The National VET Data Policy – Revised FAQs
The new National VET Data Policy (the Policy) came into effect on 1 January 2018. As a result of RTO enquiries since then, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) have been updated to provide more information, especially around Schedule 1 (Minimum mandatory content for inclusion in a Privacy Notice and Student Declaration).
The most up-to-date FAQs are available on the Commonwealth Department of Education and Training’s website. Further enquiries regarding the Policy should be sent to the VET-DataPolicy@education.gov.au mailbox.
Changes to the USI Creation process screens – Fact Sheets and Instructional Videos now available
As advised in the last Bulletin, the USI Office rolled out a series of system enhancements in March which resulted in changes to the ‘Create USI’ process in both the USI Organisation and Student Portals. Updated fact sheets and short instructional videos for your students and staff are now available on the USI website.
Download them, save them and share them with your colleagues or link to them from your website!
Fact Sheets
- Student Quick Guide for students creating their own USI
- Creating a USI for a student using the Organisation Portal for RTOs creating USIs on behalf of their students.
Instructional Videos
- How to create a USI for students creating their own USI
- How to create a USI on behalf of another person – This video is specifically for other individuals (who are not RTOs) who are creating a USI on behalf of a student
Duplicate USIs – Using the Existing USI Search/Locate USI functions correctly
With more and more students now having a USI account, we strongly encourage RTOs to always check with enrolling students to establish whether they already have a USI. It is very likely that any person who has enrolled in nationally recognised training since 2015 will have a USI, even if they don’t remember it.
When creating a USI, the USI Registry System will check existing accounts and advise if that student has an existing USI. The checking algorithm uses a range of data fields to help identify potential duplicates. This process has recently been updated to use more sophisticated data-matching techniques. Duplicates can occur if enough details are legitimately changed or in some cases left out or poorly entered.
Before creating a new USI for a student we recommend that you ask their permission to check for an existing USI for them just in case. You can do this by using the Existing USI Search/Locate USI functions.
It is important to note that whilst you are encouraged to use the Existing USI Search/Locate USI functions to check if a student already has a USI, you must not use these functions as an auditing tool for your records. Remember, having access to their information is not the same as having their consent or permission to search for their USI. Please be aware that if you successfully locate a student’s USI using these functions, a notification will be sent to the student.
Duplicate USIs are rare. If you or your student encounter a duplicate USI, you should contact the USI Office immediately as we can resolve it quickly.
Making Privacy More Transparent
Are you on top of your privacy obligations? Make sure you are by reading the next edition of our privacy e-newsletter, TRANSPARENT.
The April 2018 edition focuses on the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), what you need to know about privacy policies and good privacy practices when maintaining and collecting USIs and associated personal information. Read the April 2018 edition now
If you missed the December 2017 edition of TRANSPARENT, you can access it anytime from the USI website. There is no need to subscribe to TRANSPARENT – you will automatically receive notification of each new edition published via the USI Bulletin.
