The world of RTO compliance is anything but boring. Compliance plays a critical role in upholding ethical principles of the vocational education and training (VET) system, and the broader strategic and social purpose of such education service.
Compliance is an important tool used to protect students, industry, and TAXPAYERS’ money from poor and unethical training and assessment practices. RTOs need to rely on the highly versatile skillsets of compliance professionals.
At Insources, we provide technical training to current RTO compliance professionals and other RTO staff members that want to start a career in compliance. Some people looking to enter the RTO compliance world have an incorrect concept about compliance job roles and the skillset required for success. In this article, I will explore five foundation skills for an RTO compliance professional.
Proactivity
RTO’s regulatory compliance has never been as important as it is today. Both individuals and RTOs must be held accountable, and the natural leadership of a talented RTO’s compliance manager/officer can be relied on to make sure that this happens.
As the regulatory environment continues to change, solving modern problems requires proactive thinking skills. Equally, a willingness to take the initiative and make autonomous decisions with confidence is part of what it means to be a leader.
RTO compliance professionals need to use proactive thinking skills to stop problems from occurring in the first place. Whether it’s assessment practices, the integrity of students’ data, or the industry relevance of training, the costs of failing to identify a problem early are astronomical.
As new technology emerges, unfamiliar threats arise and students’ expectations change, a proactive approach to compliance can be the difference between success and failure.
The most effective RTO compliance professionals tap into current risks and opportunities through a genuine desire to learn (curiosity), to acquire new industry knowledge, and to follow the latest trends (i.e. dealing with online delivery and assessments, managing a remote and fragmented workforce, meeting multi-jurisdictional regulatory requirements).
Diligence
As regulations and regulators’ approaches change, technologies evolve; keeping an up-to-date understanding of the latest requirements is a must. It pays to be pedantic in RTO compliance.
A keen eye for detail is instrumental in the effort to understand compliance, and this includes regulatory requirements across different jurisdictions, contexts, and their implications for the RTO business model. Developing an effective RTO compliance infrastructure requires strong attention to detail to every operational context of the RTO.
Pragmatism
Compliance professionals have an opportunity to enact positive changes within the RTO, provided they can adopt a pragmatic decision-making approach. RTO compliance managers/officers are expected to make suitable, unbiased recommendations in any given scenario.
RTO compliance is evolving. This process has been accelerated in the post-COVID world and the uncertainties of the “new normal” are still unclear today. The mass adoption of hybrid delivery and assessment practices, remote working conditions, represents new compliance challenges, as does a turbulent economic landscape, changing funding models, shifting employee attitudes towards faster upskilling options, and more effective educational support for career changes.
RTO resources are often stretched thin, as a consequence rigid compliance structures are likely to fall short of the mark, unfortunately, this is the case for almost 75% of the RTOs our organisation has audited over the last 24 months. RTO compliance managers/officers must uphold their ethical responsibility and ask the difficult questions, to challenge unsustainable models and advocate for progression.
Our job is to prepare individuals so they are forward-thinking RTO compliance experts. They need to be ready for change, which is a certainty, and this will help them to stay one step ahead through realism, not idealism.
Diplomacy
Communicating ideas and navigating difficult conversations is part of day-to-day activities in RTO compliance, and some of those conversations can be extremely testing.
During RTO compliance, you will be talking to different people, from regulators and policymakers to CEOs and managers and, of course, trainers and students. Effective communication is a large and vital part of the job; it is a different set of skills to paperwork, spreadsheets, matrixes and data.
Diplomacy is a common requirement in RTO compliance professionals. In today’s environment, managing students and industry’s expectations requires a diplomatic approach. Meaningful industry connections can’t be built without effective diplomacy.
Last but no least: Empathy
Contrary to what many believe, empathy is an incredibly powerful compliance skill, a key differentiator that helps build a more equitable workload for all within the RTO. Empathy helps people take the wants and needs of others into consideration when making decisions.
Moreover, empathy is a critical leadership skill – it underpins nearly every other skill, and those who know how to manage it efficiently often enjoy increased insight, better critical thinking, and a sharp level of emotional intelligence. Do not forget, ultimately RTO compliance is about organisational behaviour.
Proactivity, diligence, pragmatism, diplomacy and empathy provide foundation skills for RTO compliance professionals. But they are also technical skills you must develop and maintain to be competent at your job. In fact, compliance professionals are always learning new skills and approaches, forming meaningful connections.
At Insources, we are proud to deliver industry specific training opportunities from short webinars to full qualifications, and to provide a platform where meaningful connections and networks are formed during our Conferences, Summits and Bootcamps.
