Confused about RSA certificates in Canberra? Three steps to help you get it right.

By Mark Field

You’ve just employed someone to serve alcohol in your Canberra establishment and they’ve handed you an RSA certificate they received outside of the ACT. Your first thought is probably,  is this certificate valid in the ACT? To help you work out its validity, here is a three step guide.

Step 1 – Has the certificate been issued by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) approved to deliver RSA in the ACT? To check go to http://www.ors.act.gov.au/publication/view/1690 If the certificate was issued from an RTO not on this list it is NOT valid in the ACT.

Step 2 – Does the certificate state the following unit/subject name and code: Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol (SITFAB009A) or (SITHFAB201)  This ensures they have completed the correct unit of competency.

Step 3 – Check the date the student was deemed competent or if not present, the date the certificate was issued.

• Has the student been deemed competent and/or the certificate issued prior to June 1, 2011? If yes, the certificate is not valid in the ACT.
• Has the student been deemed competent and/or the certificate issued after June 1, 2011 and is under 3 years old?  If yes, the certificate is still valid in the ACT.

Determination

• If the certificate passes steps 1,2 and 3 then it is valid in the ACT.
• If the certificate fails any of the steps then it is not valid in the ACT.

Here’s a working example:

Rebecca successfully completed her ‘Provide Responsible Service of Alcohol’ course (SITFAB009A) in NSW on the June 2, 2012 with a NSW based RTO. Rebecca has just moved to the ACT and received employment at a local club. She has provided the club with her RSA certificate and they are unsure whether it is valid in the ACT.

To work it out let’s apply the three step process.

Step 1 – Has the certificate been issued from an RTO approved to deliver RSA in the ACT? No – Fail
Step 2 – Does the certificate display the correct name and course code? Yes – Pass
Step 3 – Was the certificate issued after June 1, 2012? Yes – Pass

In this case, Rebecca’s certificate has passed steps 2 and 3 however failed step 1 which means the certificate is NOT valid in the ACT. Remember, to be valid in the ACT the certificate must pass all three steps. Rebecca will need to redo her RSA with an ACT Government approved RTO like Access Recognised Training.

Still unsure?

Click here now to upload your certificate and I’d be happy to review it free.