Navy has has come up trumps, gaining recognition for a high level of compliance and performance after being audited against the requirements of the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF).

When the Lead Auditor presented his report to Navy Training Authorities he noted Navy is among the top 5 per cent Nationally Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in terms of its compliance and continuous improvement processes.

Navy stood out from other similar sized RTOs in terms of its commitment to, and action in “getting things right” and importantly being a “low risk” organisation.

The auditing process is undertaken by the ACT Accreditation and Registration Council (ACT ARC), and reviews all Navy training as part of an ongoing threeyear rolling program of external audits.

Additional benefits flowing from the auditing process include helping ensure Navy training incorporates and retains best practices. The way in which Navy and Defence trains and educates its people is, and will remain, a key factor in determining the level and sustainability of Defence capability.

For this reason Defence education and training has been aligned more closely with the National Training Framework - a body incorporating Higher Education, Adult Education, and in particular, the Vocational Education and Training sector.

Navy is now one of four Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in Defence that offers a total of 302 qualifications from Training Packages and 402 “accredited courses” ranging from Certificate I to Advanced Diploma.

This is good news for everyone in Navy because it means that while members are learning “warfighting” skills they are also gaining nationally recognised qualifications.

In 2004, several Training Authorities had their training externally audited and others conducted internal audits. The results of these audits have been very positive.

Navy’s compliance has ranged from “satisfactory” to “good” with some 20 areas of training practice assessed as “good or best practice”.

Director Navy Training CAPT Bob Morrison will be actioning the reports recommendations, including opportunities for improvement identified in “training administration”.

The success of the remediation work will be checked as part of the ongoing audit process in 2005 and beyond.

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