The AQF includes a policy regarding the issuance of qualifications and protection of tiles of the qualifications in the Framework. The policy includes guidelines related to responsibility for, and conditions under which the qualifications may be issued and a protocol defining the form of the qualification to be issued.
This section includes information about:
The forms to be used are in the following table. Some examples of abbreviations are given below the table.
| Qualification type |
Title |
Abbreviation |
| Senior Secondary Certificate of Education |
various according to state or territory |
|
| Certificate |
Certificate in...(field of study) |
Cert...(field abbreviated) |
| Diploma |
Diploma of...(field of study) |
Dip...(field abbreviated) |
| Advanced Diploma |
Advanced Diploma of...(field of study) |
AdvDip...(field abbreviated) |
| Associate Degree |
Associate Degree of...(field of study) |
AssocD...(field abbreviated) |
| Bachelor Degree |
Bachelor of...(field of study) |
B...(field abbreviated) |
| Vocational Graduate Certificate |
Vocational Graduate Certificate in...(field of study) |
VocGradCert...(field abbreviated) |
| Vocational Graduate Diploma |
Vocational Graduate Diploma of...(field of study) |
VocGradDip...(field abbreviated) |
| Graduate Certificate |
Graduate Certificate in...(field of study) |
GradCert...(field abbreviated) |
| Graduate Diploma |
Graduate Diploma of...(field of study) |
GradDip...(field abbreviated) |
| Masters Degree |
Master of...(field of study) |
M...(field abbreviated) |
| Doctoral Degree |
Doctor of Philosophy |
PhD |
Examples of abbreviations:
CertIIBus - Certificate II in Business
CertIVHosp - Certificate IV in Hospitality
AdvDipBldDes - Advanced Diploma of Building Design
AssocDEng - Associate Degree of Engineering
GradCertIT - Graduate Certifciate in Information Technolofy
Each state or territory has legislative responsibility for authorising the issuance of the Senior Secondary Certifciate of Education (SSCE). Local titles are used at state or territory level such as the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) in Victoria, the Higher School Certificate (HSC) in New South Wales.
While each state or territory has legislative responsibility for authorising the issuance of the qualification, the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) provides nationally agreed principles for the registration of Registered Training Organisations (RTOs). RTOs may issue qualifications, and these qualifications are nationally recognised.
In the Higher Education sector, universities are empowered by legislation to accredit their own courses and issue qualifications. Additionally, states and territories have established legislation to facilitate the accreditation of courses and issuance of qualifications conducted by other recognised higher education providers. The National Protocols for Higher Education Approval Processes provide nationally agreed protocols and guidelines for the registration of higher education providers. Where higher education providers issue VET qualifications, they must conform to the standards outlined in the AQTF.