RTO Superhero 🎙️ Empowering RTOs to Thrive!

In this practical episode, Angela Connell-Richards helps you decode the updated credential requirements for trainers and assessors under the new 2025 Standards. If you’re unsure whether your team meets current expectations—or how to evidence it—this episode is your step-by-step guide.

Key points discussed:
 ✅ What the Credential Policy now requires (and what’s changed)
 ✅ How to audit and map your trainers' qualificatio...

VET Talks: Future-Proof Your RTO - Embracing the 2025 Standards with Confidence

In this insightful episode of VETtalks, join Scott Rogers (CEO of eSkilled) and Angela Connell (CEO of Vivacity RTO Consulting) for a focused Q&A on navigating the upcoming 2025 Standards for RTOs.

With major reforms now on the horizon, this episode dives into why it’s critical to start preparing now—not later. You’ll hear expert insights into the com...

In this episode of the RTO Superhero Podcast, Angela Connell-Richards and co-host Maciek Fibrich unpack one of the most misunderstood aspects of the 2025 Standards for RTOs—Standard 2.2, with a laser focus on assessing Language, Literacy, Numeracy and Digital (LLND) skills prior to enrolment.

There’s been growing confusion in the VET sector:
 🌀 Do RTOs need to buy expensive LLN and digital skills tools?
 🌀 Does every cours...

In this urgent episode of the RTO Superhero Podcast, Angela Connell-Richards takes you inside a growing crisis in Australia’s vocational education sector. Private RTOs—who deliver over 70% of the nation’s training—are being hit with devastating funding cuts, unfunded compliance reforms, and a wave of closures that threaten access, jobs, and student outcomes.

Angela shares real frontline stories, the latest NCVER data, and what gover...

In this thought-provoking episode, Angela Connell-Richards challenges the common assumption that simply updating your policies and procedures means your RTO is compliant. She explores the deeper truth behind the new Standards: implementation, understanding, and continuous review are what really matter now.

Key points discussed:
 ✅ Why policy updates alone won’t satisfy ASQA
 ✅ How to identify gaps between policy and practice...

As we race towards the 1 July 2025 implementation of the Revised Standards for RTOs, one uncomfortable truth is becoming clear: many RTOs are more prepared than the national regulator itself.

In this unfiltered and empowering bonus episode of the RTO Superhero Podcast, Angela Connell-Richards takes you behind the scenes of what’s really happening with ASQA—and what that means for your compliance strategy. Drawing on over 30 years of...

In this timely episode, Angela Connell-Richards tackles the most common mistakes RTOs are making as they scramble to prepare for the 1 July 2025 Standards deadline. Drawing on her work with dozens of RTOs in recent months, Angela shines a light on the blind spots, oversights, and shortcuts that could cost you dearly—and, most importantly, explains how to fix them before it’s too late.

Key points discussed:
✅ The top 5 complianc...

In this insight-packed episode, Angela Connell-Richards uncovers the silent risks that could land your RTO in an ASQA audit—even if you’ve already met the 1 July deadline. From additions to scope, to complaints, to the delivery of high-risk qualifications, Angela shows how audit triggers have changed—and what RTOs must now do to stay audit-ready.

Key points discussed:
 ✅ How scope changes can trigger a full audit
 ✅ Why even...

In this essential episode, Angela Connell-Richards tackles one of the most overlooked audit risks for RTOs—non-compliant marketing. With the 2025 Standards now in full effect, your course flyers, website, and social media content are all under ASQA’s lens. Angela explores how a single misleading phrase can trigger an audit—and what you can do to stay on the safe side.

Key points discussed:
 ✅ What the 2025 Standards say about ma...

In this episode, Angela takes you behind the scenes of her massive compliance rewrite project. Discover why 2025 is the year to rethink—not just update—your policies and procedures. Angela shares the philosophy, strategy, and practical steps she’s using to ensure Vivacity’s documents empower RTOs to meet the new Standards with confidence.

Key points discussed:
✅ Why the 2025 Standards require more than a “copy and paste” update...

In this episode, Angela Connell-Richards breaks down the essential roadmap for RTOs facing the final stretch before the 1 July 2025 Standards go live. With just six weeks left, this survival guide helps you focus, prioritise, and take action without overwhelm. Angela shares her insider tips, drawn from decades of experience, to help you make the most of every remaining week.

Key points discussed:
✅ A week-by-week countdown chec...

In this deeply personal episode, Angela Connell-Richards, CEO of Vivacity and host of the RTO Superhero Podcast, opens up about her recent diagnoses of thyroid cancer and renal cancer — and how early detection, proactive care, and strong leadership systems have helped her navigate both business and health challenges with resilience and clarity.

Angela shares candid insights on:
 ✅ How she’s continued to lead Vivacity through her...

In this explosive episode of the RTO Superhero Podcast, Angela Connell-Richards is joined by compliance powerhouse Lauren Boon-Hollows to unpack the growing crisis in international education across Australia.

From mounting government pressure and audit inconsistencies to the harsh realities facing CRICOS RTOs, Angela and Lauren aren’t pulling any punches. They take the boxing gloves off and dive into:

• The real impact of governmen...

In this powerful episode, Angela Connell-Richards sits down with assessment expert Maciek Fibriek to unpack one of the most critical topics under the new 2025 Standards—assessment practices and audit readiness.

Together, they dive deep into:

✅ What’s actually changed under Standard 1.3
✅ Why fit-for-purpose assessment means contextualising for your learner cohort
✅ How to test, validate, and align your tools to ensure compl...

In this episode of the RTO Superhero Podcast, Angela Connell-Richards and Lauren Hollows explore the essential elements of structured and engaging training that meets compliance under Standards 1.1 & 1.2. They break down how to design well-paced training programs, avoid the pitfalls of condensed courses, and ensure students remain engaged throughout their learning journey.

🎙️ Key discussion points include:
✅ The importance...

In this episode of the RTO Superhero Podcast, host Angela Connell-Richards is joined once again by Maciek Fibrich, RTO coach and compliance expert, to unpack the major changes in Quality Area 3 – VET Workforce Management under the new 2025 Standards for RTOs.

With a fresh focus on whole-of-organisation workforce management, these changes mean that compliance is no longer just the responsibility of trainers and assessors—it now exten...

In this episode of the RTO Superhero Podcast, Angela Connell-Richards is joined by Lauren Hollows to discuss the critical role of clear and transparent student information under Standards 2.1 & 2.2. They break down what RTOs must communicate before enrolment, how to avoid misleading marketing, and why realistic course durations are essential for compliance and student success.

🎙️ Key discussion points include:
✅ What infor...

🎙️ Episode 8: The Essentials of a Compliant Training System

In this episode of the RTO Superhero Podcast, Angela Connell-Richards is joined by Maciek Fibrich to explore what it takes to build a compliant, high-quality training system under the revised Standards for RTOs (1.1 & 1.2). They break down the key compliance requirements, common pitfalls, and practical strategies to ensure your training delivery aligns with industry ne...

🚨 The wait is over! The New Standards for RTOs 2025 are finalised and come into effect on 1 July 2025. If you’re an RTO owner, compliance manager, trainer, or assessor, this episode is a must-listen!

In this episode of the RTO Superhero Podcast, host Angela Connell-Richards breaks down everything you need to know about the new compliance framework, including:

✅ Why these changes are happening – What was wrong with the 2015 Standards...