As a nationally Registered Training Organisation (RTO), Interlink Training is required to maintain registration with the national regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA).

After our last extension to registration in 2016, our RTO status was due to end on 29th June 2023. Interlink applied to the regulator for re-registration and we are happy to announce that ASQA have chosen to extend our registration to June 2030!

As part of the registration process, Interlink Training must follow the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015. Compliance with the standards is broad, but in brief covers all areas of running an RTO such as marketing, enrolment, student support and progression, training and assessment, student completion and regulatory compliance and governance practice.

To complete the process of extending our RTO registration, Interlink’s National Quality and Compliance Manager conducted a thorough review on our policies and process to ensure the standards were followed. As part of this assessment, and based on our past excellent performance, ASQA made the uncommon decision of extending our registration without a full external audit.

As well as having a dedicated team to ensure compliance with the standards, Interlink Training also has a continuous improvement policy that takes on feedback from all relevant stakeholders, be it customers, staff, management or the government. To ensure a quality product, our staff complete regular professional development, our trainers maintain industry currency and our training packages are validated by both employers and peak industry bodies.

If you would like to speak with us about how we can exceed your training needs, please contact us.

Please be advised the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements wage subsidy program has now closed.

In late March 2022, the Department of Education, Skills and Employment announced an extension for registering for the Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements (BAC) wage subsidy program. This program aims to support employers in engaging new apprentices and trainees.

Since introduced in October 2020, the BAC wage subsidy has helped over 73,000 business support over 300,000 apprentices and trainees. The extension to the program is hoping to enable another 35,000 apprentices and trainees get into a job and get them qualified.

If eligible, any employer who takes on an apprentice or trainee up until 30 June 2022 can gain access to:

• 50 per cent of the eligible Australian Apprentice’s wages in the first year, capped at a maximum payment value of $7,000 per quarter per Australian Apprentice,
• 10 per cent of the eligible Australian Apprentice’s wages in the second year, capped at a maximum payment value of $1,500 per quarter per Australian Apprentice, and
• 5 per cent of the eligible Australian Apprentice’s wages in the third year, capped at a maximum payment value of $750 per quarter per Australian Apprentice.

Eligible apprentices and trainees must be undertaking a Certificate II or higher qualification and have a training contract that is formally approved by the relevant state training authority.

Interlink offers various eligible qualifications including:

• Certificate II in Arboriculture (AHC20520)
• Certificate III in Arboriculture (AHC30820)
• Certificate II in Horticulture (AHC20416)
• Certificate III in Horticulture (AHC30716)
• Certificate II in ESI – Powerline Vegetation Control (UET20321)

For more information, see this fact sheet or contact an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) provider.

After another year faced with uncertainty thanks to Covid-19, we are pleased to have borders reopened to our western neighbours.

We’ve taken this opportunity for our CEO and National Training Manager to visit WA to catch up with our clients and to present our award for Employer of the Year 2021.

Congratulations to Beaver Tree Services. Not only have they been dedicated to the training and development of their own employees but others from the industry as well – as border closures limited our current plans on opening a permanent training site in WA, Beavers have gone above and beyond allowing us to use their facilities to train our WA participants.

Special thanks to Paul, Joe, Cherie and everyone at Beaver Tree Services.

Steve, Paul and Joe

Sam and Cherie

Did you complete training with us in 2020? If so, you may be invited to participate in the National 2020 Student Outcomes Survey, Australia’s largest survey of VET students.

Check your mobile, email or letter box for your survey invitation from the SOS team. To complete the survey, click on the link in your survey invitation or go to www.ncver.edu.au/sos/login and enter the login code provided.

Completing this survey will help to improve training courses and programs, and help students like yourself to make better decisions about their training options.

Make sure to complete your survey early for more chances to WIN a share of the prize draw! Invitations will be sent to eligible students from June 2021.

For more about the 2020 Student Outcomes Survey, including what information is collected and how survey responses will be reported, you can read the FAQs here: www.ncver.edu.au/sos.

Interlink Training can be contacted online or by calling us on 1300 731 669.