RSA Online – NSW Approved!
Great news! Finally NSW residents can get their RSA course online! After years of only allowing face-to-face training in NSW, the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing (OLGR NSW) announced on 1 July 2012, that a twelve month trial of an Online RSA course in NSW would be launched.
OLGR have allowed a select group of existing Registered Training Organisations (RTO’s) to offer the course, and have engaged strict guidelines for the RTO’s to comply with, particularly relating to student ID verification, including complying with the BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR DELIVERING ONLINE RSA TRAINING form, and also the AQTF national training guidelines. The content of the course has been supplied by OLGR NSW, and must be used consistently by each RTO, within their own online portal systems, sometimes known as Learning Management Systems (LMS).
The OLGR documentation has this to say about the content of the new course:
In this course you’ll learn the principles and practices of the Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA).
RSA training is governed by NSW State liquor laws and completion of an RSA course is mandatory for licensees, serving and security staff.
There are four topics you need to complete:
- Introduction to RSA
This topic will help you to understand the purpose of Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA).
In this topic you will learn about the principles of RSA, and the role of the Government in developing and enforcing RSA legislation in NSW. Government officers and experienced licensees will explain many of these details so that you gain a thorough understanding.
- RSA legislation
This topic covers the skills and knowledge to sell or serve alcohol according to NSW legislation.
In this topic you’ll learn about the legal requirements of RSA. Industry professionals will explain the key aspects of RSA legislation and how it applies to your role in industry.
- Impact of alcohol
In this topic you’ll hear about the risks to your patrons, including long-term health problems, associated with alcohol consumption.
In this topic you will learn how alcohol impacts on personal and community health. A health professional will outline issues related to the sale and service of alcohol for different types of customers, especially those at risk. You will also see how to provide accurate information to customers on alcoholic beverages.
- RSA strategies.
This topic will give you a range of skills that will help you to comply with the requirements of the liquor laws.
In this topic you’ll look at role plays demonstrating best practice in RSA strategies. You’ll also hear from licensees about how RSA is typically applied by staff in the workplace.
Once a trainee has completed the course and online assessments, they receive a Statement of Attainment from the RTO. This document contains their unique ID number, thus forming part of the ID verification process. The RTO then submits their application to the OLGR NSW portal, and then emails an Interim Certificate to the trainee. Once the trainee has received this they make an appointment with a local Post Office, to go in and have their photo ID verified, and get a Photo Competency Card issued by Australia Post.
OLGR and Australia Post charge $70 for the competency card (which is a requirement for face-to-face, or online training). This $70 is usually included in the price of training.
The new delivery methodology launched on the 1st of July, but it seemed no RTO’s were ready on that exact day. By early in the week, there were two providers, available online, the most economical being www.rsaonlinensw.com at $139 including the Photocard fee.
This development from OLGR NSW makes it SO much more convenient to do your RSA Online (NSW), by avoiding the long hours involved with face-to-face training.