VRQA guide to accreditation of courses with areas of potential high risk
Background
The VRQA regularly assesses the potential risk of courses as part of the course concept proposal process. Courses may be classified as low, medium or high risk. Course developers must ensure that all courses and qualifications submitted for accreditation address occupational health and safety risks in a relevant and appropriate manner. Courses assessed as high risk must meet additional requirements.
What courses are seen ashaving areas of potential high risk?
Qualifications and courseswith areas of potential high risk are defined by the VRQA as thosewhere there is a risk of potential physical or mental harm to course participants during the training period, or associated with the vocational outcomes, for example a course where the outcomes require the use of hazardous substances in the workplace, or working with equipment that has the potential to cause injury.
Qualifications and courses considered by the VRQA as having areas of potential high risk include those which involveany of the following:
- penetration of the skin
- possible invasive treatments
- risk of infection
- physical manipulation
- serious contra-indications may apply
- treatments that deal with or may impact on the mental or emotional health of a client
- possible financial impact on a client
- first aid treatments
- working in a dangerous or hazardous environment
- working with equipment that has the potential to cause injury
- working with animals
- working with children
What should you do if you wish to accredit a course that might fall into the potential high risk category?
1Course concept proposal
You should submit aCourse Concept Proposalapplication formto the VRQA and provide all the required information. The VRQA has general requirements for allcourse concept proposals for a course or qualification. You may download the course concept proposal application form from the VRQA website. The VRQA will consider each course on a case by case basis.
If the VRQA decides that the proposed course has the potential to be of high risk,how the risk is mitigated must be addressed and evidence provided in the course document. The VRQA may ask you to provide further information to assist in its assessment of the course concept proposal and the final course documentation.
2The accreditation submission
The VRQA has general requirements for all courses that comply with the AQTF Standards.Templates for accreditation submissions may be downloaded from the VRQA website.
Courses designated as having areas of potential high risk mustinclude a completed Risk AssessmentForm, which has been considered by the project steering committee members and signed by the Chairperson of the project steering committee. The signed Risk Assessment Form must be includedin the supporting documentation submitted with the course accreditation documentation.
3Maintenance of the course
The VRQA has general requirements for the maintenance of all courses. A condition of accreditation for all state accredited courses is that copyright holders will monitor the course during the period of accreditation and that they will notify the VRQA of significant changes, such as any change to structure, duration, or change in the selection of units which should be made on advice from industry. This includes any change to skill and knowledge outcomes of units. A course may also be expired if it is replaced by a Training Package qualification.No additional requirements apply to courses with areas of potential high risk.
VRQA guide to accreditation of courses with areas of potential high risk V5.00 October 2017 Page 1 of 2