What is the VET Information Standard? | Guide to Compliance

For 30 years, AVETMISS has been the backbone of VET reporting in Australia. But that’s about to change. The VET Information Standard, published in July 2026, will fully replace it by 2029. This will reshape how RTOs collect and submit training data.

It’s not a small update. With new classifications, more frequent reporting, and a direct link between student management systems (SMS) and NCVER, this change touches almost every part of how RTOs operate.

In this article, we explore:

• What the VET Information Standard is and how it compares to AVETMISS
• Why the changes have taken place, and why now
• Important dates and timelines
• Key changes in the new reporting standard
• Steps that RTOs can take to prepare for the transition

What is the VET Information Standard?

The VET Information Standard (VET IS) is a set of requirements that detail how, when, and in which format Australian training providers must report training data. The standard ensures consistent and streamlined reporting processes. It provides regulators and government agencies with current and relevant information about training activities.

This training activity information provides insight into VET enrolment, delivery, assessment, and completion trends. This can be used to inform policy, guide financial investment, and prioritise national skill development.

The VET IS requirements were published in July 2026 and will come into effect for all training providers on 1 January 2029. Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) will need to transition to the new standards before that date. Providers who have not yet transitioned to VET IS reporting will still fall under AVETMISS requirements.

Note: At the time of writing, the VET IS standard is newly announced. National milestones have been confirmed, but transition dates for individual RTOs haven’t been announced. These will be guided and supported by regulators, with specific timelines expected to be released in the coming months.

VET IS vs AVETMISS

AVETMISS is the currently active reporting standard. It stands for Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard. The requirements were implemented in 1994, and have been in use for over 30 years. A significant update was released in 2017, when financial data collection was replaced with funding data collection.

VET IS takes a more modern approach to reporting, reflecting updated delivery methods and streamlined submissions among other changes. RTOs will gradually transition from AVETMISS reporting to VET IS reporting, with all providers using the new standards by 01 January 2029. The last AVETMISS reports will be accepted on 28 February 2029, reflecting training data from the previous reporting period.

Why is the Data Reporting Standard Changing?

Commitment to National Skills Development

In 2023, the Commonwealth, state, and territory governments made a commitment to develop the Australian vocational education and training sector. The National Skills Agreement (NSA) is a funding and policy framework to support that commitment. However, identifying areas for support and planning skill development priorities requires access to training data at regular intervals.

National AVETMISS reporting is currently only required once a year, which delays visibility into current sector activity. VET IS addresses this through detailed, transactional, and quarterly reporting. This allows stakeholders to identify skill gaps and funding priorities as they emerge, rather than waiting up to a year to see them.

Better Understanding of Student Engagement Trends

The way students engage with training has evolved in leaps and bounds, especially over the past decade. However, AVETMISS reporting is based on standards that are more than 30 years old. They don’t necessarily reflect or incorporate insights into how students are progressing through training activities.

VET IS is designed to capture insights across the learner journey, as they transition from enrolment to completion. It captures more detailed insights into student statuses, including when students cancel their enrolment or defer it to a later date.

Better Reflection of Training Delivery

The methods VET providers use to train and assess students have evolved since 1994. RTOs now use in-person, online, workplace, and blended delivery approaches. But AVETMISS reduces this to a single delivery mode field. It doesn’t clearly separate how training is delivered, how it’s directed, and where it takes place. It also bundles outcomes, assessment types, and completion reasons into one field. This leads to information that’s difficult to untangle or interpret effectively.

VET IS introduces separate classifications, including learning channel type, learning delivery type, and training venue type, along with dedicated outcome and assessment elements. This makes both delivery and assessment methods easier to report accurately.

Better Response to Emerging Challenges and Opportunities

Industries are adapting to new technologies, best practices, and regulations. It’s essential that vocational training adapts to these needs. And reporting needs to be flexible enough to reflect those changes without requiring major overhauls.

AVETMISS is a relatively static standard, and updating it has historically been slow. VET IS uses a more flexible data model, allowing new data elements to be added more quickly. This helps the VET sector adapt to change, rather than reporting against an outdated framework.

Reduced Burden and Manual Processes

AVETMISS reporting largely relies on separate, manual submission processes. RTOs often need to extract data from their student management systems (SMS), then prepare and validate it separately before submission. This adds administrative burden and creates opportunities for error.

VET IS is designed to connect directly to SMS platforms. RTOs can report closer to when training activity actually happens, using data already captured in their existing systems. This reduces duplicate data entry and lowers the administrative load on providers.

Who is Involved in the Change to VET IS?

• National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). Leads development of VET IS. Also manages the Student Training Activity Reporting System (STARS) and wider national VET data collection.

• Commonwealth. Works with states and territories to fund and approve VET IS. They’re committed to the standard under the National Skills Agreement.

• States and Territories. Co-developed VET IS, with Skills Ministers approving its core reportable data elements.

• Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). Leads the VET Data Streamlining Program that delivers VET IS. Also maintains the Data Provision Requirements (DPRs), which are the legal instruments that reference the new standard.

• Regulators. Collaborate with the DEWR, NCVER, and governments to develop VET IS and STARS. Also support training providers in transitioning to the new standards.

VET IS Dates and Timelines

Note: At the time of writing, National milestones have been confirmed. These are reflected below. This may be updated as additional information becomes available.

• July 2025: Transition commences

• Sep 2025: Developer portal released

• July 2026: VET IS and DPRs published

• Second half of 2026: Reporting commences through STARS

• Second Half of 2026: Early adopter onboarding for Fee-For-Service Only RTOs

• 2027-2028: Funded RTO transition

• 1 January 2028: All new RTO registrations will be on VET IS

• 1 January 2029: VET IS becomes mandatory

• 28 February 2029: Last AVETMISS data submissions accepted

Components of the VET Information Standard

Information Elements

Information elements are the details RTOs collect straight from students. Some apply to every RTO in Australia. Others only apply in certain states or territories. Each one comes with clear rules on what to collect and how to format it.

Technical Elements

Technical elements are provided by an RTO’s SMS automatically. Training providers don’t need to collect or enter this data. Instead, the software works behind the scenes, ensuring student records are complete and structured correctly for submission.

Key Changes in the VET Information Standard

Student Status

The VET Information Standard includes clear statuses that can be applied to students across the course of their journey. Changes to the status are known as a ‘student status enrolment transition’. Many of these statuses must also be accompanied by ‘student status reasons’ as detailed below.

• Registered. A student has signed up with an RTO and enrolled in one or more classes, but hasn’t attended or participated in training yet.

• Commenced. A student has started participating in training or assessment.

• Concluded. A student has stopped participating in training or assessment, and is not expected to continue. Must be accompanied by a status reason, which can include:

• • Successful completion when students satisfy all requirements.

• • Unsuccessful completion when students have attempted all assessments and do not meet requirements.

• • Formal withdrawal when students notify a provider of withdrawal before completing all assessments.

• • Informal withdrawal when students stop attending training or submitting assessments without notifying the provider.

• • Credit transfer applied when a subject is previously completed and recognition is granted.

• • RTO closed when a provider no longer conducts training and assessment.

• • Not applicable when a student has passed away.

• Deferred. A student has stopped participating in training or assessment, but intends to return to conclude it at a later date. Must be accompanied by a status reason, which can include:

• • Deferral post-commencement

• • Deferral pre-commencement

• Cancelled. A student has cancelled their enrolment before any training or assessment commenced.

New and Updated Classifications

The VET Information Standard has updated a number of classifications and definitions. Some of the updates support inclusivity with, for example, new gender and disability classifications. These also help RTOs provide improved and targeted learner support. In other cases, as with the updated study reason and the new learning classifications, the changes support more detailed and standardised reporting.

• Gender has been updated to include ‘non-binary’ and ‘I use a different term’. This helps learners who may not identify as male or female to feel more comfortable and accepted at the institution.

• Disability type has been updated to include ‘autism’, ‘neurological’, ‘specific learning/attention deficit disorder’, ‘speech’ and ‘psychiatric’. This helps RTOs identify students who may need additional support throughout their training and assessment.

• Study Reason has been updated to include ‘to achieve points/credits towards my senior secondary certificate of education’. This helps RTOs identify learners who are participating in VET as part of their schooling, rather than for adult, workforce-focused reasons.

• Delivery Mode, which was included under AVETMISS, has been split into three elements. These provide more detailed and segmented information, which is easier to standardise in reporting.
  • Learning Channel Type. Details how training is delivered. This can be:
    • Face-to-face. A group of students learning in person.
    • Remote (online). Students and educators are not physically present in a classroom environment.
  • Learning Delivery Type. Details the level of educator involvement in the learning process. This can be:
    • Directed. An educator identifies objectives, content, and training activities.
    • Self-paced. Students are provided with the tools and resources they need to direct their own learning, at their own pace.
  • Training Venue Type. Details where training takes place. This can be:
    • On site facility. A location belonging to the training organisation.
    • Off site location. A specific location for training, but not on the training organisation’s premises.
    • Workplace. The place where the student works or is undertaking an apprenticeship.
    • Other (undefined). An unidentified location that a trainer or student chooses.
    • Not applicable. Used for credit transfers and recognition of prior learning, where no training needs to take place.

Reporting Processes

The VET Information Standard also changes how and how often RTOs report their data. This includes a new reporting platform, updated submission frequencies, and more detailed business rules for validating data accuracy.

• New system for reporting. The Student Training Activity Reporting System (STARS) will be an RTO’s go-to for reporting. It directly integrates with student management systems and validates data automatically. This removes the need for RTOs to run separate validation software, as is the case under AVETMISS.

• Quarterly reporting. National reporting is required on a quarterly basis, rather than annually. Reports must be submitted by the end of the month following the end of the quarter. For example, since Q1 ends on 31 March, reports must be submitted for Q1 by 30 April.

• Transactional reporting. Any changes to student statuses must be reported. This is required even if the status changes multiple times during a single reporting period. RTOs can report these changes progressively, as they happen, or at the end of the reporting period.

• Direct and Indirect reporting. Not all training providers will submit their training data in the same way. The VET Information Standard provides guidelines for submission based on the RTO type and location.

• • Direct Reporting. Involves submitting training data directly into STARS. This applies to:

• • • Fee-For-Service RTOs

• • • Providers that don’t deliver government-funded training

• • • RTOs that deliver government-funded training in Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales, and Australian Capital Territory.

• • Indirect Reporting. Involves submitting training data to a state or territory government. They then submit the data to STARS on the training provider’s behalf. This applies to:

• • • RTOs that deliver government-funded training in Queensland, Tasmania, Victoria, and Western Australia.

• Granular Business Rules. The VET Information Standard provides more detailed requirements for ensuring accurate data reporting. They also provide specific corrective actions that should occur when validating the data. The business rules are split into:

• • Validation Rules. Apply when submitting training data. They ensure data is formatted and structured correctly.

• • Data Quality Rules. Apply after training data submission. They are monitored over time to highlight patterns, trends, and anomalies, or to identify missing or incomplete data.

New Documentation

Alongside the standard itself, several supporting documents have also been updated or introduced. These help RTOs understand their obligations and collect the right information from students at enrolment.

• Updated privacy notice. The minimum mandatory content that RTOs need to include in their privacy notices has changed. They reflect new legislation and confirm that data may be checked against systems like the Unique Student Identifier Registry.

• Interactive and print versions of the VET Information Standard. The new standard is available for download and in an easy-to-navigate interactive version. This helps RTOs find relevant information more quickly.

• New sample enrolment form. An updated sample enrolment form is available for RTOs that have transitioned to VET IS. This incorporates the updated privacy notice and includes updated questions and terminology aligned with the new standard.

5 Steps That RTOs Can Take Today To Prepare For The New Standard

1. Update Your Privacy Notice

Updating your privacy notice doesn’t have to wait until VET IS becomes mandatory. The updated wording is effective for training providers regardless of which standard you’re currently reporting under. Update your policy as soon as possible to ensure students are aware of how their data is used in both scenarios before enrolment.

2. Familiarise Yourself With Documentation

At 286 pages, the VET Information Standard is a large, detailed document. And it’s not the only one that applies. RTOs also need to familiarise themselves with the Data Provision Requirements and the National VET Data Policy. The earlier you start reviewing the information available to you, the better prepared you’ll be once it’s time to transition.

Start by looking at the information elements that are most relevant to your organisation. The interactive version of the VET IS documentation makes this a lot easier to navigate.

3. Engage With Your SMS Provider

STARS connects directly to student management systems. But in order to do so, SMS providers also need to update their systems to support the integration. It’s important to discuss with your SMS vendor what their rollout timeline looks like. This will ensure you’re prepared and have technology that supports the standards when your transition date arrives.

4. Update Your Quality Management Systems

Capturing the correct information goes beyond updating your software. It also means updating internal processes for collection and recording student data. Consider putting together training programs for your staff, and ensure administrators understand the requirements around quarterly and transactional reporting in particular.

5. Update Terminology in Your Training and Assessment Strategies

While the new standard covers a lot of similar ground to AVETMISS, it introduces a number of terminology changes. Updating your Training and Assessment Strategies to ensure alignment with the new phrasing will help you stay on top of requirements and avoid confusion once you’ve transitioned.

How Can Cloud Assess Help?

At Cloud Assess, we’re already reviewing the updated VET IS requirements to ensure training providers can capture the information they need. In the coming months, we’ll be updating our compliance management features to align with VET IS reporting deadlines, and updating resources like our Training and Assessment Strategy Builder to reflect the new terminology.

This means that if you’re already using Cloud Assess, we’re preparing your data and systems to align with STARS ahead of your transition.

If you’re a training provider that’s looking for a training, assessment, and student management system, you’ve come to the right place. Talk to our sales team today to learn how Cloud Assess streamlines processes and boosts compliance.

Where Can RTOs Find More Information About VET IS?

• Guide to reporting under the VET Information Standard
• NCVER VET Information Standard website
• National VET Data Policy
• Guide to RTO Data Provision Requirements
• VET Data Provision Exemption Policy