USI Webinar Q&A – 6 December 2017
Reporting
What is the deadline for AVETMISS reporting for 2017?
The collection window for direct reporting of 2017 AVETMISS fee-for-service activity to NCVERopened on 2 January and closes at 5pm on 28 February 2018.
If a student does not have a USI and should have one, do I just leave the USI field blank for AVETMISS?
Students undertaking nationally recognised training are in scope for a USI. Leaving the USI field blank when you submit your reporting will trigger a warning or error (depending on other conditions) within the AVETMISS Validation Software (AVS). State Training Authorities and Regulators monitor the percentage of missing USIs for RTOs.
If you have requested a USI for a student and followed up without success, you must report the field as blank.
You cannot issue an AQF qualification or Statement of Attainment until the student has supplied you with a valid USI that has been verified by you. Doing so contravenes the Student Identifiers Act 2014 and the Standards for RTOs 2015. Collecting and verifying or creating a USI at enrolment and following up quickly with students without a USI is the best way to avoid problems in reporting.
How does the RTO report on a student without a USI,where the course has finished and the student has been unable to complete the course and does not request a Statement ofAttainment?
Most students will provide a USI or give permission for an RTO to retrieve or create a USI for them if requested. RTOs should follow up quickly with students who are unable to provide a USI at enrolment.
All students undertaking nationally recognised training must have a USI, regardless of whether they complete the course or not. Creating or collectingand verifying your students’ USIs at enrolment, before training begins ensures that you are well positioned to meet your reporting requirements,especially if the student withdraws.
I agree students should be able to view the courses as soon as they complete. However, it is going to increase RTO burden due to the heavy workload on a daily basis. Is there a system that can sync the data automatically instead of having to report it manually?
NCVER is investigating the requirements for a renewed, modern and fit-for-purpose national VET information management system that improves quality, timeliness and access.Please see this link for the work that has recently commenced.
In 2018, if the student does not supply their USI:
- Can we issue the certificate?
- How do we record/submit thisif a USI has not been recorded?
- How do we show that we have attempted to contact the student to source the USI?
You cannot issue an AQF qualification or Statement of Attainment until the student has supplied you with a valid USI that has been verified, unless you sight a personal exemption certificate issued by the USI Office. Doing so contravenes the Student Identifiers Act 2014 and the Standards for RTOs 2015. Exemptions are rarely sought by students. If you have requested a USI and followed up, you must report the field as blank.
Leaving the USI field blank when you submit your reporting will trigger a validation warning or error (depending on other conditions)in AVS. RTOs should also be mindful of the requirement of the National VET Data Policy, that comes into effect on 1 January 2018, to make every reasonable effort to collect data compliant with AVETMISS. We recommend you keep evidence of reasonable efforts to collect and verify a USI for each eligible student. It is up to each RTO how they keep a record of attempts made to contact students to source their USI.
What about providers that report directly to their STA but no longer receive state funding and now want to report to NCVER?
RTOs can report fee for service training directly to NCVER. For more information on different ways you can report, see the NCVER‘Where, when and how do I report my AVETMISS data?’ fact sheet.
In alignment with the new National VET Data Policy, NCVER will be developing mechanisms for RTOs to report fee-for-service training activity more frequently in 2018.
Ensure you are signed up for their Data Support Bulletin ( > select Data Support Bulletin from the ‘Our newsletters’ option) to keep abreast of developments.
System
If the student changes their name in the USI portal, do we as the RTO receive this as an automatic update via our Student Management System?
No, the USI Registry System does not push information into Student Management Systems. If you have already collected and verified the USI, your reporting will assign training outcomes to the correct USI.
One of our students has 42 characters in his name on his passport. He was unable to create a USI. What should we do?
If you are creating the USI on behalf of your student, with their permission, you can call the USI Office on 1300 857 536 for assistance.
If the student is creating the USI ,they will need to raise a Help Request (within the Student Portal), and email a copy of their official form of ID. The USI Office can then assist with the creation process.
Can hyphens and apostrophes be included in USI name fields?
Yes, hyphens and apostrophes can be included in the USI name fields, as long as the student has a form of ID that reflects those characters in the name. If the ID has characters that seem not to be accepted by the USI system, call us on 1300 857 536.
If the preferred name option is now available, when verifying a USI through an SMS, will we be able to verify using the preferred name? If so, would this be USI system related or would the provider of the SMS have to create that ability in their system?
No, USIs must be verified against the student’s legal name, not the preferred name. The preferred names are available to assist the student to retrieve their USI and improve Organisation Portal USI searches.
There is an issue with people from overseas/working holiday visa, creating USIs. It seems to relate to where the USI system verifies its information to create the USI. Mostly around town of birth and stuff. This is really hard for people from other countries to deal with. They need to be able to create a USI to get certification but the system doesn't allow them to very easily.
An overseas student in Australia (on an Australian visa) will generally need to create their USI using their non-Australian passportbut they can use another acceptable Australian ID, such as an Australian driver licence if they have one. The most common issue we encounter is where international students or RTOs attempt to create a USI before the student has entered Australia. International passport information is only stored and available for verifications once students enter Australia. More information on creating a USI using a non-Australian passport can be found here.
Where can I find the ‘Locate USI’ tool? Is it on the USI verification portal?
If you are accessing the USI Registry system via the Organisation Portal, click on the ‘Existing USI Search’ tile. If you are using your own student management system and connect to the USI Registry System via webservices, you will need to use the ‘Locate USI’ function within your SMS. Both do a similar search. Remember that using the 'Locate USI' function requires the USI Account Holders permission and will generate a text message or email notifying them that your RTO has searched for their USI. More information is available here.
Transcripts
It would be great if once a student has given an RTO permission to verify a USI that this permission to access transcripts is given at the same time.
RTOs do not require consent to verify a USI supplied by a student, but student consent for an RTO to search for or locate a USI is given outside of the USI system because it normally occurs when the student is unaware of, or is not able to access, their USI account.
A student is able to grant permission to their RTO to view their personal details, update their personal details and/or view their USI transcript by logging into their account and selecting the ‘Provide your USI’ tile. Students can turn this access on and off at any time. They can do it at your enrolment desk, but they must access the USI system themselves to do so.
What do we do with students who have not paid the relevant fees for training? We do not provide them with the written Statement of Attainment as they have not paid, but they will then receive their USI transcript without having paid?
Transcripts display data reported using AVETMISS. AVETMISShas no provision to record payment status for reported training or to block or unblock display of training outcomes based on payment status.
The Transcript will record any outcomes for nationally recognised training that the RTO has reported. RTOs with substantial non-payment issues may wish to consider collecting fees due before they complete training and report a completed outcome. We recommend RTOs note the provisions of Standard 3.3 for RTOs.
Does the USI transcript meet ASQA's requirement/equivalent to a certified Credential for the purpose of 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 RTO as a true record of the training undertaken by the student since 2015, including completions and non-completions. As such, a student’s USI transcript accessed directly online by the RTO is a valid way to authenticate the training undertaken by a student, comparable to calling the issuing RTO.
The Australian 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 now identifies ‘authenticated VET transcripts issued by the Registrar’ as evidence of credit to learners for units of competency and/or modules.
Notifications
Is there a way for students to click a button to send a notification to RTOs of any changes that they make? I can't see all students notifying of changes.
Students can log into the Student Portal and email their USI verification details to any email address they wish. Prompting students to do this is a good way to ensure details entered in an enrolment form match the relevant USI details.
We often have family members using one email to set up multiple USIs - would it be possible in the future for this to work or if it can’t, a message that could remind students about this?
An email address entered as a contact detail in the USI systemmust be unique because it can be used to recover the USI. Individuals who have only a shared email address can leave out their shared email address and use alternative contact details such as a mobile phone number or postal address. Please refer to this FAQ for more information.
Can the USI system store a second (parent/guardian) mobile number and send a notification to this contact for students under 18?
There is currently no option to add a second mobile number for a parent/guardian. However, if a parent is unsure whether a USI has been created for their child, and the child cannot recall it either, use the ‘Find my USI’ function via the USI website. Students can also send USI verification details to any email address, including one for their parents, through their USI account.
Reporting Codes
When we ran our data test, the group of participants who are classified as INTOFF came up as an error saying we needed to have 99 in the state. Is this new?
Yes, this is a new rule for AVETMISSRelease 8 for activity from 2018. If you use INTOFF,it checks that you have OSPC for the postcode and if you have OSPC as the postcode, you must have ‘99’ in the state field.INTOFF is only for delivery occurring ‘offshore’. International students studying in Australia require a USI.
If previous students who graduated in 2013 now have an expired visa because they went back to their home country and askedfor a reissue of their testamur, how can they provide their USI? Could we insert the INTOFF code to exempt from printing the USI on the testamur?
The USI Scheme commenced on 1 January 2015, and therefore does not apply to students who graduated in 2013. You can re-issue a testamur for that student for any study completed before 2015.
A USI must not be printed on the testamur. Section 3 of Schedule 5 to the Standards for RTOs explicitly states that a USI must NOT appear on testamurs issued by RTOs.
The INTOFF code in AVETMISS must only be used in place of a USI for international students who do not come to Australia to study as they are exempt from the USI scheme. If you do not capture a USI for an international student who studies in Australia you must report a blank entry for USI.
Form of ID
At times we have had students provide us with ID, but when trying to create a USI, the form of ID was not recognised by the system. What can we do? We have asked for Driver Licence and Medicare Card.
Most USIs are successfully created using a Driver Licence or Medicare Card. The most common reason for failure is not entering the details as shown on the card because the student is accustomed to using a variation of their name not shown on their ID. In some cases, the ID presented is expired/not current. In very rare circumstances valid IDs may fail to verify even when details have been carefully matched.
Please refer to these FAQs on Driver’s Licence and Medicare Card for helpful hints.
I'm just wondering if there is a reason why the Medicare card as aform of identification does not always work even though we have all matching information. As we are an RTO who focuses on training students living with a disability, this is our main source of identification for these students.
The most common reason for verification failure is entry of non-matching details, but in very rare circumstances an ID may not verify even when details have been carefully matched. Please see ourFAQ on verifying your student’s ID with a Medicare Card for helpful hints. If issues persist, contact the USI Office directly on 1300 857 536 for further assistance.
Duplicate USI
I have come across a few students who have more than one USI number. This is because either they or someone on their behalf creates a new USI for them when they already have one. May I suggest making it mandatory for students to provide extra details such as place of birth, driver's license details, phone numbers and email addresses? This would help to identify each person more accurately, especially if there are two or more people with the same name and date of birth. I would also suggest that communication goes out to RTOs to encourage them to search for the student's USI number first before creating a new one, in case the student already has a USI but just can't remember.
Duplicate USIs are rare. RTOs and students are encouraged to contact the USI Office immediately if they encounter a duplicate USI.
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 including most of those suggested above and others. 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.
With more and more students now having a USI account, we strongly encourage RTOs to always check with enrollingstudents firstto 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.
Before creating a new USI for a student we recommend that RTOs ask if they have enrolled in training since 2015, even if they did not complete the training and then to ask their permission to check for an existing USI using the Existing USI Search/Locate USI functions.
The Duplicate USIs webpage contains some helpful information.
AVS/Validation
When reporting, does the NCVER validation pick up on any information already reported?
If you report quarterly, via State Training Authorities, you need to report all your data from quarter 1 each time. By the end of the year, you will be reporting data from January to December that year.
When do the AVS Verifications start requiring AVETMIS 8.0 data?
AVETMISS release 8 is required for training undertaken in 2018. If you report regularly to State Training Authorities, then you will need to ensure that your first submission to them for 2018 activity is in Release 8 format. Note that 2017 reporting is under Release 7.0.