Audit Outcomes for CPCWHS1001 Construction Safety
TAC’s 2023-2025 Strategy identified the White Card unit as a risk to VET quality, prompting targeted audits that confirmed widespread non-compliance and led to increased regulatory scrutiny.
Every two years, the Training Accreditation Council (TAC/the Council) publishes a Strategy that informs stakeholders about the priorities the Council has identified as posing risks to the quality of vocational education and training (VET) during the period, and the planned regulatory action to monitor and minimise those risks.
The Council’s Focus on Quality: TAC Regulatory Strategy 2023-2025 (the Strategy) identified the unit of competency CPCWHS1001 Prepare to work safely in the construction industry (the unit) that leads to the Construction and Induction Training Card (the White Card) as a specific area of focus.
The White Card is critical in ensuring safety in the construction industry, and stakeholders raised concerns related to:
- the quality of training and assessment practices;
- trainer and assessor vocational competencies; and
- use of online delivery and engagement of learners.
The Council’s Strategy specified:
- monitoring audits of registered training organisations (RTOs) with the unit CPCWHS1001 Prepare to work safely in the construction industry on scope of registration would be undertaken over the period of the Strategy; and
- applications to add the unit of competency CPCWHS1001 Prepare to work safely in the construction industry on scope of registration would require an audit.
Audits focused on assessment, student location, authenticity particularly where the unit is delivered online, vocational competency of trainers and assessors, and amount of training.
Overall results from the audits of RTOs were concerning. Findings confirmed that industry concerns appeared to be justified as there were multiple issues in relation to the quality of training and assessment.
The non-compliances identified at main audit included amount of training provided to learners, and insufficient industry engagement to ensure relevance of training and assessment practices. The non-compliances can be referred to clauses within the 2015 Standards for Registered Training Organisations as follows:
- strategies consistent with training package requirements (Clauses 1.1);
- amount of training determined by learner’s skills and experience and mode of delivery (Clause 1.2);
- assessment practices (Clause 1.8); and
- complies with legislation and regulatory requirements (Clause 8.5).
Based on the non-compliances identified, the Council recommends that RTOs with the unit of competency CPCWHS1001 Prepare to work safely in the construction industry on their scope of registration, review their operations on an ongoing basis to ensure that:
- the amount of training meets the requirements for the unit of competency and in particular, demonstrates the amount of training provided to the learner accounts for the learner’s existing skills knowledge, and experience;
- have evidence of industry engagement to ensure the relevance of training and assessment practices;
- all trainers hold the required qualifications to assess the unit of competency.
- assessment tasks and associated assessor documentation address the requirements of the unit of competency CPCWHS1001 Prepare to work safely in the construction industry and meet the principles of assessment and the rules of evidence;
- multiple choice questions provide a comprehensive evaluation of a learner’s knowledge;
- foundation skills are mapped;
- practical assessments have observation criteria for assessors to use in determining whether students demonstrate requirements correctly;
- the entire unit of competency is mapped, including foundations skills, and any range of conditions, to ensure complete coverage of all assessment requirements; and
- the most current version of the legislation is referenced in training and assessment.
The Council will continue to engage with WorkSafe, Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, to ensure early detection of industry concerns regarding quality and ongoing monitoring of the sector.
RTOs are reminded that a number of helpful resources are available on the TAC Website to assist with their obligations.
https://www.wa.gov.au/government/announcements/tac-special-bulletin-report-the-outcomes-of-audits-of-cpcwhs1001-prepare-work-safely-the-construction-industry