What is a recognised qualification?

Australia offers many different qualifications, and it’s beneficial to understand the differences between them to decide on the right course for you.

Here at Upskilled, we strive to provide a superior learning experience every day, helping our students gain the skills required to achieve their personal and professional dreams in a competitive global market.

To do this, we offer a wide range of qualifications, with the vast majority of them being nationally recognised. However, some of them are simply short courses designed to supplement your knowledge and are not considered ‘nationally recognised qualifications’.

Let’s examine a ‘recognised qualification’, a short course, and what it means to hold one.

What’s a recognised qualification?

A recognised qualification is a course recognised and taught to the same standard all over Australia. Nationally recognised courses are VET Accredited by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). This means a nationally recognised qualification is the same, no matter where you earn it. This guarantees employers that the qualifications listed on your resume are quality assured. A recognised qualification will be valuable (and recognised) anywhere within Australia.

To teach a recognised qualification here at Upskilled, we must meet various standards as defined by ASQA. This means a nationally recognised qualification is the same, no matter where it’s earned. Employers anywhere in Australia are thus guaranteed that the qualification listed on your resume is quality-assured.

How do I know if a course is nationally recognised?

They are assigned a number of nationally recognised qualifications. When advertised by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), like Upskilled, this number appears in the course title or description.

For instance, the course code for Certificate III in Information Technology is ICT30120. These numbers change over time as qualifications are added, removed or updated. You can find every recognised qualification and its course code by searching here.

What’s the difference between a recognised qualification and a short course?

Most of Upskilled’s offerings are nationally recognised qualifications, but we also offer short courses that do not fall under this category. Some short courses are not nationally recognised, but this is neither good nor bad. It just means the course isn’t listed on the national register.

For example, our 8-week Social Media Short Course was developed with experts in the field, giving our students access to leading information in the social media marketing profession. We also offer a nationally recognised Diploma of Social Media Marketing, which is delivered over a 12-month period.

Thus, the difference between these courses is their length, the amount of content delivered, and their design. The design of our diploma was written under specific VET Standards, while our short course was developed independently by industry experts. Short courses are a great, fast way to supplement your learning, boost your skillset and equip you with the abilities you need to succeed in a particular job role or interest.

Accreditation at Upskilled

In order to maintain our status as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), we at Upskilled must meet the Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations (SNR), which are assessed by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). By maintaining our status as a leading RTO, we can offer you quality assurance and the peace of mind that you are receiving nationally consistent, high-quality vocational education and training.