For Australian registered training organisations
The honest numbers on starting an RTO: application fees, the cost of resources and systems, how long each stage runs, and where the money usually goes further than expected.
The application fee is the smallest number in the project.
Knowing the real number early is what keeps a project alive.
Application costsASQA's fees are published and predictable. They are rarely what makes the project expensive.
Resources and systemsTraining and assessment resources, a student management system and an LMS. Usually the largest single line.
People before revenueTrainers and a compliance lead are needed before the first enrolment, which is where working capital gets consumed.
TimelinePreparation is the long part. The assessment itself is comparatively short.
The rectification windowBudget for it. Most first applications receive requests for further evidence.
When it pays backRealistic break even depends on scope and cohort size, not on how quickly you are registered.
Chief executives, compliance managers and quality leads at Australian registered training organisations, and the people considering becoming one. Everything here is written against the Standards for RTOs and the way they are actually assessed.
Describe the situation and we will tell you which part of it is urgent and which part can wait. That conversation costs nothing.
Start an RTO is part of the CAQA group. Compliance consulting, training and assessment resources, systems, recruitment and nationally recognised delivery, from organisations that work together rather than against each other.