Posted in Indigenous Training
Unique Student Identifier Good or Bad
The Effects of the Unique Student Identifier (USI) on Remote Indigenous Communities
The federal Government has introduced a Unique Student Identifier (USI) for all Vocational Education and Training (VET) students, this applies to any person doing the VET training. The USI System in Brief:
Method 1 - Student Creates USI, 1. The onus is on the student to generate a USI via www.usi.gov.au 2. The student must provide a form of identification that can be verified by the Attorneys Generals Department eg. Medicare Card or Drivers License or Birth certificate. 3. The student must create the account with password. 4. The USI is made up of ten (10) letters and numbers eg. MHTS5HUI1S 5. The students must bring their USI and the details that were on the identification document that they used to generate the USI to all training providers. 6. The students records the USI and relevant information from their identification document on the training providers (RTO) enrolment form. 7. The training provider enters the student’s details onto the Student Management System (SMS) and then verifies the information via porthole with the Attorneys Generals Department, if the USI and the relevant information from the identification documents match it is verified.
Method 2 – Training Provider Creates USI 1. The student must provide to the RTO a form of identification that can be verified by the Attorneys Generals Department eg. Medicare Card or Drivers License or Birth certificate. 2. The training provider enters the student’s details onto the Student Management System (SMS) and then creates a USI via porthole with the Attorneys Generals Department, if the relevant information from the identification documents match it is verified. 3. The student must take the USI and relevant information from their identification document to all future (RTOs) and this must be entered onto the enrolment form to be verified each time training occurs, for the rest of their lives.
The Problems I have encountered: 1. The student does not create a USI. 2. Students must have a form of identification that can be verified twice (2) by the Attorneys Generals Department. 3.The student does not wish to provide a photocopy of identification document. 4 .They spell their name differently eg. Bill and William 5. The letters and numbers look the same eg. 5 & S and VU look very similar, as a result USIs are recorded incorrectly. 6. If a drivers license has been suspended or cancelled it cannot be used. 7.A birth certificate may not work because the information cannot be verified. 8. A Medicare card may not work because the information cannot be verified eg. Extra child. 9. The student does not write down the correct information when USI was generated. 10. The student does not write down the correct information on enrolment form as the USI may have been generated days or weeks earlier. 11.The student must have good reading and writing skills in English. 12. The students must be able to use a computer. 13.Train Safe NT spends allot of time emailing, phoning people to get the correct information. 14. The cost of running Train Safe NT has increased greatly due to the USI. I have spent days sorting out USI problems the costs are about 20% greater. 15. More red tape and bureaucracy, I spend time phoning Canberra to sort out USIs.
When a USI is not verified or created the results are: 1. The RTO cannot issue Statement of Attainments to pastoralists. What are the benefits to the economy? I see no real benefits to any person. This is extremely poor policy.