dently follows anyone who wavers from day to day.

5. Defi nite plans: Planning the work and working the plan.

6. Doing more than you are paid for: The leader is ever willing to do more than he requires of his followers. 7. A pleasing personality: Leadership requires respect which is always linked to positive personality traits.

8. Sympathy and understanding: Both essentials for leaders.

9. Willingness to assume responsibility: For the performance of every member of the team.

10. Cooperation: The combined eff orts of the group are larger than the eff orts of every member of the team.

How to get any position you require:

1. Decide exactly what kind of job you want.

2. Choose the company for which you’d like to work.

3. Study your prospective employer.

4. Figure out what you specifi cally have to off er that company and in particular the person in charge.

5. Forget whether they currently have a job for you.

6. Prepare a written presentation outlining your proposal.

7. Present your plan to the person who can make a decision.

The key to the success of this method is to show that the return on the capital they would invest by hiring and paying you is more than covered by the additional profi ts you will generate for that business. No system has ever been created by which men can legally acquire riches through mere force of numbers without giving in return an equivalent value in one form or another. Every person has the opportunity to provide service in some form or another and every person collects returns that are in direct proportion to the service they off er.

‘‘Success requires no explanations. Failure permits no alibis.’’

Power of the Master Mind

Men take on the habits and the power of thought of those they associate themselves with in a spirit of harmony and sympathy. Power organised and intelligently directed knowledge is essential for success in accumulating money. Power is also necessary for the retention of money once accumulated and it can come from:

1. Infi nite Intelligence: It can be contacted through the creative imagination.

2. Accumulated Experience: Either in books or through other ways of learning the things other people have already done.

Decision

Organised Planning

Power of the Master Mind

THINK THINK ANDAND GROW RICH GROW RICH


Book SummaryBook Summary3. Experiment and Research: The gathering, classifying and organising of new facts fi rst hand.

‘‘Happiness is found in doing, not merely in possessing.’’

Persistence

Persistence is essential in transmuting desire into its monetary equivalent. Will-power and desire, when properly combined, make an irresistible pair. The opposite of persistence is the fear of criticism. The majority of people permit their relatives, friends and the public at large to infl uence them to the point they can’t live their own lives for fear of criticism.

There are four steps to develop persistence;

1. A defi nite purpose - not a vague wish or blurry feeling. This is an actual, specifi c goal backed by an intense desire to achieve.

2. A written plan - expressed in continuous action.

3. A closed mind - closed to negative suggestions and infl uences.

4. A friendly alliance - the Master Mind group where you can be encouraged and helped.

Mastering these four steps means you can write your own ticket, and make life yield whatever price you ask.

The Mystery of Sex Transmutation

Transmute means to change one form of energy into another. Sex transmutation means the switching of the mind from thoughts of physical expression to thoughts of another nature. When harnessed, this motivating force unleashes powerful creative forces, keenness of imagination, courage, willpower, persistence and creative ability. When romance is added to the mix, an otherwise ordinary person can almost be lifted to the power of a genius.

In fact, this inherent desire of men to please women gives women the power to make or break a man. Men, who may be giants with indomitable willpower when dealing with other men, are easily managed by the women of their choice.

The Subconscious Mind

The subconscious mind consists of a fi eld of consciousness in which every thought impulse that reaches the subconscious through any of the fi ve senses is classifi ed and recorded. The subconscious fi ling

process is completely automatic. You only have control over the thought under consideration. You can’t entirely control your subconscious but you can voluntarily hand over to it any plan, desire or purpose which you wish to have transformed into concrete form. The negatives voluntarily inject themselves into your thoughts. The positives must be purposely placed there through autosuggestion.

Positive Emotions Negative Emotions Desire FearFaith JealousyLove HatredSex RevengeEnthusiasm GreedRomance SuperstitionHope Anger

Positive and negative emotions cannot occupy the mind simultaneously. If you habitually choose the positive, there will be no room for the negative.

‘‘Anybody can wish for riches, and most people do, but only a few know that a de� nite plan, plus a burning desire for wealth, are the one

dependable means of accumulating wealth.’’

The Six Ghosts of Fear

The master key which unlocks the door to life’s bountiful riches is the privilege of creating in your mind a burning desire to achieve. There are six basic fears everyone suff ers from at one stage or another. Therefore, every human being has the ability to control their thoughts. This in turn leads to control of physical situations.

1. The Fear of PovertyThis is a state of mind that can destroy one’s chances of achievement. Unchecked, this fear paralyses reasoning faculties, destroys imagination, kills self-reliance, undermines enthusiasm, discourages incentive, leads to uncertainty, encourages procrastination and wipes out enthusiasm.

2. The Fear of CriticismThe fear of criticism robs man of initiative, destroys the power of imagination, limits individuality and takes away self reliance. Criticism plants fear and resentment in the human heart, rather than love or aff ection.

3. The Fear of Ill HealthMost people fear ill health because of the terrible picture they may have planted in their minds of death and its consequences. Leave the fear of ill health behind by deciding to forget those symptoms and by clearing your life of non prescription medicines.

The Mystery of Sex Transmutation

The Subconscious Mind

The Six Ghosts of Fear

Persistence


4. The Fear of Loss of LoveJealousy and many other similar types of neuroses have grown out of the fear of loss of love of someone. Master the fear of loss of love by reaching a decision to get along without love for a indefi nite period if necessary.

5. The Fear of Old AgeThis fear means that people justify a lack of achievement due to reaching some age they have set as a boundary in their own minds. In reality, man’s most useful years throughout history have been between the ages of forty and sixty.

6. The Fear of DeathThe thought of eternal punishment has a way of putting a damper on one’s enthusiasm for life. Eliminate worry about death with a burning desire to achieve combined with a mature acceptance that eventually everyone dies.

You can protect yourself against all negative infl uences by building a mental wall of immunity.

1. Recognising you are susceptible to suggestions harmonising with the six basic fears.

2. Be vigilant to people who discourage you by trying to use any of the six basic fears.

3. Deliberately seek the company of people who infl uence you to think and act for yourself.

4. Never expect troubles as they have a tendency not to disappoint.

5. Close your mind to the negative infl uences of other people.

Your business in life is to achieve success. To be successful, you must � nd

peace of mind, acquire the material needs of life and, most of all, attain

happiness. All of these facets of success begin � rst in the form of thought

impulses. You alone have the power to decide what to think about. In the � nal

analysis, you either control your mind or it will control you. If you keep busy with a de� nite purpose, backed by a de� nite plan, your mind will continually work to

bring that plan into existence.

THINK THINK ANDAND GROW RICH GROW RICH

26 www.rtosuccess.com.au 26 www.rtosuccess.com.au

W

YET?When my children were younger and we would travel from Adelaide to Melbourne on a frequent basis, there was a process that we would undertake to get to Melbourne that would try and stave off the constant question of ”Are we there yet?” This process involved “mile stones”. These milestones included breakfast at McDonalds in Murray Bridge, looking for the fi rst grain silo and then counting the other 16 to the outer areas of Melbourne (with a stop in Bordertown for lunch), and then looking for the Westgate Bridge, Beach Road to the SE Suburbs and then to where we stayed.

RPL has a process. In some cases the processes that have been made by some RTOs can be as tedious as driving with two young children from Adelaide to Melbourne! The RPL process is made of milestones as well. Good milestones will ensure that you arrive ultimately at a perfect ending, feeling sane!!

To explore some of the common RPL issues, I have outlined some real cases that I have come across in my work.

Scenario One

A client came to me to prepare her Evidence Portfolio to give to a RTO for a Diploma in an area/sector that she had been working in for several years. She now required the qualifi cation, as she had been “acting” in that position. It was now going to be advertised as a permanent position and one of the selection criteria was that she needed this qualifi cation. I put her portfolio together and then contacted a relevant RTO to assess her evidence. I had never referred to this RTO

before, so I personally dropped the portfolio off to meet the assessor.

On meeting the assessor, she grumbled to me that she was too busy for RPL’s and that this was “extra” on her workload.

She also stated that a number of people would assess the portfolio according to their expertise and it may take some months for them to get back to my client.

After several months the RTO wrote to my client and said they would give her RPL for some units, but they needed more evidence for other units and she would have to do some units. When my client rang and stated they wanted some more evidence for some units, I asked her what they wanted. She said they didn’t tell her. I also asked if they contacted her during the process to have a conversation with her and she stated “No”.

Issues Raised

• As a client I was unimpressed to know that the assessor didn’t want to assess the portfolio.

• If it hadn’t been my clients’ request that this RTO was to assess her portfolio, I would have walked away.

• Why would I refer anyone else to the RTO?

• No assessor took control of the assessment process.

• My client had no “one” person to contact.

ARE WE THERE

IS YOUR RPL PROCESS TRAVELLING DOWN THE RIGHT ROAD?

DOES YOUR RPL PROCESS DRAW CLIENTS TO YOU? OR IS IT GIVING YOU A BAD NAME? HOW DO YOU KNOW?

By Wendy Cato


• The RPL was done by desk audit with no contact with the client.

• The client was not given direction as to what “additional evidence” was required. She was left to “guess”.

Scenario Two

A highly respected RTO who’s industry contained a signifi cant number of people from non English speaking backgrounds who worked in manual tasks. They gained a reputation for their successes in helping deliver outcomes for this industry and clients. They would go out onto the job and talk to the supervisors and to the RPL applicants. They would watch them do their tasks.

They got in to trouble in an audit because they did not record / note the conversations and these formed an integral part of the determination of competency.

Issues Raised

There needs to be a process by which “non hard” evidence can be collected and recorded / noted.There are many alternatives available in the market to assist assessors who utilise conversation / oral questions as a main component of the assessment due to LLN or other “reasonable Adjustment requirements”, these include:

• Videoing the conversation from an iPad or phone (with clients permission)

• Audio recording (with clients permission)

• The assessor taking notes such as with a digital pen

• This information then needs to be mapped to the unit of competency

Scenario Three

• I know of a number of RPL assessors who are all for RPL but have never given a full qualifi cation in all the years they have been assessing.

Issues Raised

• Is the assessor over assessing, in other words are they requiring an abundance of evidence over and above the Unit of Competency requirements?

• Is it about making money by forcing clients in to undertaking one or more classes?

• Do they have an issue with their professional judgement? ( ie are they scared to give someone RPL for 100%)

• Are they being their industries “Gatekeepers”? I have met a number of assessors that take it upon themselves to decide who should be allowed “access” to the industry.

Scenario Four

I have met a number of assessors who didn’t know how to use the RPL tools of their RTO and in some cases had been asked to do RPL but hadn’t done RPLs before (despite holding a Cert IV in Training and Assessment).

Issues Raised

• Assessors not being inducted into their organisation processes and assessment tools /instruments properly.

• Assessors not gaining the correct skills from their Certifi cate IV training and assessment qualifi cations

• Lack of mentoring of new assessors within an RTO

• Lack of assessment professional development of staff

Scenario Five

A number of RTOs, when a client rings up and asks for RPL, simply send them their RTO RPL Manual/ book. This usually massive folder/ book contains quite often all of the competency standards for the qualifi cation, a generic Evidence Guide (nothing specifi c to assist the client), a self assessment form usually made up of all of the Performance Criteria (which the client doesn’t understand) and often some RPL policies. Often prior to sending out the RPL material the client has had to pay costs involved with the application process.

Issues Raised

• No pre-screening to see if RPL is a good pathway for the client

• The RPL Kits are full of irrelevant information to the client, ie competency standards

• The material and what needs to be done is diffi cult to understand by the client

• NO Assessor support is off ered

• Usually there is no follow up after the RPL Kit has been sent out

Scenario Six

I approached a RTO on behalf of a client who was seeking RPL in one of the construction trades. This person had completed a UK apprenticeship and


RPL Process Health Checklist

YES NO PERFORMANCE Are your assessors RPL experienced?

Do you induct your assessors into your RPL process?

Do you have a dedicated person to handle RPL inquiries?

Are your RPL clients given a contact/mentor to assist them through the process?

Do you have a RPL / competency conversation with your clients?

Do you give your clients exact evidence requirements and not just generic lists?

Are your assessors never giving anyone 100% RPL?

Do you ask for feedback on your RPL processes from all your RPL clients?

Do you validate your RPL processes and tools?

Do you follow up on clients who applied for RPL but never go through the process to fi nd out why?

Obviously any NO answer in an area you may want to consider undertaking some action.

ARE WE THERE YET?ARE WE THERE YET?

RBDad_A4_pamper_2012.indd 1 15/06/12 1:57 PM

worked for several years prior to coming to Australia. On arriving, my client was told that because he did a three year apprenticeship in the UK and the Australian apprenticeship in this case was four years, their qualifi cation would not be recognised. My client was an experienced and practicing tradesperson (they had gained work here but could not be paid tradespersons wages). The RTO I spoke to was extremely excited, informing me they could defi nitely assess my client. When I asked what their process was I was informed that the client would come in for a fulltime 3 week course. I again explained my client was seeking RPL, to which I was informed this WAS their RPL process.

Issues Raised

Did the RTO understand what RPL really is and the processes involved?

The RTO would have been disadvantaging my client both fi nancially (as it was an expensive 3 week course and my client would not have been able to work in those 3 weeks) and time wise

Scenario Seven I was contacted by a colleague who was conducting an audit in another State on a “Online Assessment Only”

RTO. This colleague told me “I know the answer to this but the RTO keeps arguing with me, so I fi gured I would check it with you. This RTO keeps claiming the RPL is not bound by the Rules of Evidence”. I responded that the Rules of Evidence did in fact apply to any assessment, including RPL.

Issues Raised

The competence of the person / RTO would have to be questioned. The failure to understand the basic requirements of assessment is an indication that professional development needs to be undertaken.

So does your RPL process draw customers to you or turn them off ?

I am sure there are many other stories that are out there that assessors and clients could relay about their experiences. Whilst I have detailed some examples of questionable RPL practices I have seen over the years, let me also state there are some incredibly inspiring and innovative RPL practices / models being undertaken by many RTOs.

To ensure you provide a safe RPL journey for your clients and meet the RPL milestones of an effi cient and eff ective service, I have provided a simple and quick checklist to assist in assessing the health of your RPL processes.

RTO Success April 2013 29 29RTO Success April 2013

RBDad_A4_pamper_2012.indd 1 15/06/12 1:57 PM


Introduction

This publication presents early estimates of apprentice and trainee commencements for the December quarter 2012. Indicative information about this quarter is presented here; the most recent fi gures are estimated, taking into account reporting lags that occur at the time of data collection.

The early trend estimates are derived from the National Apprentice and Trainee Collection no.74, December 2012. Data are only available for commencements at the national level and have been seasonally adjusted and smoothed. Further information at the disaggregated level for the December quarter 2012 will be released in early June 2013.

Highlights

The early trend estimates of trade and non-trade commencements for the December quarter 2012 and the preceding few quarters remain volatile due to changes in Commonwealth incentive payments for existing workers, which came into eff ect on 1 July 2012.

The growth in trade commencements after September 2011 has been followed by a period of decline from June 2012.

After March 2012, non-trade commencements declined steeply, ending the rapid growth in the two preceding quarters.

APPRENTICES & TRAINEES Early trend estimates

DECEMBERQUARTER2012

From time to time NCVER will be sending us Media Releases to publish in the magazine. They will be in relation to the RTO industry and not other Media

Releases that they release on their website.

Media Release

Less apprentices start training, early estimates indicate

Early trend estimates for trade and non-trade commencements in apprenticeships show a downward trend, according to fi gures released today. Released by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Apprentices and trainees 2012—early trend estimates, December quarter, provides seasonally adjusted and smoothed data at the national level for apprentice and trainee commencements. Estimates show that trade apprentice commencements decreased from 23 900 in the September quarter 2012 to 21 400 in the December quarter 2012. Following signifi cant growth in the fi rst half of 2012, the adjusted and smoothed estimates for non-trade commencements have declined, with 44 400 people starting in the December quarter 2012 compared with 57 700 commencements in the September quarter 2012.


Figure 1 Trade and non-trade commencements, seasonally adjusted and smoothed, September 2002 – December 2012

Data for this publication are compiled under the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard (AVETMISS) for the Apprentice and Trainee Collection Specifi cations, Release 6.0, March 2008. Information on AVETMISS is available from <http://www.ncver.edu.au/avetmiss/21061.html>.

For terms used in this publication, refer to <http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2600.html>. For further details on the estimates methodology, refer to <http://www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2267.html>.

Australian vocationaleducation and trainingstatistics

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

September 2002

September 2003

September 2004

September 2005

September 2006

September 2007

September 2008

September 2009

September 2010

September 2011

September 2012

Num

ber (

'000

)

Dec. 2012 Trade Dec. 2012 Non-trade Trade Non-trade

Table 1 Trade and non-trade commencements, seasonally adjusted and smoothed, September 2002 – December 2012 (’000)

September 2002 December 2002 March 2003 June 2003 September 2003 December 2003 March 2004 June 2004 September 2004 December 2004 March 2005 June 2005 September 2005

Trade 16.2 16.3 16.2 16.3 16.6 16.9 17.2 17.5 17.9 18.1 18.2 18.4 18.6

Non-trade 52.3 54.9 56.4 55.3 51.6 47.5 45.5 46.0 46.6 47.4 47.5 47.1 47.6

Total 68.5 71.1 72.4 71.6 68.5 64.6 62.7 63.5 64.4 65.5 65.9 65.6 66.3

Notes:

(a) The December quarter 2012 estimate is based on an early estimate which is seasonally adjusted (based on data from September 2002 to December 2012) and 7-point Henderson smoothed. Only the December quarter 2012 estimate from this series is presented. The quarterly data presented to September 2012 have been seasonally adjusted (based on data from September 2002 to September


December 2005 March 2006 June 2006 September 2006 December 2006 March 2007 June 2007 September 2007 December 2007 March 2008 June 2008 September 2008 December 2008 March 2009 June 2009 September 2009 December 2009 March 2010 June 2010 September 2010 December 2010 March 2011 June 2011 September 2011 December 2011 March 2012 June 2012 September 2012 December 2012

18.9 18.7 18.6 19.2 19.9 20.6 21.0 21.2 22.1 22.8 22.4 21.0 19.3 18.4 18.7 19.9 21.6 23.1 24.1 24.4 24.1 23.5 23.1 22.7 23.8 24.9 24.9 23.9 21.4

48.2 47.7 47.0 46.9 47.5 48.4 48.1 47.5 48.3 50.1 51.3 50.9 48.9 47.4 47.4 48.8 50.3 51.6 53.5 56.2 57.5 56.7 55.8 55.9 63.9 69.2 65.8 57.7 44.4

67.0 66.3 65.5 66.1 67.5 68.9 68.9 68.6 70.4 73.0 73.8 71.9 68.1 65.8 66.2 68.7 72.0 74.8 77.7 80.4 81.2 80.1 79.1 78.2 87.4 94.4 91.8 82.6 67.3

© Commonwealth of Australia, 2013

With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms, the Department’s logo, any material protected by a trade mark and where otherwise noted all material presented in this document is provided under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au> licence.

The details of the relevant licence conditions are available on the Creative Commons website (accessible using the links provided) as is the full legal code for the CC BY 3.0 AU licence <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/legalcode>.

The Creative Commons licence conditions do not apply to all logos, graphic design, artwork and photographs. Requests and enquiries concerning other reproduction and rights should be directed to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

This document should be attributed as NCVER 2013, Australian vocational education and training statistics: apprentices and trainees 2012 — early trend estimates, December quarter, NCVER, Adelaide.

This work has been produced by NCVER on behalf of the Australian Government and state and territory governments, with funding provided through the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education.

The views and opinions expressed in this document are those of NCVER and do not necessarily refl ect the views of the Australian Government or state and territory governments.

ISSN 1838-0530TD/TNC 111.02

Comments and suggestions regarding this publication are welcomed and should be forwarded to NCVER.

Published by NCVERABN 87 007 967 311Level 11, 33 King William Street, Adelaide SA 5000PO Box 8288, Station Arcade, Adelaide SA 5000, AustraliaPhone: (08) 8230 8400Fax: (08) 8212 3436Web: <http://www.ncver.edu.au>Email: <[email protected]>

2012) and 7-point Henderson smoothed. These are consistent with the forthcoming September quarterly 2012 publication.

(b) The substantial growth in non-trade commencements leading up to the June quarter 2012 and the subsequent decline is predominately due to changes to Commonwealth incentive payments for existing workers, chiefl y the removal of the commencement incentive payment for those apprenticeships and traineeships not on the National Skills Needs List (NSNL). Under the changes, training needed to have commenced prior to 1 July 2012 to attract the old subsidy rate. Trade and non-trade commencements remain volatile as client and employer behaviour transitions in response to the new rules. The volatility makes it diffi cult to get a ‘fi rm’ estimate of trend in this period. As a consequence of this, it is possible that the trend estimates for the most recent quarters will undergo substantial revision over the next one or two quarters.

APPRENTICES & TRAINEESEarly trend estimates Your

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Featured this Month-

Tech Tools

Do you face problems when a new staff member joins at a new campus and you need to train them over the phone? Or do you fi nd it diffi cult to troubleshoot computer issues when your

IT department gives you technical instructions over the phone? If yes, then TeamViewer is the solution to all your problems. TeamViewer is a remote desktop software/application which can

be used to access a computer without being physically present in front of it.

In computing, the term remote desktop, refers to a software or operating system feature that allows a personal computer's desktop environment to be run remotely on one system (usually a PC, but the concept applies equally to a server), while being displayed on a separate client device. Remote desktop applications have varying features. Some allow attaching to an existing user's session (i.e. a running desktop) and "remote controlling", either displaying the remote control session or blanking the screen. Taking over a desktop remotely is a form of remote administration.

Remote Access Software (RAS) allows a user to remotely administer another computer through a GUI (Graphical User Interface). RAS software usually falls into three categories:

• Attended (someone must be present on the remote machine)

• Unattended• Self-hosted RPC proxy servers (middleware for

accessing fi rewall-protected networks)

There are also two di� erent kinds of packages:

• Those that are downloaded and run without requiring any installation

• And the other, which is installed and either uninstalls at the end of the session or remains for future sessions

Unattended sessions would of course need to have the installed version to allow for connecting at any time in the future.

Let's fi rst talk about the two diff erent categories, attended and unattended. Attended is of course when there is a person sitting at the computer that you want to access. This is most likely a one-time session or when helping someone fi x a problem where you will not be allowed to access it without the other person being present. This type of access is usually quicker to establish, but also comes with fewer capabilities when compared to a fully installed software that runs as a service.


Typically the process for establishing an attended session is simple. You ask the other person to download a small application which runs in their user session and has access to everything the user has rights to. From here the situation varies, but usually requires that you and the other person exchange a small pass code - either auto-generated or set by you. Once they initiate the session, you are connected and able to request control of their mouse and keyboard. If the software is simply run and not installed there are typically some limitations, like not handling multiple monitors or losing connection and having to start the process over again because it doesn't have an auto-reconnect feature. If the software installs then typically it falls under the unattended category. There are more capabilities with an unattended solution but the trade-off is that the user needs to have authority on their computer to install software. Installed software also leaves behind a footprint, although there are some that ask the other person, upon completion of the session, whether they would like to uninstall the software.

TeamViewer is an intuitive, fast and secure application for remote control and meetings. As an all-in-one solution, TeamViewer can be used to:

• Provide ad-hoc remote support to colleagues present in diff erent campuses.

• Administer Windows servers and workstations. You can run TeamViewer as a Windows system service. This allows you to access your computer even before you log into Windows.

• Connect to other platforms such as Mac OS X and Linux.

• Connect from Android or iOS mobile devices to Windows, Mac or Linux computers.

• Share your desktop for meetings, presentations or teamwork.

• Connect to your home computer whilst you are away and work on documents, check your emails or download images from your home computer and edit them.

• Connect to your work computer while you are away (such as when you are on a business trip and need important information).

TeamViewer works behind fi rewall barriers, NAT routers and proxies with no confi guration necessary.

Features TeamViewer can be used with Windows, Mac, and Linux and also has a version that can be used on iPhones and iPads. There is a mobile version that can be placed on a disk or USB stick, which makes this an effi cient option for those that travel. TeamViewer’s fl exibility makes it useful in most situations.

Training videos, presentations, and demonstrations can easily be shared using TeamViewer. It also includes a status display so that team members can quickly fi nd one another and communicate.

TeamViewer does not require each machine to have the software installed. This is especially helpful in customer support situations. The customer can run the program without installation, which allows the technician remote access in order to provide the support. The technician’s workstation requires installation and a license.

TeamViewer is one of those tools that quickly become indispensable. Not only is it a reliable tool for handling typical remote support, it also includes a few features that other remote support solutions don’t have. Of course, you can go your entire career using the bare minimum of TeamViewer features and options. But if you want to get as much as you can out of the experience, you’re in luck. TeamViewer has plenty to off er. It’s only a matter of knowing what features and options are there.

Here are fi ve power tips for those who need more from TeamViewer. And if you’re trying to decide between TeamViewer and another remote support tool, maybe this will help tip the scales.

1: Record Your ActionsWe have found this feature to be an amazing help. You can use it to send clients a video of how something is done (when an issue is a common end-user error that you don’t always have time to deal with). It can also help you remember how you did something, when it was a little off the beaten path. TeamViewer makes recording sessions simple. Just click Extras | Record | Start (during a remote session) and then Extras | Record | Stop. TeamViewer will prompt to save the fi le. For the client to view the recorded fi le, it must be copied to the client (they can’t access it from within TeamViewer itself ).

2: Take Advantage of the Partner ListIf you have clients you frequently connect to, we highly recommend using the Partner List. With this list, you can quickly connect to a client, so long as TeamViewer is installed on their system. The Partner List also allows for connection with a client even if the user is not present. A couple of notes: Make sure the client is set up to retain


their password; otherwise, you will have to constantly ask them for it so you can connect. Also, you will have to sign up for a TeamViewer account to make use of this feature.

3: Use the VPN ToolTeamViewer has a built-in VPN tool that lets you create a VPN tunnel between the two connected machines. Once these two machines are connected via the VPN feature, you’ll have access to the client’s network and networked hardware. This can be handy when you’re trying to troubleshoot connections to printers or other hardware a client might be having problems with. This also allows for the easy sharing of fi les. To make use of the VPN feature, fi rst make the connection to the client and then click Extras | VPN | Start. Once the VPN is no longer needed, click Extras | VPN | Stop.

4: Set up Windows AuthenticationYes, it is possible to authenticate to a Windows domain through TeamViewer, even though it is not terribly obvious. First, the client must have Windows Logon enabled in TeamViewer (done by clicking Options | Security and then selecting the type of logon allowed from the Windows logon drop-down). Once this is set, just click the Advanced button in the TeamViewer Authentication window and select Windows from the Authentication drop-down. Authenticating this way is the only means of getting around the Windows User Access Control, should the action on the client machine require Administration authentication.

5: Reboot Client MachinesIf you’re managing a session where the client machine requires a reboot and you reboot through the standard method, you won’t be able to retrieve a connection to the machine without user interaction. To reboot the machine remotely, the Remote Reboot button must be clicked. To fi nd that button, click Action | Remote Reboot | Reboot. There is also an option to remotely reboot into Safe mode. Only one thing can block this process: If the client machine requires user logon to get to the Windows desktop, the machine will halt at that point until the user logs on to the machine. But other than that, using the Action menu is the only safe way to reboot a TeamViewer client machine.

Benefi ts of Using Team Viewer

There are a few common benefi ts reported when using TeamViewer.

• This software is considered relatively easy to use for those that are just beginning to use remote access as well as customers with more experience.

• Both the free and paid versions are known to be fast, and the ability to use it without full installation is a very nice feature.

• TeamViewer prices are comparable to those of similar software.

• TeamViewer is compatible with more operating systems and portable devices than most of the other remote access brands.

• It has very good security. Each session has a unique password, and the user is alerted when someone is accessing the machine. TeamViewer also includes full encryption.

• Allows fi le-transfer between computers.• Off ers a video-chat and voice transmission option in

which users can communicate.• Works on Microsoft Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, and

Android.• Can be used without installation.• Free if used for non-commercial purposes.• Very secure.

Pricing of TeamViewer

TeamViewer comes in three diff erent packages i.e. Business, Premium and Corporate. There is no monthly fee for any of these packages but only a onetime fee is charged.

Business – AUD $699 (15 maximum participants + 1 licensed workstation)

Premium – AUD $1409 (25 maximum participants + Unlimited Number of licensed workstations)

Corporate – AUD $2809 (3 simultaneous sessions + 25 maximum participants + Unlimited Number of licensed workstations)

Team Viewer Apps

With the TeamViewer apps for Android, Apple iOS and Windows 8/RT you can access remote computers on the go.

To Conclude

We have yet to come across a remote desktop app that is as well featured as this, especially within the mobile or web arenas. All of the functions that we have used and tested for this article are very well implemented. We have no problem in recommending this for anyone who needs a reliable, fast, cross-platform remote desktop solution. You won’t regret adding this to your collection of tools.

TechToolsTechTools TeamTeamViewerViewer

CONTACT US FOR A FREE DEMO & QUOTE

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Why choose the TurningPoint Audience Response System?• Engage participants with informative and interactive training sessions

• Assess participant’s knowledge and retention levels and capture valuable data (anonymously or tracked) in real time

• Full range of keypads for polling including the NXT keypad for self paced assessment

• TurningPoint is 100% PowerPoint® native or use TurningPoint AnyWhere that floats over any application for on-the-fly polling

• Utilise ResponseWare for polling via web or WiFi enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks

• Seamlessly capture valuable demographic data and opinions

• Effortless reporting with over 30+ reports viewable in Excel® and other programs

• Distance training with remote and web-based polling

• Let Keepad elevate your next conference or forum by giving every participant a voice by purchasing a TurningPoint Kit or by using our TurningPoint Hire program

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is your training engaging?it can be!

Is your training dynamic and innovative?Let us show you how to create an environment that encourages collaboration instead of passive observation. Instantly connect with your audience using simple, intuitive 100% PowerPoint® native polling software and light-weight response devices!

Poll a question & respond with your keypads / computer / smartphone

TurningPoint immediately displays results in the slide

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ResponseCardRF LCD keypad

ResponseCardNXT keypad

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Smartphoneusing ResponseWare

Smartphone

Audience Response System

Why choose the TurningPoint Audience Response System?• Engage participants with informative and interactive training sessions

• Assess participant’s knowledge and retention levels and capture valuable data (anonymously or tracked) in real time

• Full range of keypads for polling including the NXT keypad for self paced assessment

• TurningPoint is 100% PowerPoint® native or use TurningPoint AnyWhere that floats over any application for on-the-fly polling

• Utilise ResponseWare for polling via web or WiFi enabled devices such as smartphones, tablets and notebooks

• Seamlessly capture valuable demographic data and opinions

• Effortless reporting with over 30+ reports viewable in Excel® and other programs

• Distance training with remote and web-based polling

• Let Keepad elevate your next conference or forum by giving every participant a voice by purchasing a TurningPoint Kit or by using our TurningPoint Hire program

is your training engaging?

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Lead Scoring and Grading – why does my business need it?

Not all leads are equal. Some are better than others and it is the practice of lead scoring that makes the diff erence. Using it, you can automatically rank leads based on their sales-readiness and identify which are ‘hot’ and ready to speak with a sales person.

One of the many benefi ts of lead scoring is that it aligns sales and marketing. It requires close cooperation between the teams in order to create the profi le of an ideal buyer. Only when you know what constitutes a sales-ready lead and have a scoring system in place can you kick start the process utilising lead scoring features such as demographic and behavioral scoring, grade scoring, multiple scores, user scoring, forms and landing pages, to name a few.

• Score leads based on who they are and what they do, i.e. demographic and behavioural data (reading emails, viewing website pages, completing forms, downloading white papers, attending webinars).

• Grade leads. Pardot diff erentiates between scoring and grading. Leads are scored based on their activities on your website and graded based on how well they match your ideal customer profi le.

• Change scores manually depending on your personal interactions with a prospect.

• Have multiple scores per lead to calculate a company-level score, a feature off ered by Marketo and Eloqua.

Eff ective lead scoring is about taking the most out of every single lead in your database. While fewer but hotter leads are passed on to sales, others are not yet ready and may go cold. This is where lead nurturing comes in.

Lead Nurturing

Lead nurturing is about building a relationship with your prospects and inspiring trust. It’s nowhere near a quick sale but anticipating the needs of your prospects and engaging them with relevant content, messages and tone based on their digital body language. With marketing automation technology, you can automate this process and spend more time with leads that have a higher chance of conversion.

The advent of marketing automation tools has brought a whole lot of benefi ts in the marketing realm and above

all, a feeling of comfort knowing that you can

accomplish more by doing less. While there are many trustworthy vendors in this area, the article zeros in on core features, focussing on

popular tools such as Eloqua, Pardot, and Marketo, and

on what they offer and the benefi ts of their use.

Lead scoring, Lead nurturing & Leadconversion

By Jovana Stevanovic


A way to nurture leads is through drip campaigns. Drips are the emails sent on a regular basis. Automating this process means you can send a number of emails to your leads based on their actions or a predefi ned time interval. You can also automate multi-step drip campaigns or transfer a lead from one campaign to another. You decide whether to execute a campaign on a regular schedule, manually or based on an event.

Bear in mind that lead nurturing is not just about prospects. It’s about customers too so make sure you have a customer nurturing strategy in place.

Forms and Landing Pages

Marketing automation software comes with a variety of features that empower you to create and optimise landing pages and forms with no knowledge of HTML or IT support required.

• WYSIWYG editor with a drag-and-drop interface to easily create landing pages.

• Progressive profi ling – incrementally asking contacts for additional information.

• Smart forms that recognise known visitors.

• Abandonment data – the system can capture the information a visitor enters into a form fi eld even if they never hit the submit button or even if they later change the information submitted.

• Multivariate testing run to compare multiple landing pages at the same time in order to see which one performs better.

• Subdomains to maintain brand consistency.

Pitfalls of marketing automation to avoid

Implementing marketing automation is no easy ride. It is fraught with its own problems. If you are confused about it, you are not alone. The underlying challenges are as real as benefi ts ahead and require loads of things to be considered.

Sometimes purchasing the most feature-rich solution may not solve all your problems. It all depends on what your key priorities are and how far you want to go. The fact is 85% of marketers do not believe they are using their marketing automation software to the fullest, according to Sirius Decisions.

Whichever tool you’re considering to use, one thing is sure. Each has its strengths and weaknesses and you need to be focused on what your specifi c goals are and fi nd a vendor who best meets them. And

yet, the story doesn’t end here. The success of your marketing automation will be about the way you are actually using the system because strategy is one thing you cannot automate.

Lead Conversion on your Website

Do you have traffi c to your website that is not turning into customers? Do you have leads in your sales pipeline but no sales? Businesses are spending considerable amount of their time and money on generating sales leads. They simultaneously employ a variety of marketing tools and strategies to grow their leads database. However, converting leads into customers is the key.

Landing Pages

Landing pages are a good start for achieving conversion of leads into sales. They are an essential part of almost all lead generation strategies in B2B marketing. A well-crafted landing page allows the ability to generate a large number of highly qualifi ed leads. The landing page can be used for a couple of diff erent purposes, e.g. pay per click (PPC) campaigns and search engine optimisation. The page usually displays content that is specifi c to the advertisement, search keyword or the link clicked. Regardless of their purpose, they are used to give visitors the exact content that they are looking for immediately upon entering the website and help the site owner to better track website statistics. Marketing automation software, such as Pardot, provides display of diff erent landing pages to diff erent visitors so tests can be run to ascertain which ones perform better. It helps gain insight into lead interaction with your website. This is especially evident when you have a couple of landing pages designed diff erently. Let’s imagine that the landing page is fulfi lling its main purpose of attracting visitors to the site, and that there is a lot of traffi c. Now, let’s identify the most eff ective conversion types to have on your website.


Lead scoring, Lead scoring, Lead nurturing Lead nurturing & Lead conversion

Lead Conversion Types

Telephone number – Leads will often reach out to you via the telephone. It is of vital importance to have the business phone number located prominently on the website. It should always be visible and therefore placed in the website header. Just by including a contact number on a website increases consumer trust and lends credibility to the off ering. The very presence of a phone number provides them with comfort, and their perception of your business is altered in your favour.

Chat – Leads may engage with you via the chat function. An online chat system provides customers immediate access to information and assistance. It keeps the communication channel between customers and your business open, bringing in more conversions.

Free trials – This is especially benefi cial to those businesses with a complex off ering. It enables potential customers to review and test the service or product. A misconception that many businesses have about free trials is that the prospect will convert from a lead (free trial user) to a paying customer without much infl uence from marketing or sales as the product will basically sell itself. They fail to realise that the customer is shopping around and simultaneously trialing other vendor products as well. This conversion technique should be used to further educate the user through a drip campaign.

Web-to-Lead – Web-to-lead forms are critical on a website for successfully collecting user information that is crucial for your company. The forms can help capture a variety of crucial data such as email address, company name, industry and other prospect information, as well as user feedback. Each company should determine the kind of information that they are interested in collecting straight away. It is important to be careful with this because you don’t want to have too many questions as it could reject potential leads from converting. The answer is in having suffi cient number of questions that allow you to qualify the lead, at least initially.

Contact us – Ensure that the “contact us” information is always relevant and visible. It should include a web–to-lead form to simplify the process of capturing lead information.

Request for quotes – The process of obtaining a quote should not be tiresome, so it does not deter the potential customer. The information requested should be minimal but enough for you to qualify them as a qualifi ed sales lead.

10% discount – This technique is especially eff ective with fi rst-time buyers on your site. Providing a discount on your off ering might just be the encouragement for them to return to your website.

Drip Campaigns for Leads

After the lead engages in any of the above events, an appropriate drip campaign should be instantly launched. The big secret of turning leads into customers lies in acting promptly. This is imperative. The purpose of drip campaigns is to reduce interaction requirements of the sales team. To achieve this, an investment into marketing automation software such as Pardot and a solid CRM system like Salesforce is indispensable. The fusion of CRM and marketing automation ensures a timely follow-up with potential customers until they become qualifi ed enough to be assigned to a salesperson. Following are some of the most common types of drip campaigns.

• Top-of-mind drip – helps keep the leads engaged with the company throughout the sales process. You always want to stay on top of their mind.

• Educational drip – provides relevant product information to prospects that are not quite ready to buy yet. These leads are still learning about diff erent options.

• Re-engagement drip – designed for cold leads as you still have their contact information and can try to win back their interest.

• Targeted drip – sending information to a specifi c target audience your company is interested in. For example, you did the research, found 50 contacts in the medical industry that could benefi t from your services and are sending information designed specifi cally for them.

• Promotional drip – trying to win prospects with diff erent promotions that you run for a certain time period.

Some businesses spend so much time on generating sales leads that they fall into the trap of neglecting the process of turning these leads into sales. Traffi c on your website is one thing, guiding the leads through the sales funnel until they are loyal paying customers is where the hard work will need to go. Fortunately, following the above techniques and ensuring a good drip campaign is implemented will tremendously help your sales eff orts stand apart from the crowd, in terms of converting Internet leads into sales.


I In recent months ASQA has received requests from training providers wanting more information about the use of third-party evidence to assess competence.

In judging whether a learner has achieved competency, RTOs must gather a range of evidence from a variety of sources in accordance with their training and assessment strategies.

This evidence is then assessed to determine whether the learner can perform to the standard expected in the workplace, as expressed in the relevant endorsed unit of competency.

Evidence is often collected by the assessor. However, third parties—such as supervisors, trainers, team members, clients or consumers—can report what they see or hear to the assessor. Evidence collected in this manner is called third-party evidence.

It is common to use a third party for evidence gathering in cases where workplace evidence is required, but where it is not possible for the assessor to directly observe the learner at work.

The use of third-party evidence is also a valuable strategy for collecting evidence of everyday performance rather than performance carried out as part of the formal assessment process.

Using a third party to collect evidence that will contribute to a pool of evidence is not the same as a ‘co-assessment’ arrangement, in which an assessor and another party work together to conduct assessment.

If an agreement has been reached with a third party to collect evidence to complement other evidence gathered by the assessor, it is still the role of the assessor to make the judgement about whether competency has been achieved.

There are a number of things to consider when using third-party evidence.

RTOs should fi rst determine that it is appropriate to involve a third party in the collection of evidence and ensure its assessment processes lead to the collection of quality evidence.

RTOs must also provide assistance to both assessors and the third party by providing assessors with guidance about how to select the best third party; providing quality materials for collecting evidence; providing third parties with comprehensive information about their role in the evidence-gathering process; obtaining confi rmation that the third party understands their role in the process; interpreting training package

information to be relevant to the third party; and setting requirements for assessors in confi rming the authenticity and currency of evidence provided by a candidate.

Involving a third party in the collection of evidence allows assessors to gather authentic and valid evidence in diffi cult circumstances in a cost-eff ective way. However, it must be done appropriately.

For more information, refer to the detailed fact sheet, which is available on our website at www.asqa.gov.au

Update on Strategic Reviews

Work on the three Strategic Reviews being undertaken by ASQA this year is progressing well. Audits of randomly selected RTOs in the aged and community care sector are underway. The audits are reviewing the Certifi cates III and IV in Aged Care, and the Certifi cates III and IV in Home and Community Care.

The survey of all RTOs off ering the ‘white card’ training unit CPCCOHS1001A has been completed, and an analysis of the outcomes has commenced. Further audits of randomly selected RTOs are scheduled for this month focussing on two key areas - compliance with Standard 15.5 and how the RTO assures the identity of students, particularly with online enrolment and assessment.

Finally, the websites of a selected number of RTOs are currently being reviewed to extract data on potentially misleading marketing and associated inappropriate practices. This review is due to be completed at the end of the month.

CHRIS ROBINSONChief Commissioner

Australian Skills Quality Authority

ASQA UpdatesASQA Updates


FFacebook has made some substantial changes over the last year, and many of these should aff ect the way student recruiters are using the platform to reach out to and engage with students. Facebook’s recent evolution has been motivated by its need to:

• Monetise the platform;

• Provide more value to the brands who use it;

• Respond to users’ changing preferences for engaging with each other and brands they like;

• Allow users to refl ect, on Facebook, their activities on other social networks, and vice versa;

• Adapt to users’ increasing use of mobile devices.

The changes Facebook has made can be roughly divided into two categories: (1) those that aff ect what users see and can do in their newsfeed, and (2) those that aff ect brands’ ability to reach out to target audiences.

We’ll look at each of these categories in turn in this post; and in Part Two we provide concrete tips on what to do and not to do as an institutional brand on Facebook.

What users see: Facebook has a brand new face

Facebook is shifting its emphasis on text-based news feeds to visually engaging newsfeeds. Eff ective Student Marketing sums it up like this:

“Facebook’s news feed redesign is going to make photos front and center …. The publisher’s logo is also going to be added to the corner. When you see someone become friends with someone else, the new Facebook news feed design will show a bigger pro� le photo and display your common friends. This will work well for pages, brands, and services.”

Eff ective Student Marketing uses the following screenshot to show how visual a “like” of a brand can be, including a larger photo of the user who decided to “like” it.

In addition, users’ activity on third party apps and sites are now more prominently displayed, which is important given the huge surge in popularity some visually based sharing sites – like Pinterest and Tumblr – have recently experienced.

Facebook is so convinced of users’ gravitation from text-based sharing to photo-based sharing that it bought Instagram (its main mobile competitor) last year. Of the purchase, an article in Forbes said:

“Here comes the much-needed integration: bigger photos, more detailed info about the � lters, etc. Right now all you get when you post an Instagram photo on Facebook from

Facebook is changing: Are you changing with it?


Facebook is changing: Are you changing with it?your phone is a small link and a thumbnail image. A better integration will stimulate more sharing through Instagram.”

The purchase, combined with Facebook’s drive to enhance the visual interface of its platform, speaks to the continuance of a trend we wrote about last year: the explosion of photo-sharing among college-aged students.

Institutions must leverage students’ love of communicating via photos and videos to reach out to and engage them. As Chris Brogan, a leading commentator on Internet culture and co-author of Trust Agents, a New York Times bestseller, notes:

“The Internet is becoming a very visual environment …. The rapid rise of places like Pinterest, plus the over US $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, plus the ubiquity of photo applications in the Top 10 of the iPhone store are just 3 small indicators of how business should be considering their next moves in marketing, promotion, and communication in general.”

Also important for student recruiters, three more changes to what Facebook users are increasingly seeing, or will soon be seeing, in their news feeds:

• Facebook is now highlighting users’ incidences of “checking in” at specifi c places – including, for students, their school’s lectures or school-affi liated events – with available images of these places and maps;

• Users will soon be able to choose, and shuffl e between, various types of news feeds to suit their various information needs, and one of these feeds is the “following feed,” which displays posts from all the pages they have “liked” (including their school or a school they’re interested in);

• Upcoming events will be getting more prominent placement.

Social Graph Search extends potential audience, but other changes limit reach unless marketers adapt

Facebook has introduced a much-talked about feature called Social Graph Search, which allows users (particularly businesses) to search Facebook for diff erent attributes and combinations of attributes, especially in order to target marketing outreach.

Attributes could include interests (including “likes”) and location – but they have to have been made publicly available in users’ privacy settings. According to Liz Gross, a higher education blogger who specialises in social media, Graph Search is particularly appealing for college and university brands because:

• Students tend to “like” their university brand more than other types of brands (e.g., a personal injury law fi rm or car dealership): they are more likely to feel proud of their association with their school and thus feel comfortable “liking” it publicly;

By ICEF monitor


• The campus functions as a place and students tend to “check in” when they go to class or do other activities on campus;

• Students are not as likely to keep their education choice private as other information about them, making it easier for them to turn up in Graph Search.

In a blog post devoted to the potential of Graph Search for colleges and universities, Ms Gross provides these examples of searches and what could be done with them:

• “People who attend Marquette University and are interested in Politics”: An advisor could use this to recruit new students to the political science major, or a student activities professional could send an invitation to an SGA meeting.

• “Music people who attend Bridgewater State University listen to”: A campus activities group could plan what bands to invite to campus to ensure a higher turnout.

• “People who went to Stanford and currently work at Google”: A career counselor can quickly fi nd alumni that work at companies of interest.

• “People who went to UW-Stevens Point and currently live in London”: An alumni association offi cer can get a list of possible candidates to start its fi rst international chapter.

Obviously, Facebook’s Social Graph Search is a tool student recruiters will want to explore fully. This is the link with which to begin.

Paying for the privilege

While Social Graph Search is a way colleges and university recruiters can reach more prospects, another Facebook change has the potential to drastically reduce the eff ectiveness of institutional branding on the platform: the declining visibility of unpaid posts, or at least posts that aren’t inherently very engaging.

Silicon Cloud, a digital marketing strategy company, puts it this simply on their blog: “If businesses want to stay in the game on Facebook, it looks increasingly like they will need to pay to promote posts,” and provides this illustrative example:

“Recently, New York Times columnist Nick Bilton noticed that his posts on Facebook were not getting as many likes and shares as he was used to receiving. Many of his posts received over 500 likes and well over 50 shares, but suddenly those numbers plummeted. Despite his subscribers growing from 15,000 to 400,000, his posts began to receive less than 100 likes and shares combined. Bilton decided to try an experiment. He paid US $7 to promote a post, and guess what? His likes and shares shot back up.”

What is driving this change at Facebook? Two factors: Facebook needs revenue to continue to exist and adapt, and it’s in Facebook’s best interest to prioritise content users actually want to see.

Facebook changes its news feed algorithm in response to data telling them which content users are really engaging with. Branded content is often not what they want to engage with, even if they have “liked” a page. The solution for college and university marketers is some combination of the following:

• Post lots of photos – and have students do the same – with tags specifi cally identifying the school (this is even more important now that Facebook has once again changed the algorithm in favour of photos).

• Create engaging content – the more fans interact with a brand, the better it performs on news feed algorithms (and the more you will have genuine, rather than mere “likes-based,” fans, a sign your social network investment is actually eff ective).

• Consider sponsoring certain important posts for maximum word-of-mouth reach.

“This article was taken from https://monitor.icef.com/ which is a valued supporter of our magazine. We hope tobring you more articles and contributions from ICEF Monitor over the following months.”

Facebook is changing: Are Facebook is changing: Are you changing with it?you changing with it?you changing with it?


Here at Total Synergy Concepts we have sourced the most professional and modern equipped offshore printers that we could fi nd. After doing a lot of research, it was clear that India was a better option than the commonly used China for offshore printing. Better English Skills, better cost competitiveness and cheaper air freight were some of the key considerations.

Then we road tested our printers by giving them our own in-house books and magazines to publish. Only once they came out with fl ying colours (repeatedly) did we establish exclusive relationships with them. Our purpose is simple – to give you the best benefi ts of Offshore Printing without any of the drawbacks!

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This is to certify that

has fulfilled the requirements for:

Certificate No Date

Director of Training

Churchill Education Pty Ltdtrading as Churchill EducationNational Provider No. 314302 Cliff Salisbury CourtSamford Village 4520Queensland AustraliaTelephone 1300 793 002International +61 7 3289 5660

www.churchilleducation.edu.au

The Qualification is recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework

............................................................................................

Statement of Attainment

has attained

A statement of attainment is issued by a Registered

Training Organisation when an individual has

completed one or more units of competency from

nationally recognised qualification(s)/course(s)

This is a statement that

These competencies form part of the

Certificate No Date

Director of TrainingChurchill Education Pty Ltd

trading as Churchill Education

National Provider No. 31430

2 Cliff Salisbury Court

Samford Village 4520

Queensland Australia

Telephone 1300 793 002

International +61 7 3289 5660


................................

................................

............................

This is to certify that


Certificate No Date

Director of Training

............................................................................................


Certificate No

International +61 7 3289 5660www.churchilleducation.edu.au

............................................................................................

Churchill Education Pty Ltdtrading as Churchill EducationNational Provider No. 314302 Cliff Salisbury CourtSamford Village 4520Queensland AustraliaTelephone 1300 793 002

Statement of Attainment

has attained

A statement of attainment is issued by a Registered Churchill Education Pty LtdA statement of attainment is issued by a Registered Churchill Education Pty Ltdtrading as Churchill Education


trading as Churchill EducationNational Provider No. 31430




Training Organisation when an individual has Churchill Education Pty Ltd

Training Organisation when an individual has Churchill Education Pty Ltdtrading as Churchill EducationTraining Organisation when an individual has trading as Churchill EducationNational Provider No. 31430


National Provider No. 31430Training Organisation when an individual has



Churchill Education Pty Ltd


Churchill Education Pty Ltdtrading as Churchill Education

completed one or more units of competency from trading as Churchill EducationNational Provider No. 31430completed one or more units of competency from National Provider No. 314302 Cliff Salisbury Court







trading as Churchill EducationNational Provider No. 31430

nationally recognised qualification(s)/course(s)National Provider No. 314302 Cliff Salisbury Courtnationally recognised qualification(s)/course(s)

2 Cliff Salisbury CourtSamford Village 4520




This is a statement that



Certificate No Date Date

Queensland AustraliaTelephone 1300 793 002International +61 7 3289 5660

International +61 7 3289 5660www.churchilleducation.edu.au




Director of TrainingDirector of TrainingChurchill Education Pty Ltd





Queensland Australia

Telephone 1300 793 002

International +61 7 3289 5660


................................

................................

............................

................................

................................

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ET Australia is an independent, not for profi t, community based organisation that has

been providing employment and training services to the NSW Central Coast community since 1977. ET Australia directly delivers a wide range of Federal Government, NSW State Government, community-funded and commercial programs to provide vocational training to the unemployed and to upskill existing workers into regional priority skill shortage areas. It sources services to provide opportunities to job seekers through targeted services designed to prepare people for sustainable employment. ET Australia is an active member of the broader Central Coast community working in collaboration with all agencies to create job opportunities to meet regional priority needs.

The initial focus of the RTO has always been on providing quality accredited vocational training and employment services that lead to graduates obtaining jobs and making a career start, and still is. With their constant consultation with industry, they have built their scope of registration, keeping it refi ned to ensure the delivery of quality services to meet current needs.

ET Australia has been delivering a broad array of vocational training to adult learners and one of their key areas of service delivery has always been delivering alternative learning options in assisting youth who are disengaged from school. After years of constant services and activities ET Australia achieved their goal. Currently ET Australia has a number of delivery mechanisms for assisting young people. The Links to Learning Program, which is an innovative program targeted at re-engaging young people with formal learning. ET Australia’s program provides young people with classroom tutorial and alternative pathways support to achieve an equivalent Year 9, 10, 11 Certifi cate and NSW HSC. This same focus has resulted in ET Australia becoming an independent high school – ET Australia Secondary College (ETASC). ETASC is approved by the NSW Board of Studies and the high school currently delivers Years 9 and 10 studies that comply with the NSW Board of Studies School Syllabuses.

Their strategic goal was to establish a partnership with the local University to off er students who complete the Diploma of Children’s Services (Early Childhood Education and Care) a pathway into University. In 2009 ET Australia added Certifi cate III in Children’s Services and Diploma of Children’s Services (Early Childhood Education and Care) to their scope of registration to meet the industry demands / regulatory changes. They successfully established this partnership and now have credit transfer arrangements in place with the University for students who wish to further their studies to degree levels. Due to the large number of job vacancies and lack of skilled job seeker candidates in aged care and children services, they have been concentrating on these areas.

Being a leading provider of Certifi cate III and IV in Aged Care, they are well-positioned in the market. Their other goal was to be recognised on the NSW Central Coast as one of the most prominent providers of vocational training. ET Australia wanted to build a reputation through business relationships with employers so the RTO’s students are preferred candidates for jobs. They succeeded in achieving these goals across a number of industry sectors over the years.

ET Australia has been approached by employers to recruit students from their programs for employment, and their continued focus is to provide training programs which provide direct linkages to employment for job seekers. This being their strategy, they continue to do this very eff ectively and have developed a model over time which assists in achieving their goal.

Inspire Me RTO Success StoriesThis month we introduce ET Australia

T Australia is an independent,

into regional priority skill shortage areas. It sources services to provide opportunities to job Their strategic goal was to


ET Australia’s engagements with local industry help it to secure vacancies and then design targeted programs to meet the needs of the employers. The employers have the option to ‘try before they buy’’, to ensure the right students are recruited for the position vacant. This successful model has been delivered via Australian Apprenticeships Access funding. ET Australia is a leading provider of this program.

For seven years ET Australia ran a social enterprise that provided hospitality training and traineeships for nearly 100 young people. The social enterprise was a fully commercial restaurant operating 6 days a week for over seven years. The enterprise was closed in 2009 after the building owner, a local Council, doubled the rent. The change in expenses rendered our business model unviable, so a fantastic training venture that also created and sustained entry-level jobs for young people was forced to close.

ET Australia always stuck to their core business and hence any and every expansions that they made in the past have been made in line with their core business and through this they have learnt that diversifi cation will not let them succeed before the foundations are set. They are often approached to take on all types of business ventures every other week and deliver all types of training courses, but with promises of great outcomes for all stakeholders, they have learnt to be prudent about their business development decisions which ensure quality and consistency, giving them a competitive edge.

ET Australia believes that the essential qualities for making any RTO a successful RTO are:

• A focus on continuous improvement and quality management with emphasis on excellence in customer service

• Recruitment and retention of professional and knowledgeable staff (including suitably qualifi ed trainers / assessors who are experts in their fi elds with vocational currency)

• Outcome focussed services that meet client and stakeholder needs and achieve desired results through a holistic approach

• Focus on industry partnerships developed through relationship building and management

• Providing an informative and supportive learning environment for students to reach their full potential

• Ensure there are solid systems in place so continuous improvement is met, and use the continuous improvement to provide better performance

• Continually strive for continuous improvement and quality, and review internal targets to ensure they are aligned with ASQA regulations

• Know your products

• Know the market and keep abreast of market trends

• Know your competitors

• Value your clients

• Value your staff

• Establish industry needs, and learning needs of the client, and work within those needs

And by practising all of the above ‘nuggets of wisdom’ in your business you can achieve success.

ET Australia is operating in a very competitive commercial market. Changes in the legislative framework and the new VET regulatory environment had a major impact on ET Australia. They have invested considerable time in developing an implementation strategy which included everything from updating testamur templates to professional development sessions for staff to update them with the changes. Changes to funding allocations for training by State and Federal Governments saw less funding being available over recent times. Compliance has also changed over the last few years and the emphasis on compliance has become a major focus for their organisation and for the industry as a whole.

Their strategies for engaging industry have been:

• Established partnerships with local organisations, many of whom can see how the partnership can be of benefi t to both parties.

• Active participation in industry meetings.

• Managerial staff is involved and hold positions in local business chambers and local rotary clubs.

• They value stakeholders and sponsor many local community organisations and events.

• Actively consult with other training enterprises.

• Frequently attend forums related to their business.

• Stay abreast with industry news by subscribing to relevant newsletters, including Industry Skill Council newsletters.

• Working very closely with a number of local Job Service Australia providers.


COAG has taken vital steps to strengthen the industry as a whole. It has recognised the importance of increasing the skills and qualifi cations of individual workers which is critical to support Australian businesses, and to drive improvements in the productivity of the economy while fostering greater levels of workforce participation. COAG are committed to ensuring rigorous quality assurance of education and training (including Vocational Education and Training) which gives confi dence to employers and students that the skills and qualifi cations being attained are of a high standard.

They are committed to strengthening the Vocational Education and Training Sector and believe that:

• This will have a positive impact on the industry as a whole.

• The RTOs will play a vital role in providing the skills that Australian businesses and individuals need to prosper in a rapidly changing economy and they will also see stronger linkages between RTOs and Universities.

• RTOs will play a necessary role in providing alternate pathways for students into Universities.

• Pathways from VET programs into Universities will pave the way for more people to access University to further their studies.

ET Australia recommends a few guidelines for the new RTOs or anyone considering becoming an RTO to:

• Know your business / competitors / local region.

• Have a thorough understanding of the compliance surrounding an RTO before you venture into this industry.

• Have a good business model with solid systems in place.

• Employ the right people who can help you succeed.

• Ideally, employ staff with previous RTO experience.

In the next fi ve to ten years, ET Australia’s scope of registration will continue to change / grow to address regional skill priorities. The RTO will continue to grow to meet local industry needs but their focus will still remain on providing training and employment services for job seekers, many of whom are disadvantaged. With the ageing population their focus, they will continue

providing aged care / home and community care training to meet the demands in this area. There will more e-learning opportunities for their learners and virtual classrooms to provide more fl exibility. They may expand into regional areas with the help of e-learning. And their strong focus on helping young people with the school to work transition will continue. They believe that if the demand for their independent high school remains strong, the business will look to create further school campuses on the NSW Central Coast, including a senior campus for Year 11 and 12 studies that can off er VET in schools.

With respect to the recent question that was raised on an online industry forum, ET Australia do not feel that the industry is ‘dying’, rather going through major upheaval that will see the quality providers prevail. They believe that the accredited training industry is maturing and to succeed you need to work reactively much of the time to ensure you stay abreast of the changes and make the most of any opportunity that may present.

A good business model with strong systems in place will allow you to work reactively whilst still remaining compliant.

The COAG agreement will strengthen the industry and VET pathways will pave the way for students to access Universities. ET Australia believes that ASQA needs to take a consistent approach in the way they monitor / audit RTOs to ‘weed out’ the providers who are not providing quality services, many of whom are an RTO for the wrong reasons, and any RTOs who devalue education and make a mockery of the system. Quality RTOs need to band together and keep ASQA informed of those RTOs who are damaging the reputation of the sector.

Whilst we appreciate the market needs to be competitive this can’t come at the cost of having poorly trained students who with the lack of training are being set up to fail.

The VET Quality Framework should achieve greater national consistency in the way providers are registered and monitored and in how standards in the VET sector are enforced. This consistency should see quality operators survive and anything less, shut down.

Inspire Me - RTO Inspire Me - RTO Success Stories

“

““

“

ET Australia


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� e #1 Monthly Magazine for the VET Sector

“


We present for your entertainment some things we truly find funny, inspirational (or both) from the world wide web. This month we

feature a snippet from www.theoatmeal.com. This is from a bunch of guys that have great insights into our day to day world. The feature

this month is, When to use i.e. in a sentence. Enjoy

It's Not NEWS


NT - I HAVE AN IPAD, NOW WHAT? (PART I)

When: Monday, April 15, 2013, 11:30am – 12:30pm

Where: Free event - Online Virtual classroom

Presenter: Stephan SchmidtOnline Session Link: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/meeting.jnlp?sid=voffi ce&password=M.71DB7C4B5802B23922EFA5E647

This session will help you to get started with your iPad. Firstly and most importantly we will explore and work through the common settings available in an iPad. Then we will look at iTunes and how it works together with your iPad.

NT - I HAVE AN IPAD, NOW WHAT? (PART II)

When: Tuesday, April 16, 2013, 2:30 – 3:30pm

Where: Free event - Online Virtual Classroom

Presenter: Stephan Schmidt

Online Session Link: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/meeting.jnlp?sid=voffi ce&password=M.71DB7C4B5802B23922EFA5E647

This session will help you to get started with your iPad. Firstly and most importantly we will explore and work through the common settings available in an iPad. Then

we will look at iTunes and how it works together with your iPad.

SA - MASTERING FILE MANAGEMENT IN MOODLE2

When: Tuesday, April 23, 2013, 1 – 2pm

Topic: Mastering File Management in Moodle2

Presenter: Richard Wallace, Director, Wallace Web Design & Development

Online Session Link: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/meeting.jnlp?sid=voffi ce&password=M.4EA99DB33FBE551C2C5FBE3073853

For those who are familiar with fi le management in Moodle 1.9, moving to the (entirely diff erent) way of managing fi les in Moodle 2 may initially be a challenge. But it need not be! Richard will demonstrate much of what you need to know, including the way fi les are 'stored', multiple fi le upload, considering options eg popup or embed, fi le names...and how to break all those bad habits of fi le management! :-)

NSW - IPADS IN VET TRAINING - FREE

When: Monday, April 29, 2013, 12 – 1pm

Where: Online - Adobe Connect

Online Session Link: http://www.trybooking.com/Booking/BookingEventSummary.aspx?eid=40804

iPads have had a huge impact on education in recent years from the classroom to workplace learning. We take a look at some strategies for teachers using iPads in a variety of VET training environments as well as some of the issues for using iPads with students. We will also review some apps that you may

fi nd useful in your training.

SA - E-CUSTOMER SERVICE - MARKETING & SERVICING YOUR CUSTOMERS ONLINE

When: Wednesday, May 1, 2013, 1 – 2pm

Topic: e-Customer Service - Marketing & Servicing your Customers Online

Presenter: Allison Miller, Director, Vanguard Visions Consulting Pty Ltd


In this webinar, Allison will provide direction and suggestions about Marketing & Servicing your Customers Online, whether your customers are external clients, internal ‘customers’ or learners who are clients of your training organisation. She will cover having a web presence, understanding the ‘give and get’ of the internet, listening to and communicating with your customers online as well as other key considerations for implementing eCustomer service.

SA - FINDING FREE E-LEARNING CONTENT ON THE WEB

When: Tuesday, May 7, 2013, 1 – 2pm

Where: SA BbCollaborate Room

Topic: Finding Free e-Learning Content on the Web

Presenter: Marlene Manto, SA E-learning Coordinator and Content Services Advisor, National VET E-learning Strategy


EEEVENTSVENTSVENTS


Events

Some organisations believe that the two options for e-learning content is to either buy it in...or develop it themselves. But there is a THIRD option and that is to use what is already 'out there' and readily available! In this session, Marlene will take you on a whirlwind tour of some of the many options and websites (including the National Learning Object Repository) and will provide ideas and suggestions for how these resources can be used.

WA - MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

When: Wednesday, May 8, 2013, 1:30 – 3pm

Facilitator: Chris Winter and Yvette Drager

Venue: Online Event - The Virtual Classroom

Online Session Link: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/meeting.jnlp?sid=675&password=M.99681C5DD78627138B8FF7F996766

In this online Workshop, we’ll look at answering some of the key questions surrounding Mobile Devices in Education including:

• Which device for which task

• Mobile eLearning Content and Apps

• Tricks and Tips

• QR Codes, Augmented Reality and more

NSW UNIVERSAL DESIGN WORKSHOP - COST $150 PER PERSON

When: Friday, May 10, 2013

Where: The Sydney Bayview Boulevard Hotel William Street, Sydney, 2011.

At the end of this workshop you will have:

• An up-to-date understanding of the iPad as a teaching and learning tool for the classroom.

• An understanding of Universal Design for Learning Guidelines – a frame work for implementation of technology.

• Strategies for integrating this technology into the learning environment.

• Increased understanding of the use of technology in teaching students with diverse needs.

• Useful internet links and resources concerning using the iPad.

NT - THE EASIEST WAY OF CUSTOMISING TOOLBOX LO'S

When: Tuesday, May 14, 2013, 11:30am – 12:30pm

Where: Free event - Online Virtual Classroom

Presenter: Stephan SchmidtOnline Session Link: https://sas.elluminate.com/site/external/launch/meeting.jnlp?sid=voffi ce&password=M.F71DB7C4B5802B23922EFA5E647

In this session you will learn about a new IMS to Moodle backup converter. This will allow you to import Toolbox Learning objects (LO's) from the Toolbox Repository into Moodle 1.9 and customise any page of the LO within the html editor also known as the WYSIWYG editor in Moodle. When edited we will show how to backup the course in Moodle 1.9 and import it into Moodle 2. No more Dreamweaver, Front Page or Kompozer skills required.

SA - E-ASSESSMENT – UNRAVELLING SOME OF THE MYSTERY

When: Wednesday, May 15, 2013, 1 – 2pm


Topic: e-Assessment – Unravelling some of the Mystery

Presenter: Melanie Worrall, Director, The Klevar Group Pty Ltd


In this session, Melanie will explain what e-assessment is all about. She will introduce participants to the National E-assessment Guidelines for the VET sector and will provide examples of the ways technology is being used in the evidence gathering process of assessment, currently utilised by registered training organisations (RTOs) across Australia.

SA - DESIGNING & DELIVERING ELEARNING IN A MULTI-DEVICE WORLD

When: Friday, May 17, 2013, 1 – 2pm


TOPIC: Designing & Delivering eLearning in a Multi-Device World

PRESENTER: Leo Gaggl, Director, Brightcookie Pty Ltd


A new challenge for e-learning professionals is the need to respond to the signifi cant shift in the increasing amount of learning that takes place on laptops, tablets and mobile phones. In this session, Leo will highlight some of the implications that mobile devices bring for e-learning development and delivery, and will discuss new technical advances which provide solutions, showing related examples.


The Southern Cross Connection(A.B.N. 85 848 685 910) 21 Worley Drive, Gilston Qld 4211 Tel: 07 5527 2551

Email: [email protected]

INDUSTRY CLASSIFIEDS

Pricing for Classifi eds and Jobs Vacant

Simple Ad (maximum 50 words) - FREE

Up to 150 words + logo - $110 incl. GST

Up to 250 words + logo + boxed ad - $165 incl. GST

This section is dedicated to Industry Buy/Sell and Jobs Vacant Ads

Please send ads to [email protected]

RTO Success Group is dedicated to bringing cutting edge, practical and engaging resources to the RTO Industry.

We help RTOs get better in every aspect of their business including Management, Compliance, Marketing, Administration, Academics and Technology.

We are passionate, thrive on a challenge, driven to succeed and serve at the highest levels. Above all, we want the journey to be fun and rewarding for all involved.

We are based in Queensland (Gold Coast) but distance is not a problem for the right candidate. We are pioneers in Virtualising and would invite all candidates from aroud Australia to apply.

If you are someone who resonates with the above, then we are looking to fi ll the following two roles -

1. Business Development Manager - You have experience in working with Businesses and the Corporate sector. You love the challenge of taking a company through fast paced growth from 0 to 1.5 Million + in 18 months.

You are already well into your business journey and have built up a wealth of experience, contacts and confi dence that you can bring to the group and are happy leading and growing people around you.

2. Telephone Sales - You are someone who is a people person. Loves to talk on the phone and build relationships. You have a calm, confi dent manner and experienced in dealing with business clients. You love variety and would like to be part of a fun, dynamic and growing team.

If the above sounds like fun, please email [email protected] with your details and we can arrange a chat.

Classifi eds - Jobs Vacant Advertisers Index02 – ICEF – Increase your International Student Recruitment

07 - Total Synergy Concepts – Hire Virtual Admin staff for your college or institution

11 - Shine Recruitment - Delivering brighter Recruitment Solutions to your business

25 - Name Tags and Badges - Do you need identity products?

29 - Red Balloon - Pamper Performance

33 - Media Sphere - Your eLearning platform

37 - Keepad - Is your training engaging?

45 - Total Synergy Concepts - Save up to 50% on your printing costs

55 - RTO Compliance Manager For Registered Training Organisations

58 - RTO Success - Have you got your 2013 Marketing Action Plan sorted?

59 - Total Synergy Concepts - Getting your college mobile

60 - GCOMM - Catalyst for Success - Find out what cloud based IT services can do for your organisation.

For Sale – iPad 2 - $4506 months old iPad 2, 16GB Black Wifi +3Gwith some minor scuffs. Also have anApple iPhone 2G 4GB Mobile Phone in good condi-tion for $150. Please call 12 34567890 or email [email protected]

Simple Ad

Max 50 words

150 wordsAd + Logo

Training Room for HireStrategically Positioned CBD basedtraining rooms available for rent. 3different sized rooms available based onrequirements. Each room has WiFi plusprojector connections available as wellas a whiteboard. One room is setup as acomputer lab style training room.

different sized rooms available based on

Classifi eds - Buy and Sell

Sample


The Southern Cross Connection

RTO Compliance ManagerFor Registered Training Organisations

What is the RTO Compliance Manager?

• The RTO Compliance Manager is a structured system of folders and fi les, created to help private providers prepare the documentation and processes required to apply for and maintain RTO status in Australia.

• From July 2011, RTO registration, registration renewal or extension of scope must comply with the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) NVR Standards. RTOs need to ensure their compliance systems meet ASQA’s NVR Standards.

• The RTO Compliance Manager is designed to guide RTOs and RTO applicants through the process of upgrading / setting up their systems and documentation to comply with the NVR Standards.

• Policies and procedures are cross-referenced to both ASQA and AQTF Standards to aid transition.

• The system is divided into linked sections for ease of use:

RTO Compliance Manager will help you get on top of the new compliance requirements.

Please visit our website www.southernxconnection.com where you can view in more detail how the RTO Compliance Manager interface works.

The Southern Cross Connection(A.B.N. 85 848 685 910) 21 Worley Drive, Gilston Qld 4211 Tel: 07 5527 2551

Email: [email protected]

The RTO Compliance Manager:

Simplifi es implementation and ongoing maintenance of the RTO’s Quality System.

Provides useful tools and information to simplify navigation, document control and customisation.

Provides tools to simplify ongoing maintenance of registers.

Provides quick access to forms and templates.

Supplies over 40 sample Forms, Registers and other useful documents are in the relevant folders.

The Quality Management folder system is fl exible and can be customised to refl ect the size and scope of your organisation and adapted as it changes over time

Advertisement


Solutions for the above Sudoku puzzles in the next issue

Solutions from last month, March 2013

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What is Sudoku?

A Sudoku 'hidden word' puzzle consists of 9x9 grid (nine rows and nine columns), divided into nine 3x3 boxes, into which a few letters have already been placed. An example appears overleaf: the nine letters used in the puzzle are listed below the grid.

The object of the puzzle is to fi ll in all the remaining squares with the given letters, so that each row, each column, and each 3x3 box contains all nine letters.

Around the world

It won't take you 80 days circumnavigating the globe to fi nd these hidden geographical location.

AEIGNOPRSWord: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Word: WIMBLEDON

The game's the thing

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58 www.rtosuccess.com.au www.rtosuccess.com.au www.rtosuccess.com.au 58 www.rtosuccess.com.au 58 www.rtosuccess.com.au

Let me ask you something... How do you go to your market with your product or service? Via email? Going to Industry Events? Presenting Face to Face? Cold Calling? Are you guilty of using the same marketing methods as everyone else in your space?

Have you noticed that most of the common marketing methods are no longer as e� ective?

Marketing Emails are getting deleted without being read or going straight to the spam folder. Exhibiting at Industry Events is expensive and you are in a crowded space with all your competitors.

Presenting face to face works but is very time consuming for you and your sta� . Cold Calling is an interruption for most people. When was the last time you bought a product from a cold call?

So, what is the solution? How do the big successful corporations do it? � ey use all forms of media and focus on building their brand and unique message. "But I don't have millions to spend!", We hear you.

What about direct mail? It is expensive and takes at least a few thousand dollars just to do one single mailout.

We have an answer. You can take up advertising space with this magazine for the whole year for what it will cost you to do a single campaign or go to one Industry Event.

A full year's worth of niched print media advertising, targeted to your market can do wonders for your brand. Reach out every month to the VET Sector including CRICOS & ELICOS Colleges.

Would you like to know more about how using 'old school' methods like print media can make a big di� erence to your business and bring you a constant stream of quality leads?

We have created just the resource that you can use to help you with that - "Successful Direct Marketing - How to Implement a 10 Step Action Plan for Maximum Exposure and Sales"

It is loaded with actionable tips for running a successful ad campaign in print including tips and strategies from some of the best minds in marketing for SMEs.

Here's to a super successful 2013 for you. Best wishes,

Sandeep and all the team at RTO Success.

To Download the FREE Report "Successful Direct Marketing -

How to Implement a 10 Step Action Plan for

Maximum Exposure and Sales" Visit

www.rtosuccess.com.au/10StepActionPlan

or Scan this QR Code

that can assist the Training and Education Industry?

Have you got your 2013 Marketing Action Plan sorted?

Do you have products or services


News�lash: The Mobile Revolution has already happened! Are you ready? When would NOW be a good time?

2011 was the year of the mobile device!

More students are logging on every day on tablets and mobile devices than ever before!

Is your college ready for this massive change?

We are specialists and work with colleges just like yours and help you go mobile.

From Student Portals to Custom Mobile Apps to simply migrating your existing website to the mobile web.

Do not delay and procrastinate or you will be left behind!

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We Guarantee you will be satis� ed or your money back!

Contact us today and we can help with a free consultation to evaluate your needs.

Call us on 1300 076 160 or visit our website for a free consult www.totalsynergyconcepts.com

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