QCTO rules for training venues – all in one place

This article brings together the practical reality of QCTO training venue requirements in one place. It is written for Skills Development Providers who deliver training through classrooms, eLearning, mobile units, or at client premises and want clarity without legal jargon.

Do you need a training venue if you do eLearning or mobile training?

Yes. According to QCTO Form 5, regardless of the delivery mode, all QCTO-aligned training providers are audited against at least one declared training site, even where training is delivered online, at client sites, or via mobile delivery.

This is assessed during accreditation and monitoring audits using site audit Form 5, which evaluates training delivery readiness and site safety rather than general office administration.

Please note that this can be a venue you use on an ad-hoc, as needed basis. You do not need a long term rental agreement for a venue. Just access to one with some notice, and an agreement that describes terms of use. See other articles on this website – accreditation is accessible to small businesses – do not be discouraged. 

A note on admin offices, audit variation, and preparation

While QCTO Form 5 is primarily designed to evaluate training venues, some providers, particularly those delivering longer-term qualifications fully online, have experienced their administrative office being audited as part of the process. In these cases, the admin site appears to be used to confirm organisational legitimacy, operational capacity, and basic compliance, even where no physical training takes place.

Short-course training providers and providers delivering practical programmes are more consistently audited against actual training venues. In practice, treatment can differ between programme types, delivery models, and SETAs, and there is not always perfect consistency in how audits are applied. At times, requirements may also extend beyond what is explicitly stated.

For this reason, Form 5 remains the safest point of reference. Its criteria set the formal requirements that audits are meant to follow, and SETAs are expected to apply them accordingly.

Given these variations, it is often advisable to work with a consultant who specialises in your specific sector and SETA. Familiarity with how audits are typically conducted in your field can help you prepare properly, anticipate inconsistencies, and navigate the process more smoothly.

Is your admin office audited? Or just the training venue?

The QCTO does not audit your administrative office as such. Their focus is the training venue, meaning a space where learning and assessment can realistically take place.

If an admin location is presented as a training venue and appears unsafe or unsuitable, it may attract attention. The distinction is important: the audit is about where training happens, not where paperwork is done.

As above – this can be an ad-hoc agreement for a venue. 

What does the QCTO expect to see at audit stage?

The QCTO wants evidence that you have access to a viable training venue. This means a venue that is suitable for learning, practical activities where applicable, and assessment.

The venue may be permanent, rented, shared, or ad hoc, but it must be credible as a real training environment that is conducive to learning. Small businesses use training rooms, training venues, churches, home offices that are conducive to training, rooms on farms, hotel rooms, and all kinds of training venues that are fully suitable for learners to train at. 

OHS requirements for training venues

Every training venue presented to the QCTO must have a current OHS site safety report. This applies to:

• Your primary training venue

• Rented or temporary venues

• Client premises used for training

The purpose of the OHS report is to confirm that the venue is safe for learners and facilitators. An OHS report is therefore required for every venue where accredited training is delivered, regardless of ownership. The report needs to be completed by a person with SAIOSH membership or OHS qualifications suitable to the task. During the accreditation process your consultant should be able to refer someone. 

Can you train at client premises?

Yes. Training at client sites is permitted and is typically treated as mobile unit delivery.

In this model, the provider brings their own facilitators, equipment, and learning material, and uses a suitable space provided by the client. While this allows flexibility, it does not remove venue requirements.

Each client site used for training is still regarded as a training venue and must:

• Be declared to the QCTO in advance

• Have a valid OHS site safety report

• Receive written acknowledgement from the QCTO before training begins

In practice this is handled after you gain initial accreditation. Your initial application uses a venue for the accreditation process. You can use other venues though. Training at client premises is something you take care of after you are accredited. Unless you are basically doing most of your training at a single client. I have a “guide for the newly accredited” that helps you with this (see online shop).

Can I train different courses at one location?

Yes. You may train multiple courses at the same training venue.

During the QCTO accreditation process, the venue is assessed as part of programme delivery readiness. This applies whether the venue is presented during an initial accreditation application or later through an extension of scope. Once a venue has been assessed and accepted as suitable, it may be used to deliver more than one QCTO-aligned course, provided the venue remains appropriate for the learning, practical, and assessment requirements of each programme.

After accreditation, venues used for training are still declared to the QCTO as required. The key point is that accreditation is linked to programme approval and venue suitability, not to a single course per venue. As long as the venue supports the requirements of the programmes being delivered, multiple courses may be offered at the same location.

Why does the QCTO handle venues this way?

This approach largely comes from how the QCTO evolved.

The QCTO historically focused on quality assuring long-term qualifications delivered at TVET colleges and similar institutions. In that context, training usually takes place in fixed classrooms over multiple years, within publicly funded environments where cost-effectiveness is of virtually no concern.

Short Skills Programmes, workplace training, and private-sector delivery models are relatively newer to QCTO at scale. While these models are common in practice, the regulatory framework is still adapting to how training happens in the real world in the private sector where cost effectiveness is a concern and waste is not so easily overlooked. 

Private training providers need flexibility to remain viable and cost-effective. Government systems, funded through public budgets, are not always designed with that constraint in mind. This mismatch is why QCTO is very slow in recognising how training works in the real world – which is often on-site (especially for OHS related training which is site-specific). 

What if clients say other providers train without declaring venues?

This is a common challenge SDPs need to handle from a marketing and sales perspective.

Some providers do train at client premises without pre-declaring venues or obtaining written acknowledgement from the QCTO. While this may appear to work, it is not aligned with QCTO policy as it is currently applied.

Where venues are not properly declared and approved, there is a real risk that learner records may not be recognised, NQF credits might not be awarded, or training may be questioned during verification. In some cases, training may need to be repeated.

This becomes less a compliance debate and more a client communication issue. Providers need to decide how they position themselves in the market and how they explain venue requirements to clients in a way that protects learners and avoids downstream problems.

The simplest way to understand QCTO venue rules

A practical summary is this:

You can train almost anywhere, but you cannot train without a declared, approved, and safety-audited venue.

Planning for venue compliance early avoids audit findings, delays, and unnecessary stress later.

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