Meeting the 2025 RTO Standards: What You Need to Know About Student Support and Pre-Enrolment Testing
The 2025 Standards for RTOs mark a major shift in how providers support prospective students, especially regarding when and how Language, Literacy, and Numeracy (LLN) and digital capability assessments are conducted.
Historically, many RTOs assessed LLN and digital readiness after enrolment. Under the new standards, these assessments must now occur before enrolment, alongside clearer communication of course information, support services, and obligations.
The goal is to ensure students can make genuinely informed decisions before committing to a training product or incurring costs.
Standard 2.1 requires that all information provided to prospective students is accurate, up-to-date, and accessible—including course duration, mode of delivery, entry requirements, fees, and support services.
Standard 2.2 requires RTOs to assess the suitability of a course for a student based on their current skills—particularly LLN and digital literacy—and to provide relevant advice prior to enrolment.
Standard 2.3 ensures that students have reasonable access to support services, trainers, and other staff throughout their training journey.
The application of these standards must be proportionate to the RTO’s size, delivery model, and course complexity. For example:
- A small, fee-for-service RTO delivering short courses—such as a one-day first aid or two-week barista course—can implement a lightweight online assessment and clearly communicate digital access requirements and learner expectations.
- A larger RTO offering both short courses and longer qualifications—such as a 12-month Certificate III—may adopt a two-tiered system. Quick digital checks and basic LLN screening might suffice for shorter courses, while more thorough pre-enrolment diagnostics are used for higher-stakes programs, backed by structured advice and support planning.
- Public providers such as TAFEs and colleges can draw on their broader infrastructure to establish dedicated pre-enrolment teams. These may include online LLN and digital capability assessments, individual feedback, and proactive student support referrals before the learner formally enrols.
Regardless of scale, all providers must now embed student readiness checks early, avoiding mismatch, enhancing outcomes, and supporting compliance.
The Learning Resources Group LLN Robot and Digital Robot platforms are designed to help RTOs meet these requirements by offering flexible, scalable tools for pre-enrolment testing, analysis, and learner support aligned with the 2025 Standards.
Learn more at: https://tlrg.com.au
