Unique student identifier procedure
Audience
All state school Registered Training Organisations (RTOs).
Purpose
To detail the Unique Student Identifier (USI) responsibilities for school RTOs to achieve compliance with the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 (Cwlth), and to support school RTOs with the creation and verification of student USIs.
Overview
The Australian Government requires all students undertaking nationally recognised training leading to a Vocational Education and Training (VET) qualification to have a USI. The USI allows students to access their enrolment and achievement record online through the USI Transcript Service for all VET learning completed from 1 January 2015. The USI stays with a student for life and allows a student to see their training results from all providers.
School RTOs must have a verified USI for each student:
- on, or before enrolment in a VET course
- before they can be issued with a qualification and/or statement of attainment.
These are the conditions of registration for training organisations under the
Student Identifiers Act 2014 (Cwlth).
Responsibilities
Principals
- develop a process and provide information to enable every student undertaking VET to obtain a verified USI on, or before enrolment in a VET course ensure students have a verified USI in OneSchool before issuing a qualification and/or statement of attainment
- provide USI information to the Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority (QCAA)
- may delegate responsibilities relating to the collection of USIs to a nominated officer, including a teacher or employee.
Nominated officers (Heads of Senior Schooling, VET coordinators, teachers)
- understand the functions which can be performed in the USI Organisation Portal are determined by the permissions granted by the nominated officer
- apply for a myGovID to create USIs on behalf of students, if this service is being provided
- act as the key person for all USI communications between the school, parents and students
- support students undertaking nationally recognised training to obtain a verified USI from the Australian Government’s USI website ensuring students and their parents are aware of their responsibilities
- manage processes relating to support for students with additional needs
- verify each student’s USI in OneSchool and record the USI in the Student Management application in the QCAA Portal
- monitor the verification and reporting of USIs in OneSchool and Student Management in the QCAA Portal to ensure compliance under the
Student Identifiers Act 2014 (Cwlth).
Students
- understand the purpose and importance of having a verified USI on, or before, enrolment in a VET course
- obtain valid identification documents to create their USI
- create their USI and provide to the school or request school support to create their USI.
Process
Image 1: Unique student identifier process
The USI can be created by the student or created by the school RTO’s nominated officer on behalf of the student, with the student’s permission. In limited circumstances, students may apply for an exemption from applying for a USI.
For students to create their own USI
Students
- obtain information from the nominated officer about the purpose of the USI, the application process and how the student identification information will be used and disclosed
- obtain information from the nominated officer about the reasonable adjustments and/or tailored supports available to them if they have additional needs, e.g. students for whom English is not their first language, students with disability
- create a USI following the instructions on the Australian Government’s USI website
- record their USI and USI account password in a safe place to enable future access to their USI transcript
- provide their USI to the nominated officer for entry and verification in OneSchool
- provide their USI to external RTOs with whom they intend to undertake nationally recognised training.
Nominated officers
- provide students and their parents/carers with information about the purpose of the USI, the application process, and how the student identification information will be used and disclosed
- provide students and their parents/carers with information about the provision of reasonable adjustments and tailored supports to complete the USI application process, e.g. students/families for whom English is not their first language, students/families with disability
- record the USI provided by the student, and verify it in OneSchool (DoE employees only)
- record the USI in the Student Management application in the QCAA Portal
- remind students to record their USI and USI account password in a safe place to enable future access to their USI transcript
- support students with additional needs to store their USI and USI account password safely.
For school RTOs to create a USI on the student’s behalf
Students
- obtain information from the nominated officer about the purpose of the USI, the application process, and Privacy Notice outlining how the student identification information will be used and disclosed
- obtain information from the nominated officer about the reasonable adjustments and/or tailored supports available to them if they have additional needs, e.g. students for whom English is not their first language, students with disability
- provide the nominated officer with written permission to create the USI on their behalf
- collect the required identification documents and bring them to school when requested
- work with the school’s nominated officer to create a USI following the instructions on the Australian Government’s Unique Student Identifier website
- activate the USI by setting a USI account password and security questions
- record the USI and USI account password in a safe place to enable future access to the USI transcript
- provide their USI to external RTOs with whom they intend to undertake nationally recognised training
- retain all identification documents to maintain confidentiality.
Nominated officers
- apply for a myGovID with the principal’s permission to access the USI Registry System to create student USIs
- provide students and their parents/carers with information about the purpose of the USI, the application process, and the Privacy Notice outlining how the student identification information will be used and disclosed
- provide students and their parents/carers with information about the provision of reasonable adjustments and tailored supports to complete the USI application process, e.g. students/families for whom English is not their first language, students/families with disability
- obtain written permission from the student to create a USI on their behalf
- obtain the required identification documents from the student to create the USI
- create the USI in consultation with the student, following the instructions on the Australian Government’s Unique Student Identifier website
- support the student to activate their USI by setting up their USI account password and security questions
- verify the USI in OneSchool(DoE employees only)
- record the USI in the Student Management application in the QCAA Portal
- ensure the student has recorded their USI and USI account password in a safe place to enable future access to their USI transcript
- support students with additional needs to store their USI and USI account password safely
- return all identification documents to the student at the completion of the process to maintain confidentiality of student identification.
Applying for exemption from creating a USI
Students
- obtain information from the nominated officer about the exemption process, including the consequences of not being assigned a USI
- obtain information from the nominated officer about the reasonable adjustments and/or tailored supports available to them if they have additional needs, e.g. students for whom English is not their first language, students with disability
- read, sign and return documentation to the nominated officer, indicating that they has been informed that assessment results will not appear on their authenticated VET transcript or be available to them through the USI system
- collect a copy of the Commonwealth Statutory Declaration form from the nominated officer
- complete the Commonwealth Statutory Declaration form ensuring it is signed before an authorised witness as outlined on the form
- email the completed form to BusinessStrategy@usi.gov.au
- on receipt of the notice confirming exemption from being assigned a USI, show this notice to the nominated officer.
Nominated officers
- provide students and their parents/carers with information about the exemption process, including the consequences of not being assigned a USI
- provide students and their parents/carers with information about the provision of reasonable adjustments and tailored supports to complete the exemption process, e.g. students/families for whom English is not their first language, students/families with disability
- on presentation of signed documentation from the student acknowledging that they understand the consequences of not being assigned a USI, provide the student with a copy of the Commonwealth Statutory Declaration form for completion, together with the email address to which the form is to be sent
- on presentation of the notice confirming exemption from being assigned a USI by the student, record the exemption in the QCAA Portal Student Management application in ‘Student details’ under ‘Personal details’
- retain the signed documentation and notice confirming exemption, digitally or in hard-copy on the student’s file to demonstrate compliance at audit as outlined in the Standards for RTOs (2015) Cwlth.
Implications for non-supply of USI data to QCAA
Where a student USI is not supplied to the QCAA by the deadline outlined in the QCAA’s Senior education profile calendar, a student’s training activity will not be recorded in the student’s USI Transcript.
To correct omissions or errors, school RTOs are required to manually enter the training activity for such students using the NCVER USI Transcript Update Tool which is managed by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).
For help with the USI Transcript Update Tool, see the NCVER AVETMISS Fact Sheet USI: Transcript Update Service.
Definitions
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Term
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Definition
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AVETMISS
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The Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard is a national data standard which ensures the consistency and accuracy of vocational education and training (VET) information and covers the national VET data collections.
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myGovID
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A digital identity code required to access selected online government services, including the USI Registry System.
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Nationally recognised training
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Any program of training leading to vocational qualifications and credentials that are recognised across Australia. It includes studying at a public (e.g. state school or TAFE) or private training organisation, completing an apprenticeship, certificate or diploma course.
Nationally recognised training courses are listed on training.gov.au.
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NCVER
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The National Centre for Vocational Education Research is the national professional body responsible for collecting, managing, analysing and communicating research and statistics on the Australian vocational education and training (VET) sector.
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School Registered Training Organisation (RTO)
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A school providing VET to students, resulting in qualifications and/or statements of attainment that are recognised and accepted by industry and other educational institutions throughout Australia.
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Student Management
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Student Management is an online application accessed via the QCAA Portal that enables schools to manage student data and results.
For further information, schools should contact the QCAA helpdesk on telephone 07 3864 0425 or email certification@qcaa.qld.edu.au.
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Unique Student Identifier (USI)
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A reference number made up of numbers and letters, unique to each student that stays with the student for life and must be recorded with any nationally recognised VET course they undertake.
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USI transcript
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An online training record containing all nationally recognised training completed since 2015 that students with a USI can access at any time.
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Legislation
Delegations/Authorisations
Other resources
Superseded versions
Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.
1.0 Unique student identifier