Real Skills Deserve Real Recognition Campaign

The Australian Government has recently launched the Real Skills Deserve Real Recognition campaign to support clearer understanding of recognition of prior learning (RPL) within the national vocational education and training (VET) system.

The campaign provides practical information on when RPL is appropriate, what quality training and assessment should look like, and common red flags that may indicate concerns, such as qualifications being issued very quickly or without sufficient evidence of competence.

For early childhood education and care services, this information supports assurance that educators hold legitimate, nationally recognised qualifications that meet regulatory requirements.

Unique Student Identifier

Service providers can also use the Unique Student Identifier (USI) system to help verify employee qualifications. A USI VET transcript is a government‑authenticated record of a person’s completed nationally recognised VET training, including qualifications and units of competency. It provides a reliable way to confirm what training has been completed and when it was issued.

Reporting training concerns

The national vocational education and training regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), continues to take action against dishonest training providers and fraudulently issued qualifications. If you have concerns about how a qualification is delivered or assessed, including training quality issues, fraudulent conduct, or other threats to VET sector integrity, you can report them to ASQA via a tip-off. Information may be submitted anonymously and helps support early identification of potential fraudulent behaviours in the VET sector.