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About Us
About The Principal
- Professional
- Accredited
- Communicative
- Responsive
Fred Bonaventura is the immediate past Principal and CEO of Ripponlea Institute, a private RTO operating in Victoria, with over 3,000 student enrolments. This is a position he had held since initial registration of the RTO in 2002. In 2018, he relinquished this position and was appointed Manager of Training Services for Ripponlea Institute, a contracted position. He was also the owner and Principal of Vocational Pathways and Innovational Education, private consultancy firms specialising in vocational education delivered to secondary school students.
In July 2019 Fred accepted a position as Lead Regulatory Officer at the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), joining the Melbourne Regulatory Operations team. As an ASQA Lead Auditor, Fred's duties and responsibilities included:
• conducting RTO compliance monitoring audits and making recommendations based on the findings;• undertaking RTO response / reconsideration / AAT evidence analyses;• preparing briefs for the ASQA Commissioners, General Manager of Regulatory Operations and the ASQA Legal team; and,• representing ASQA at Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) matters.
Fred has also recently been trained in:
• ASQA’s new and revised audit systems and practices following the Rapid Review;• changes in ASQA’s regulatory posture and educative role;• the introduction of ‘RTO self-assurance’ processes and compliance requirements; and,• ASQA legal strategies for dealing with matters brought before the AAT.
Fred's work in education and training spans thirty-nine years, having worked as a senior secondary school teacher from 1981 to 1994, and vocational education and training consultant from 1994 to the present day.
As the Principal and CEO of an RTO, from 2002 to 2018, and as a consultant in Vocational Education and Training from 1994 to 2018, Fred developed comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015, and the AQTF Essential Conditions and Standards for Initial and Continuing Registration, including VRQA guidelines for VET providers applicable to Victorian-based RTOs.
As a contracted VET consultant, since 1994, Fred facilitated the successful registration of over seventy Registered Training Organisations, including organisations for delivery to international students. In his capacity as a contracted consultant, Fred lead internal reviews of client RTOs for compliance against the relevant standards and guidelines, in preparation for audit by the training regulator. Subsequently, he reported on well over one hundred reviews/audits, using a range of report templates, including ASQA / VRQA templates and custom templates developed to meet specific client needs. Reviews would routinely include document reviews, compliance risk assessments, stakeholder interviews, internet-based research, and accessing data from client student management systems.
By engaging a risk and outcomes-based approach in conducting the reviews and audits, the processes were critical to fostering continuous improvement in, and adding value to the operations of, the respective RTOs. The reviews / audits included pre-review consultations and organisational risk assessments, documenting recommendations for meeting compliance obligations, suggestions for improvement in delivery and assessment of nationally recognised training, and recommendations regarding the general management and functioning of the RTO. The developing and monitoring of action plans, to address review findings, also contributed to the effective implementation of recommendations and actions for improvement.
It is also notable that over the many years of dealing with clients in the VET / RTO space, Fred has been able to develop advanced communication skills when dealing with challenging scearios such as providing strategic advice to RTOs during Administrative Appeals hearinings. Fred established the consultancy firm RTO Associates in 2020. Fred's qualifications are: Bachelor of Arts (specialised major in Political Science)Graduate Diploma in Education Graduate Diploma in Religious EducationGraduate Certificate of Education and TrainingBSB51615 Diploma of Quality AuditingTAE50111 Diploma of Vocational Education and TrainingTAE50216 Diploma of Training Design and DevelopmentSA2081 Certificate IV in Workplace TrainingTAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
• conducting RTO compliance monitoring audits and making recommendations based on the findings;• undertaking RTO response / reconsideration / AAT evidence analyses;• preparing briefs for the ASQA Commissioners, General Manager of Regulatory Operations and the ASQA Legal team; and,• representing ASQA at Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) matters.
Fred has also recently been trained in:
• ASQA’s new and revised audit systems and practices following the Rapid Review;• changes in ASQA’s regulatory posture and educative role;• the introduction of ‘RTO self-assurance’ processes and compliance requirements; and,• ASQA legal strategies for dealing with matters brought before the AAT.
Fred's work in education and training spans thirty-nine years, having worked as a senior secondary school teacher from 1981 to 1994, and vocational education and training consultant from 1994 to the present day.
As the Principal and CEO of an RTO, from 2002 to 2018, and as a consultant in Vocational Education and Training from 1994 to 2018, Fred developed comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015, and the AQTF Essential Conditions and Standards for Initial and Continuing Registration, including VRQA guidelines for VET providers applicable to Victorian-based RTOs.
As a contracted VET consultant, since 1994, Fred facilitated the successful registration of over seventy Registered Training Organisations, including organisations for delivery to international students. In his capacity as a contracted consultant, Fred lead internal reviews of client RTOs for compliance against the relevant standards and guidelines, in preparation for audit by the training regulator. Subsequently, he reported on well over one hundred reviews/audits, using a range of report templates, including ASQA / VRQA templates and custom templates developed to meet specific client needs. Reviews would routinely include document reviews, compliance risk assessments, stakeholder interviews, internet-based research, and accessing data from client student management systems.
By engaging a risk and outcomes-based approach in conducting the reviews and audits, the processes were critical to fostering continuous improvement in, and adding value to the operations of, the respective RTOs. The reviews / audits included pre-review consultations and organisational risk assessments, documenting recommendations for meeting compliance obligations, suggestions for improvement in delivery and assessment of nationally recognised training, and recommendations regarding the general management and functioning of the RTO. The developing and monitoring of action plans, to address review findings, also contributed to the effective implementation of recommendations and actions for improvement.
It is also notable that over the many years of dealing with clients in the VET / RTO space, Fred has been able to develop advanced communication skills when dealing with challenging scearios such as providing strategic advice to RTOs during Administrative Appeals hearinings. Fred established the consultancy firm RTO Associates in 2020. Fred's qualifications are: Bachelor of Arts (specialised major in Political Science)Graduate Diploma in Education Graduate Diploma in Religious EducationGraduate Certificate of Education and TrainingBSB51615 Diploma of Quality AuditingTAE50111 Diploma of Vocational Education and TrainingTAE50216 Diploma of Training Design and DevelopmentSA2081 Certificate IV in Workplace TrainingTAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment