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AVETMISS Data Reporting: Is your 2025 annual AVETMISS data ready for submission?

by Linda Suesee

It’s that time of the year again where many Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) are in the process of cleansing their AVETMISS data, in preparation to meet the annual data reporting requirements. We understand many RTOs will be feeling the pressure this month as the submission deadline is fast approaching. You are required to submit compliant and error-free data to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) no later than 5pm (ACDT) on the 28th of February 2026. In our experience, having a clear data management procedure and process can certainly help alleviate these stressful times and reduce the burden of data reporting on your team.

The data cleansing process can be a very time-consuming task that may require a dedicated person or team of staff to assist with resolving the data errors and warnings. During this time, we highly encourage senior managers to consider the operational impact that this compliance activity could have on the business in terms of staff availability and scheduling. The data is more than just numbers as it can help your senior managers make informed decisions about the business and identify areas of risk or improvement to better service your students. For instance, your AVETMISS data contains useful information about your student cohorts, fluctuations in enrolment numbers, low completion rates for different training products, and how to better service students who have disclosed a disability which may impact their learning journey.

Who needs to be aware of the data reporting requirements?

Most RTOs will have a dedicated team or responsible manager who is responsible for preparing the data, resolving the data errors and final lodgement of their AVETMISS data. It is important that the responsible person has access to their Student Management System (SMS) and the AVETMISS Validation Software (AVS).

🎯Helpful tips
  • Did you know your SMS must be AVETMISS compliant? For a full list of approved SMS providers, please see the NCVER AVETMISS compliant software register.
  • We strongly recommend validating your data early to allow sufficient time to resolve any errors before the submission deadline.
  • Reporting extensions or exemptions are not available for AVETMISS data submissions.

Who is required to submit their 2025 AVETMISS data to NCVER?

RTOs who have delivered fee-for-service training and assessment in 2025 must report their AVETMISS data to NCVER by the 28th of February 2026.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • Something to be mindful of, you do not need to submit fee-for-service activity to NCVER if you have already submitted the activity to a State Training Authority (STA) and they have confirmed it will be sent to NCVER, nor do you need to submit a nil return to NCVER if you have submitted publicly funded data to an STA.

What if you did not deliver any training in 2025? What happens in this scenario?

This is completely okay! If you did not conduct any training in 2025, you will need to lodge a nil return through your AVS portal. Please refer to the How to submit a nil return fact sheet for further guidance.

Why does your RTO need to report AVETMISS data to NCVER?

In accordance with the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Data Provision Requirements) Instrument 2020 all RTOs must report their AVETMISS data to NCVER by the submission deadline. Please note, failure to report on time can lead to penalties.

Where should you begin?

The responsible persons in your RTO will need access to their SMS and the ability to export the AVETMISS files. The SMS may have the ability to pre-check your dataset for errors. We highly recommend you take the time to check the error/warning reports produced by your SMS. In this article we will share some helpful tips on how to check the accuracy of your data and troubleshoot common errors which might exist in your AVETMISS files:

  • Training organisation (NAT00010)
  • Training organisation delivery location (NAT00020)
  • Program (NAT00030)
  • Subject (NAT00060)
  • Client (NAT00080)
  • Client contact details (NAT00085)
  • Disability (NAT00090)
  • Prior educational achievement (NAT00100)
  • Training activity (NAT00120)
  • Program completed (NAT00130)

If you are new to data reporting or needing a refresher on the AVETMISS data reporting requirements, we have provided two helpful resources published by NCVER:

Training Organisation (NAT00010)

The training organisation file contains important information about your RTO including the RTO code and name and contact details. We highly recommend you check the contact details in your SMS are correct and current.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • We understand there might be staffing changes and promotions within your RTO. It’s important to ensure the details of the main contact person is correct and current at all times. These details can be easily updated in your SMS.
  • Although your RTO code and name is unlikely to change often, we still recommend checking these details are accurately captured in your SMS and matches the details on your national profile on training.gov.au.
Training Organisation Delivery Location (NAT00020)

The training organisation delivery location file contains a list of the training delivery locations where training activity has taken place in 2025.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • Your RTO must have at least one listed location where training and assessment occurred in 2025.
  • If you only offered and delivered online/virtual/distance-based training, we recommend using the head office address listed on training.gov.au.
Program (NAT00030)

The program file contains information about your RTO’s qualifications, courses or skill sets relevant to the training delivered.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • A common error that we see in our data audits includes the incorrect spelling of codes and names in the SMS. To resolve these errors, simply check the spelling on training.gov.au and update your SMS.
Subject (NAT00060)

The subject file contains information about units of competency, accredited units and modules which were undertaken and/or completed by students in 2025.

The client file contains information about the students who participated in training or completed their studies during 2025.

🎯Helpful tips:

Similar to the program file, a mismatch in the code or name will trigger a data error. We recommend checking the spelling in your SMS.

Client (NAT00080)

The client file contains information about the students who participated in training or completed their studies during 2025.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • Did you know each student must have one contact file only? Although a student can enrol into multiple training products, the student must not have duplicate contact records in the SMS. We recommend merging any duplicate contact records in your SMS to clear the error.
  • Common data errors are also linked to missing/blank address fields in your SMS. In this instance, we recommend checking the student’s enrolment form and updating your SMS.
Client Contact Details (NAT00085)

The client contact details file contains the contact details of students such as the address, email, and phone.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • Where training was delivered to an offshore student (not on a student visa), you will need to use OSPC in the postcode field of your SMS.
Disability (NAT00090)

The disability file contains information about each disability, impairment, or long-term condition associated with a student.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • Where training was delivered to an offshore student (not on a student visa), you will need to use OSPC in the postcode field of your SMS.
Prior Educational Achievement (NAT00100)

The prior educational achievement file contains information about each student’s prior educational achievement.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • Similar to the disability field, the prior educational achievement field might be set to ‘not specified’ in your SMS.
  • We recommend checking the student’s enrolment form for this information.
Training Activity (NAT00120)

The training activity file contains information for each unit of competency or module undertaken by a student at the RTO’s delivery location/s during 2025.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • Did you know the activity start date and activity end date for each unit of competency/module must not be blank? Please ensure your dates are reflective of NCVER’s definitions as noted below:
  • Activity start date is the actual date that the training activity starts for a client in a unit of competency or module enrolment.
  • Activity end date is the actual date that training activity and assessment ends for a student in a unit of competency, accredited unit or module enrolment. The activity end date includes the conclusion of any on-the-job training components and the time required for the trainer to determine the final outcome for the unit of competency or module.
Program Completed (NAT00130)

The program completed file contains information about the student’s program completion of any qualification, course or skill set.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • Another gap we often see in our data reviews includes under-reported student completions. Depending on your SMS, this could be triggered by entering an actual completion date against the enrolment or a completion check box/button.
  • When reporting your completion data, we recommend that the data reflects NCVER’s definition whereby the program completion date is the actual completion of the training program (including the on-the-job component) rather than the date the RTO issued the AQF certification documents.

How can your RTO access the AVETMISS Validation Software (AVS)?

Each RTO will most likely already have an administrator account for the AVETMISS Validation Software (AVS). Please check with your staff or manager.

🎯Helpful tips:
  • For RTOs who do not have an existing AVS account, please click on this link to register a user account and follow the instructions in the AVS User Guide.
  • Please refer to the AVS User Guide on how to navigate the AVETMISS Validation Software.
  • For assistance with the AVETMISS Validation Software, we recommend contacting NCVER by email [email protected]. NCVER staff are available from Monday – Friday between 8.45am and 5.00pm (Adelaide daylight savings time runs from October to the following April).

Common AVETMISS errors

  • We have received an error for a student record where the suburb/postcode is incorrect. How do we address this error?
    • To resolve the data error, simply check the suburb and postcode on the Australia Post site.
  • We have some blank fields showing in the AVETMISS files. How do we address this?
    • Blank fields will often appear in the AVETMISS files with a @ symbol. The data field in your SMS may be set to ‘not specified’. We recommend checking the student’s enrolment form and updating your SMS.
  • We have received an AVS error which states that I have funded enrolments in my data. How do we address this error?
    • We recommend checking the ‘Funding source – national’ selected against the student’s enrolment and the course settings in your SMS.

Compliance Self-Checklist

The compliance self-checklist provides a suggested sequence of steps to help you and the team to review and submit the data on time.

Wrapping Up

At Hawkeye Consultancy, we understand that data reporting can feel overwhelming at times. Having the right tools and systems in place can provide peace of mind to the team and ensure they are well equipped to meet the AVETMISS reporting requirements. With that in mind, some vital points to consider when planning and preparing your data, we recommend:

  • Conducting regular reviews of your data throughout the year (e.g. monthly or quarterly)
  • Having a sound understanding the NCVER Collection Specifications and NCVER Data Element Definitions
  • Familiarising yourself with the AVS errors and how to resolve these and the final submission process to NCVER.

Where your team has identified gaps in the data collection process, we also recommend documenting these findings in your continuous improvement register, reviewing your current procedures and updating your internal practices to mitigate the likelihood of reoccurrence.

We work with RTOs to help them understand the data reporting requirements and ensure their SMS is capturing the correct data. Our aim is to help our clients build confidence with their data cleansing, collection and reporting processes. For assistance with your data management and reporting needs, simply book a discovery call with our team on (07) 2113 3870 or send us an email to [email protected]

References and useful links

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