Compliance Article – Accuracy & Integrity of Marketing

Compliance

RTO Doctor focusses on an area of compliance that appears to be troubling providers each month. 

This month’s focus is regarding the accuracy and integrity of marketing.
The intention behind the standards related to accuracy and integrity of marketing and promotion relate directly back to consumer protection mechanisms and ensuring that the client can make an informed decision about enrolling in your RTO and your courses.  The standards also ensure that all nationally recognised training is clearly distinguishable from non nationally recognised training through the correct use of the NRT and AQF logos.  Compliance against this standard also suggests that your organisation only promotes qualifications that it has on its scope of registration.  For CRICOS providers, this also means that you shouldn’t be marketing & promoting courses on CRICOS until you have received the CRICOS code for the course, even if you’ve had to underpinning application for an extension to scope of registration approved.

To help ensure you’re meeting the requirements of these standards, you might consider:

• Checking your website to:

  • Confirm that all qualifications and courses that you are promoting are currently on your scope of registration;

  • Confirm that the qualifications and courses that you are currently promoting have not been superseded;

  • Confirm that if qualifications and courses have been superseded that admin staff are only enrolling into a new qualification that you have permission to offer;

  • Confirm that the NRT logo is being used consistent with its terms of use;

  • Confirm that the AQF logo is being used consistent with its terms of use;

  • That you are providing all clients and potential clients with all pre-enrolment information as is required by the standards;

• You should also consider ensuring that your social media sites follow the same criteria as your website, they are included as marketing and promotional materials for the purposes of regulatory compliance;

• Ensure that you have permission to use any photographs, images or names in your marketing and promotional materials.  This includes pictures and music for example on your website that should be purchased and are not for free download (Copyright legislation);

• Any flyers, banners, emails, faxes, course handbooks, prospectus’ or third party advertising (such as information you might provide to partnership providers, shared services (for public providers), education agents, job service providers, employer groups) is also your responsibility;

• Have a comprehensive policy and procedure that thoroughly addresses all of your marketing and promotional activities;

• Ensure that whenever you are promoting a nationally recognised qualification or course that you are always quoting the nationally recognised qualification or unit code/s that apply so that clients and potential clients can identify at any time which code it is that you are offering (informed choice).

There are many other ways that your organisation can enhance its compliance against the marketing and promotion standards, these are just some suggestions.  If you are in any doubt, why not contact RTO Doctor today and benefit from our product of the month to have us undertake a mini-website audit of your organisation?