VET transcripts – information for training organisations

Being able to view transcripts can help with:

• enrolments
• credit transfers
• entitlement assessments
• troubleshooting transcript queries.

Follow the steps below to ensure you and your staff are familiar with the USI Transcript Service. 

Do you have access to the USI Organisation Portal?

Registered Training Organisations can only access the USI Transcript Service via the USI Organisation Portal, not through a Student Management System.

Follow the step by step guide to access the USI Registry System.

Once system access is granted, you will need to have a Digital Identity and be authorised through Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) to act on behalf of your organisation.

Do you have student permission to access VET transcripts?

You must have permission from students to access their VET Transcript. Find out more about permissions.

Are you registered for NCVER’s AVETMISS Validation Software (AVS)?

To access the USI Transcript Update Tool, you must be registered for AVS.

The web based AVETMISS Validation Software (AVS) is a file validation and data submission system designed for Registered Training Organisations (RTO) and agencies to:

• provide data to the national VET collections
• submit USI transcript additions
• register nil returns for a collection period.

If you submit AVETMISS data directly to NCVER, you are registered to use AVS.

Those submitting via state training authorities and boards of studies may not already be registered.

Follow the instructions on the NCVER website to register.

Are you familiar with the USI Transcript Update Tool?

The USI Transcript Update Tool allows you to make corrections to data previously reported by you to the national VET collections. 

The Tool allows you to edit, add or delete records, in cases where there have been reporting errors.

Updated information will be reflected in the student’s VET Transcript and training organisations must notify their students once confirmation has been received from NCVER that a correction has been made.

Your RTO can only use the USI Transcript Update Tool to update your students’ training activity for past collections.

The USI Transcript Update Tool does not allow you to edit or add records which have an Activity Start Date within the current collection year. These records should be corrected/added in the next VET data collection via usual AVETMISS reporting mechanisms.

While we provide clear information to students on what is included and excluded from their VET transcript, some students may request changes which you cannot make (eg changes to training delivered by another RTO. 

If you are not able to make the requested changes, you can suggest to the student that they use their qualification/statement of attainment as proof of their VET.

Do you know what should be in a VET transcript?

A VET Transcript includes:

• full name of the USI account holder
• name of all the nationally recognised VET qualifications completed since 2015 and the training organisations that issued them
• name of all units of competency in which the individual enrolled and the outcomes (for example, whether the competency was achieved or not)
• the RTO/s that delivered the training
• the date the training commenced and completed
• an indication of whether individuals paid for their own training, or received training that was subsidised by the government.

Sample of a VET Transcript

RTOs are the first point of contact for student inquiries regarding queries about their VET Transcript, so it is important that you and your staff are prepared for inaccurate transcript queries.

Inaccurate or incomplete VET transcripts 

There may be occasions where some information on a VET transcript is inaccurate or incomplete. Find out more about inaccurate or incomplete VET transcripts.

Do you know your reporting obligations?

You can avoid being non-compliant by:

• collecting, verifying or creating USIs on behalf of your students at enrolment 
• following up quickly on any problems with collecting, verifying or creating USIs so you don’t lose contact with your students, especially international students studying onshore
• investigating and addressing any warnings you might receive when you are submitting your AVETMISS data.

If you are unsure about the process, contact us on 1300 857 536 or usi@usi.gov.au

Questions about AVETMISS reporting requirements or AVS or the USI Transcript Update Tool should be directed to NCVER.

Do you inform students about the benefits of giving you permission to view their VET transcript?

You will benefit from having permission to view a student’s transcript for the purpose of:

• enrolment
• assessing credit transfers
• conducting entitlement assessments
• troubleshooting transcript errors.

It is optional for students and they can remove or modify permissions at any time.

Can the VET transcript be used for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Credit Transfer?

A student’s USI transcript contains training outcome data submitted to the national collection by the student’s Registered Training Organisation(RTO) as a true record of the training undertaken by the student since 2015. This includes completions and non-completions.

A student’s VET transcript accessed directly online by the RTO is a valid way to authenticate the training undertaken by a student. This action is the equivalent of phoning the issuing RTO.

The Australian’s Skills Quality Authority has updated the Users’ Guide to the Standards for RTOs 2015 which provides helpful information and tips for compliance. Clause 3.5 of the Guide now identifies ‘authenticated VET transcripts issued by the Registrar’ as evidence of credit to learners for units of competency and/or modules.

Training organisations can only access, download and save a VET transcript through the USI Organisation Portal and they must have the student’s permission.

• login to the USI Organisation Portal
• select ‘View Transcript’
• enter the USI of the student who has provided you with permission to view their VET transcript
• download the VET transcript or download and save the VET transcript.

Students can provide training organisations with permission through the ‘Manage Permissions’ settings in their USI account.

Privacy obligations

Registered Training Organisation must ensure the security of USIs and all related documentation under your their control, including information stored in your Student Management Systems. Find out more about privacy.

• training organisations must have access to the USI Organisation Portal to view VET transcripts
• transcripts cannot be accessed from a Student Management System
• if the student’s USI account is not activated, the training organisation will not be able to view their transcript
• once the student has activated their USI account, they can give permission to their training organisation to view their transcript for a specified period of time. Students can also modify permissions at any time.
• training organisations will only be able to view the VET transcript of a student who has logged into their USI account and granted permission to the organisation to view their VET transcript.

The following online verification details will be included at the bottom of the VET transcript:

• a unique URL link with an alpha-numeric document number for third parties to securely view an online version of the downloaded VET transcript
• the date the downloaded VET transcript will expire.

The PDF transcript can be shared electronically (via email) or printed and provided as a hardcopy to a third party. The recipient of the VET transcript can use the unique URL link and alpha-numeric document number to verify the VET transcript online.

Third party verification must take place before the expiry date selected by the student.

Students can create more than one VET transcript at a time with different training records on each transcript.

Follow these steps to view the VET transcript online as a third party:

• click on the unique URL link at the bottom of the electronic PDF (or manually enter the URL into a browser)
• when the Authenticated Transcript screen appears, enter:
  • the student’s full name as it appears on the transcript in the Name field
  • the unique alpha-numeric document number in the Document Number field.
• read and agree to the privacy terms and conditions, then select View Transcript to view an authenticated online version of the transcript
• when the third party has viewed the VET transcript online, the student is notified either by email, SMS or letter (this will be determined based on how the student has chosen to receive notifications from the Office of the Student Identifiers Registrar)
• where a third party attempts to view an online VET transcript after the expiry date or after the student cancelled it, the third party will not be able to view it and will receive a system message that the VET transcript is no longer available.

Privacy obligations

Training organisations must ensure the security of USIs and all related documentation under their control, including information stored in Student Management Systems. Find out more about privacy.

Find out more about accessing the USI Organisation Portal.

Please note that students can create a transcript extract. Training organisations cannot.

VET transcripts are drawn from the data submitted to the national VET collections held by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

Training organisations can make corrections to the information stored in the national VET collections using the NCVER USI Transcript Update Tool. This tool is managed by NCVER.

Training organisations can use the NCVER USI Transcript Update Tool to:

• add a missing USI
• add training against a USI that had not been submitted to the national VET collections
• fix an incorrect course or unit
• fix an incorrect training outcome which was incorrect at the time of reporting.

Login to your organisation’s AVETMISS Validation Software (AVS) account.

The AVTEMISS Validation Software (AVS) should be linked to the following: https://avs.ncver.edu.au/avs/.

If you do not already have an account, register for AVS with NCVER.

For assistance, contact the NCVER Client Support team on: 1800 649 452.

The USI Transcript Update Tool is not a substitute for AVETMISS reporting. It is only used for updating VET transcript errors and omissions outside the normal collection window periods.

To ensure the student’s data remains consistent, any updates/changes made with the USI Transcript Update Tool, must also be updated/changed in the training organisation’s Student Management System (SMS).

Important facts:

• if you are already registered to use AVS, ensure that your account has the correct user roles
• the VET Regulator(s) may be notified of any updates you make
• for updates made to state funded or VET in schools training activity, email confirmation will also be sent to the relevant administering State Training Authority or Board of Studies
• email confirmation from NCVER advising that your updates have been applied may take a few days
• only Data Submitters, Primary Contacts and Organisation Administrators have the right to make a VET transcript update
• training organisations must be registered with AVS to be able to access the USI Transcript Update Tool. Registration is open to all training organisations and is free
• you cannot edit or delete details of another training organisation
• training organisations must advise their student when the update has been made

Get help with the USI Transcript Update Tool.