Glossary of terms
Access and equity refers to the policies and approaches which ensure that vocational education and training are responsive to the diverse needs of all clients. Through the implementation of these policies and approaches, the benefits of participating in vocational education and training are available to everyone on an equitable basis including women if they are under-represented, people with a disability, people from non-English-speaking backgrounds, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians, and rural and remote learners.
Accreditation is the formal recognition of a course by the relevant state or territory’s course-accrediting body, in line with the standards for state and territory registering/course-accrediting bodies.
Accredited course is a structured sequence of vocational education and training that has been accredited and leads to a qualification from the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) or a statement of attainment.
Apprenticeship refers to a system of training which combines on-the-job training and work experience while you are in paid employment with formal, off-the-job training. Apprenticeships generally take three to four years to complete and are part of the Australian Apprenticeships system.
Articulation is a process by which the successful completion of a course by you through Wodonga Institute is acknowledged at a higher-education (university) level, granting exemption into a related university course.
Assessment guidelines are an endorsed component of a training package. They underpin assessment and set out the industry approach to valid, reliable, flexible, and fair assessment. Assessment guidelines include:
- an overview of the assessment system
- requirements of assessors
- information about how to design assessments
- information about how to conduct assessments
- sources of information about assessment.
Assessment is the process of collecting evidence and making judgements about whether competency has been achieved, to confirm that a person can perform to the standard expected in the workplace, as expressed in the relevant endorsed industry/enterprise competency standards or the learning outcomes of an accredited course.
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is the governing body for all tertiary training courses in Australia.
Credit transfer refers to the transfer of credits from one TAFE course to another TAFE course, a university degree, or further education. A credit transfer can reduce the duration of your studies.
Distance mode/distance study (also referred to as external studies) refers to a mode of education in which students who are enrolled in a course do not attend the institution but study off campus and may submit assignments by mail or email.
Flexible delivery/flexible learning refers to a range of approaches that provide education and training, giving learners greater choice of when, where, and how they learn. Flexible learning may involve studying by distance, mixed-mode delivery, online education, self-paced learning, or self-directed learning.
Nationally-accredited course is one that has been recognised and approved at a national level, and is accepted anywhere in Australia.
Off campus is an alternative term for distance education, meaning that attendance at Wodonga Institute is not required.
Off site refers to training that is provided at locations other than Wodonga Institute (for example, at your workplace) and does not require you to attend normal classes on campus (for example, you may study instead by distance education).
On campus means that you are required to attend on-campus classes at Wodonga Institute.
Online learning or training is conducted via a computer network, for example, using the internet and the world wide web, a local area network (LAN), or an intranet.
Pathways refers to a student’s ability to progress through the levels of courses available in a field, for example, from the Certificate IV in Business to the Diploma of Business to the Advanced Diploma of Business. There are also pathways from TAFE to university.
Pre-apprenticeship courses are also called pre-traineeships. These are courses which provide initial training in a particular industry or occupation. Successful completion of such a course may help you to gain an apprenticeship or a traineeship. They can also reduce the term of an apprentice’s training agreement.
Pre-vocational education prepares you for work and includes counselling about career choices, training in general work skills and habits, and work experience.
Program refers to the training you are undertaking which may be a whole course or part of a course.
Qualification refers to the formal certification, issued by a registered training organisation under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), that a person has achieved all the requirements for a qualification as specified in a nationally-endorsed training package or in an AQF-accredited course.
Recognition of current competency (RCC) means that you may need to be re-assessed against a qualification you already have, to make sure that your competence is current.
Recognition of prior learning (RPL) is a process that matches the skills and knowledge you already have against the course you want to do, to provide you with credits or exemptions so that you do not have to repeat the study. At Wodonga TAFE, the outcome of this process is recorded as either ‘skill recognition successful’ (SRS) or ‘skill recognition unsuccessful’ (SRU).
School-based apprenticeship is one that is commenced while you are still at secondary school. It reduces the time you will need when you finish school to complete the apprenticeship.
Self-paced learning is learning that is undertaken at your own pace.
Short courses of vocational education and training do not usually lead to a full qualification. A statement of attainment may be issued if you successfully complete a short course.
Statement of attainment is a record of recognised learning which, although falling short of a qualification from the Australian Qualifications Framework, may contribute towards a qualification outcome, either as an attainment of competencies in a training package, partial completion of a course leading to a qualification, or completion of a nationally-accredited short course which may accumulate towards a qualification through the recognition of prior learning process.
TAFE refers to technical and further education.
Traineeship is a system of vocational training that combines off-the-job training through an approved training provider with on-the-job training and practical work experience through an employer. Traineeships generally take one to two years to complete and are a part of the Australian Apprenticeships system.
Unit of competency is the specification of knowledge and skill and the application of that knowledge and skill to the standard of performance expected in the workplace.
Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning (VCAL) is an alternative to the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).
Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) is the standard qualification for entry into many tertiary courses.
Victorian Tertiary Admissions Centre (VTAC) is a centralised admissions centre for most undergraduate university and TAFE courses in Victoria.
Vocational education and training (VET) refers to post-compulsory education and training that provides people with occupational or work-related knowledge and skills. Excluded are degrees and higher-level programs that are delivered by institutions of higher education.