The initial AQF
The AQF was first introduced on 1 January 1995 to underpin the national system of qualifications in Australia encompassing higher education, vocational education and training and schools. It was phased in over five years, with full implementation from January 2000. It was developed at the request of State, Territory and Commonwealth Education and Training Ministers meeting as the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA).
In 2011, under the leadership of the AQF Council, the AQF was revised to ensure the qualification outcomes remain relevant and nationally consistent, continue to support flexible qualifications linkages and pathways and enable national and international portability and comparability of qualifications.
The organising framework for the AQF is a taxonomic structure of levels and qualification types each of which is defined by a taxonomy of learning outcomes. The taxonomic approach is designed to enable consistency in the way in which qualifications are described as well as clarity about the differences and relationships between qualification types.
The AQF levels define the relative complexity and depth of achievement and the autonomy required of graduates to demonstrate that achievement. In the AQF there are 10 levels with level 1 having the lowest complexity and AQF level 10 the highest complexity. The levels are defined by criteria expressed as learning outcomes.
AQF qualification type is the nomenclature used in the AQF to describe each discipline-free category of AQF qualifications. Each qualification type is defined by a descriptor expressed as learning outcomes. There are 16 AQF qualification types from across all education and training sectors and each, with the exception of the senior Secondary Certificate of Education, is located at one of the 10 levels.
The learning outcomes are constructed as a taxonomy of what graduates are expected to know, understand and be able to do as a result of learning. They are expressed in terms of the dimensions of knowledge, skills and the application of knowledge and skills.
Changes in the AQF
Changes to the AQF over the period 2000-2008 include:
2008: Changes to vocational education and training issuance policy with the inclusion of employability skills.
2007: Updated references to the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF)
2007: New definition of the Statement of attainment and protocols for certification
2005: Review of the Guidelines for Certificates I-IV, Diploma and Advanced Diploma
2004: Expanded national guidelines on cross-sector linkages to include the schools sector
2003-2004: Review of a 1997 AQF benchmark study of Recognition of Prior Learning policy and practice across States/Territories and the three sectors
1998-2005: Review of the sectoral status of the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma leading to the addition of two new post-graduate vocational qualifications in the AQF (Vocational Graduate Diploma and Vocational Graduate Certificate)
2003-2004: review of the guidelines for the Senior Secondary Certificate of Education
2003-2004: addition of Associate Degree (Handbook page 49-50), as a higher education qualification
2001-2004: review of the AQF Guidelines on Articulation and Credit Transfer leading to the current National Guidelines on Cross-Sector Qualification Linkages and Recognition of Prior Learning: National Principles and Operational Guidelines for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
2000-2001: review of the AQF Guidelines (in particular outcomes and pathways descriptors)
Previous qualification structures
The AQF replaced the Register of Australian Tertiary Education (RATE) in 1995. Register of Australian Tertiary Education (RATE) 1991
Full information regarding the previous qualifications structures is available on the Australian Education International website http://aei.gov.au/AEI/CEP/Australia/EducationSystem/default.htm
Information about upgrading or recognition of previous qualifications may be available from the institution or provider that issued the earlier qualification.
Transition arrangements between the previous structures and the AQF were developed in 1995 and were valid during the transition period. Information is included in the document ‘AQF Transition Arrangements, 1995’ that was part of the AQF Implementation Handbook 1st Edition.