Like for any other business, planning is essential when managing and growing a successful registered training organisation (RTO).
Good planning requires an analysis of the environment a company works in, competitors, strengths and weaknesses.
For an RTO, factors that need to be evaluated and understood include:
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the skills gaps and shortages in the regions it operates
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the level of funding it is likely to obtain from the government
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the changing needs and demands from its potential customers
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tools, techniques and principles that will deliver training programs that best suit its customers’ needs.
This will enable a to respond and adapt to these trends by addressing customer needs and developing training products in line with current and future demands.
Business plan help and samples include:
Skill shortages and skills gaps
Skill shortages occur for a range of reasons such as technology, health and safety issues and globalisation. They can point to a growing market for an RTO’s business, which should be taken into account when planning for the future direction of a training business.
Industry skills councils (ISCs) are a useful resource for RTOs wanting to keep up with industry trends. It is their role to develop training products and services to address skills shortages and skills gaps.
For more information see Skill shortages and training gaps on this site.
Changing customer needs
It is vital for an RTO to regularly assess the relevance of the training products and services it offers. A course which may have been successful, and core to profitability in the past, may have only limited shelf life in the future.In the same way a delivery model that worked well in the past may also be nearing its use-by date in terms of customer relevance.
Technology has enabled RTOs, and their clients, to move away from traditional approaches to teaching and learning. Education and training needs to be delivered in a suitable and convenient manner that respects the competing demands in the learner’s life.
See the Australian Flexible Learning Framework case studies.
