To check a course is nationally recognised, find its national code, then search for that code on training.gov.au. If it is listed as current, and the provider is a registered training organisation with that qualification on its scope, the course is nationally recognised.
That takes about two minutes. Here are the four checks, in order.
1,165
current nationally recognised qualifications are listed in this directory, each with the providers whose scope includes it.
Source: training.gov.au
Current qualifications and provider scope from training.gov.au, the national register of vocational education, October 2026. More about our sources: How we check our facts
The four checks
Work through them in order. If any one fails, stop and ask questions before you pay.
- Find the national code. A nationally recognised qualification has a code in its title, such as CHC33021. If an ad shows no code, ask the provider for it.
- Search the code on the register. Open training.gov.au, search for the code, and check the title matches and the status is current. A superseded qualification has been replaced by a newer one.
- Check the provider. Search the provider on the same register. It should be a registered training organisation, with a current registration, and the qualification should appear on its scope. Only registered providers can deliver nationally recognised training.
- Ask the provider to confirm. Ask which qualification you will receive, the provider's RTO number, and whether anything in the course is not part of the nationally recognised qualification. A clear provider answers quickly.
Source: ASQA
Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) guidance for students: only registered training organisations listed on the national register can offer nationally recognised training, and providers must state the course code and title as listed on the register. More about our sources: How we check our facts
What the register shows you
On training.gov.au a qualification's entry shows its code, its title, its release and whether it is current. For example, the Certificate III in Individual Support (CHC33021) shows as release 1, issued in November 2022, with the status current. A provider's entry shows its RTO number, its registration status and the list of qualifications it is registered to deliver.
Source: training.gov.au
Release and currency for CHC33021 from training.gov.au, the national register of vocational education, October 2026. More about our sources: How we check our facts
A qualification can be nationally recognised and still have no provider offering it publicly right now. In our directory, a majority of the 1,165 current qualifications have at least one provider listed, and a few hundred have none listed.
Source: training.gov.au
Provider scope for every current qualification in this directory, from training.gov.au, October 2026. More about our sources: How we check our facts
Short courses and other wording
Not every course is a full qualification. Skill sets and short courses can be nationally recognised too, and they also appear on the register. Other short courses are not nationally recognised, which is not wrong in itself. It just means they will not appear on the register, so a certificate from them is not a national credential.
Providers that operate only in Victoria or Western Australia may be regulated by their state regulator rather than ASQA. They still appear on the national register, so the same checks apply.
Common questions
Can I check without the code? Search the course title on the register, then confirm the code with the provider. Is every certificate nationally recognised? No. Only qualifications and skill sets on the national register are, and only registered providers can issue them. Does nationally recognised mean employers will hire you? No. It means the qualification meets a national standard, not that a job follows. What if my provider has closed? The regulator may hold your student records, and you can search the register by the provider's RTO number or name to find out who regulated it.
What to be wary of
Be careful with courses that promise a certificate but give no code, with providers that give no RTO number, and with wording such as accredited or recognised that never says nationally recognised. None of these is proof of a problem. All of them are reasons to run the four checks before you pay.
Our course pages show the national code, the release status and the providers whose scope includes each qualification, drawn from the same register. The method behind our data is open, so you can see how we check.
The regulator publishes more on choosing a course and provider and on the national register of VET.
Source: ASQA
ASQA pages for students on choosing a course and provider, and on the national register of VET. More about our sources: How we check our facts
In short: code, register, provider, confirmation. If all four line up, you are looking at nationally recognised training.
Tip
Take a screenshot of the register entry for the qualification and the provider before you pay. It is a simple record if anything is disputed later.
Key takeaways
- Find the national code, then search it on training.gov.au and check the status is current.
- Check the provider is a registered training organisation with that qualification on its scope.
- No code, no RTO number, or vague wording are reasons to pause and ask.