DDR-01 — Qualification Ladder & Naming Integrity

Status: Design Decision Record — queues as B-COMP-03 Trigger: After B-COMP-02 confirmed deployed Surface: rtopacks.com.au — Composer qualification selection layer Date: 19 March 2026

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What This Is

Logic to build into the Composer's qualification and unit selection layer. Ensures RTOs can only work with current, endorsed qualification structures exactly as defined by the National Register. Prevents audit disasters caused by invented levels, renamed qualifications, or superseded units being used as the basis for new course development.

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Core Logic — Validate → Filter → Group

Step 1 — Prefix Identification

Extract the 3-letter training package code from any qualification or unit code.

Examples: - BSB50420 → BSB (Business Services) - SIT30122 → SIT (Tourism, Travel and Hospitality) - CPC33020 → CPC (Construction, Plumbing and Services)

Use this to group results by training package when displaying the Qualification Ladder.

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Step 2 — Currency Filter (CRITICAL)

Query the National Register data and exclude any record marked as: - Superseded - Deleted - In Transition - Non-current

Unless the user has explicitly toggled "Show archived records."

This is the single most important guardrail in the system. An RTO building a course against a superseded unit is an instant audit finding under ASQA Standard 1.1.

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Step 3 — AQF Level Extraction

Two methods — use both as a cross-check:

Method A — Parse from title:

function getAQFLevel(title) {
  if (!title) return null;
  const t = title.toLowerCase();
  if (t.includes('certificate i in') || t.startsWith('certificate i ')) return 1;
  if (t.includes('certificate ii in') || t.startsWith('certificate ii ')) return 2;
  if (t.includes('certificate iii in') || t.startsWith('certificate iii ')) return 3;
  if (t.includes('certificate iv in') || t.startsWith('certificate iv ')) return 4;
  if (t.includes('diploma of') && !t.includes('advanced')) return 5;
  if (t.includes('advanced diploma')) return 6;
  return null; // Above VET band — Graduate Diploma etc
}

Method B — Extract 4th character of qualification code: The 4th character of a qualification code is the AQF level digit. - BSB50420 → 5 → Diploma - SIT30122 → 3 → Certificate III - CPC33020 → 3 → Certificate III

Cross-check Method A against Method B. If they don't match, flag for review — it may indicate a data anomaly in the National Register record.

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Step 4 — The Ladder View

Group qualifications by AQF level within a training package. Show the career ladder as the industry defined it. Do not fill gaps. Do not invent rungs.

Example output for SIT (Tourism, Travel and Hospitality):

SIT — Tourism, Travel and Hospitality

Level 2   SIT20122   Certificate II in Tourism
Level 3   SIT30122   Certificate III in Tourism
Level 4   SIT40122   Certificate IV in Travel and Tourism
Level 5   SIT50122   Diploma of Travel and Tourism Management
Level 6   SIT60122   Advanced Diploma of Travel and Tourism Management

If Level 1 doesn't exist in SIT — it doesn't appear. No placeholder. No explanation needed. The ladder is what the industry built.

Example output for CPC (Construction):

CPC — Construction, Plumbing and Services

Level 3   CPC33020   Certificate III in Bricklaying and Blocklaying

No Diploma of Bricklaying exists. It doesn't appear. The tool cannot suggest it, create it, or allow it to be named.

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Naming Integrity Guardrail

Rule 1 — Non-editable titles

Qualification and unit titles are pulled directly from the National Register. They are non-editable in the Composer.

If a user attempts to rename a qualification or unit title, display a warning:

Naming Non-Compliance Warning This title is defined by the National Register on Vocational Education and Training. Changing it may affect your audit defensibility under ASQA Standard 1.1. RTOpacks cannot allow the title of an endorsed qualification to be modified.

Offer: "You can add a marketing name or internal reference in your workspace settings — separate from the official title."

Rule 2 — Legacy term catchment

If a user types any of the following legacy/incorrect terms anywhere in the Composer, surface a suggestion:

Legacy Term	Modern Equivalent	Action
Associate Diploma	Advanced Diploma (AQF Level 6)	Suggest + link to Trust Center
Associate Degree	Bachelor Degree (AQF Level 7) — outside VET band	Flag as above VET band
Vocational Graduate Certificate	Graduate Certificate (AQF Level 8) — outside VET band	Flag as above VET band
Level 3 Diploma	Certificate III (AQF Level 3)	Suggest correct terminology

Suggestion UI: quiet inline note, not a blocking modal.

"'Associate Diploma' is a pre-AQF term. The modern equivalent is Advanced Diploma (AQF Level 6). [Learn more →]"

[Learn more →] links to Trust Center data integrity page.

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AQF Level Reference — VET Band (Levels 1–6)

Level	Title	Plain English	Typical Volume of Learning
1	Certificate I	Foundational — routine tasks, highly supervised	6 months
2	Certificate II	Basic operational — pathway to apprenticeships	6–12 months
3	Certificate III	Skilled/Trade — the standard for most occupations	1–2 years
4	Certificate IV	Supervisory — specialised technical + leadership	0.5–2 years
5	Diploma	Paraprofessional — advanced theory and practice	1–2 years
6	Advanced Diploma	Technical leadership — complex specialised knowledge	1.5–2 years

Levels 7–10 are higher education (TEQSA jurisdiction). RTOpacks operates in Levels 1–6 only.

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Key Points for Brief Writing

• The Ladder View belongs in the Composer unit/qualification selection drawer — not the home page search panel
• The home page search panel surfaces discovery results — the Composer enforces structure
• The supersededBy field derivation (currently deferred) becomes necessary for the Ladder View — a unit in the ladder that has been superseded needs to show its replacement
• This brief cannot drop until B-COMP-02 is confirmed deployed and the supersedes / supersededBy data is available

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Audit Mapping

Feature	ASQA Standard
Currency filter — current records only	Standard 1.1
Naming integrity guardrail	Standard 1.1
Ladder view — no invented levels	Standard 1.1
Archived records toggle with warning	Standard 1.1
Legacy term catchment	Standard 1.1

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DDR-01 · RTOpacks · 19 March 2026 Queues as B-COMP-03 · UCCA Inc