Extended transition period: Advanced Diploma, Diploma of Accounting qualifications

The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) has approved an extension to the transition period for the FNS50215 Diploma of Accounting and FNS60215 Advanced Diploma of Accounting.

The qualifications were superseded in February 2018 by the FNS50217 Diploma of Accounting and FNS60217 Advanced Diploma of Accounting, which are not equivalent. As a result, current learners were initially given until 12 February 2019 to complete their training and assessment.

However, learners transitioning to the replacement qualifications must meet additional entry requirements. This would genuinely disadvantage any learners in the superseded qualifications who are unable to complete the qualifications by 12 February 2019.

As such, ASQA has agreed to an extended training, assessment and certification issuance period for these qualifications, which will end on 12 February 2020.

ASQA, the national vocational education and training (VET) regulator, is empowered in certain circumstances to approve transition periods longer than those detailed in Clauses 1.26 (a), (b) and (c) of the Standards for Registered Training Providers (RTOs) 2015.

ASQA considers applications for a longer transition period where it can be demonstrated that there would be genuine disadvantage to a cohort of learners if such an extension was not approved.

Where ASQA has approved an extended transition period, that arrangement applies to all RTOs delivering the specific training product to the identified learner cohort (e.g. plumbing apprentices in a specific jurisdiction where the qualification has been superseded), regardless of who made the application.