VET trainers and assessors · Australia · source checked 05 Oct 2026
How much PD do VET trainers and assessors need in Australia?
There is no set number of hours. The revised Standards for RTOs, in effect from 1 July 2025, require every trainer and assessor to undertake professional development that keeps their training and assessment skills and knowledge current, and to hold current industry skills and knowledge relevant to what they deliver.
Photo: Unsplash- Regulator
- ASQA, under the 2025 Standards for RTOs
- Hours
- No set number
- Required
- PD that keeps training and assessment skills current, plus current industry skills and knowledge
- Provider approval
- None. ASQA does not approve PD providers or courses.
- Source
- DEWR, Revised Standards for RTOs FAQ
Why no number is harder
With a number, you count. Without one, you have to show that what you did was enough and was the right thing. An auditor's question shifts from "how many hours?" to "how do you know this trainer is current?"
What good evidence looks like
- Two tracks. Training-and-assessment PD separate from industry currency.
- A reason for each activity. Why this activity, for this trainer, this year.
- What changed afterwards. A revised tool or approach is stronger than a certificate.
- Dates. PD from three years ago says little about today.
More: the full article. Check any provider's mark at record lookup.
Questions
How many PD hours do VET trainers and assessors need in Australia?
There is no set number. The revised Standards for RTOs, in effect from 1 July 2025, require every trainer and assessor to undertake professional development that keeps their training and assessment skills and knowledge current, and to hold current industry skills and knowledge relevant to what they deliver.
What evidence of PD does an RTO need for trainers?
Evidence that shows currency, not just hours: two tracks (training-and-assessment PD separate from industry currency), a reason for each activity, what changed afterwards, and dates. A verified CPD activity adds stated outcomes, stated hours, a check of understanding and a certificate with a number to that record.
Does ASQA approve PD providers?
No. ASQA regulates RTOs against the Standards; it does not approve professional development providers or courses for trainers. The RTO decides what PD is enough and must be able to show why.
PD providers and RTOs serving trainers can apply for free verification. CPD Council is not a regulator.