How to check a training provider is legitimate
Four checks that take five minutes: the national register, the scope of registration, the state approval, and the unit code on your certificate.
Updated 2026-09-25
Australia has a public register of every legitimate training provider, which makes this easier than it is in most industries. Four checks, about five minutes.
1. Find them on the national register
Search the provider at training.gov.au. Every Registered Training Organisation has an RTO code, a registration status (current, suspended or cancelled) and a registration period. No entry means no nationally recognised training, whatever the website says.
2. Check the scope, not just the registration
This is the check almost nobody does. An RTO's scope of registration is the precise list of units it is approved to deliver. A provider can be genuinely registered and still be advertising a course it is not approved to assess — and a statement of attainment issued outside scope is not valid.
On the register, open the provider and look for the unit code your ticket needs: TLILIC0003 for forklift, CPCWHS1001 for white card, HLTAID011 for first aid, RIIWHS205E for stop-slow traffic control, and so on.
Every provider listed on this site has been checked this way, and courses advertised outside an RTO's scope are withheld rather than published.
3. Check the state approval as well
Registration on the national register is not the whole picture for some tickets:
- RSA and RCG — must also be a Liquor & Gaming NSW Approved Training Provider.
- Traffic control — the RTO must hold an agreement with SafeWork NSW to deliver traffic control work training.
- High risk work licences (forklift, EWP, dogging, rigging) — assessment must be conducted by a SafeWork NSW accredited assessor.
- Heavy vehicle — the assessor must be registered with Transport for NSW for HVCBA.
4. Check the paperwork you are given
Your certificate or statement of attainment should carry the unit code and title, the RTO name and code, and the nationally recognised training logo. A "certificate of attendance" with no unit code is not a qualification and will not be accepted by a licensing authority.
Warning signs
- A price far below everyone else for a course with a mandatory face-to-face assessment — NSW white card, for instance, cannot be completed wholly online.
- Guaranteed passes, or a licence promised without an assessment.
- No RTO code anywhere on the site.
- Pressure to pay before you are told which unit you will be assessed against.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I check an RTO is real?
- Search the provider on training.gov.au, the national register. A legitimate RTO has a code, a current registration status and a published scope of registration. If it is not there, it cannot issue nationally recognised training.
- What is a scope of registration?
- The exact list of units of competency and qualifications an RTO is approved to deliver and assess. An RTO can be entirely legitimate and still not be approved for the course it is advertising to you.
- Is being on the national register enough?
- Not always. RSA and RCG also need Liquor & Gaming NSW approval, traffic control needs a SafeWork NSW agreement, and high risk work assessment needs a SafeWork NSW accredited assessor. Registration and state approval are separate things.
- What should be on my certificate?
- The unit code and title, the RTO name and code, and the nationally recognised training logo. If the unit code is missing or does not match the one the licensing scheme names, the document may not be accepted.