Agile Leadership and the Standards for RTOs 2025
Agile leadership refers to a leadership style that is flexible, adaptive, collaborative, and responsive to change, and is now widely applied in the business sector to help navigate change and uncertainty. For RTOs, this means being able to shift quickly in response to regulatory changes.
Key Traits of Agile Leaders:
- Adaptability: Respond quickly to changes, like regulatory reforms.
- Empowerment: Trust and empower staff to make decisions.
- Collaboration: Encourage team involvement and shared responsibility.
- Continuous Improvement: Regular reflection and adjustment of practices.
- Transparency & Communication: Maintain open, honest communication.
Adapting to the Standards for RTOs 2025 with Agile Leadership
The Standards for RTO’s 2025 emphasise the demonstration of outcomes, such as student experience, trainer currency, and industry engagement. Agile leadership is a powerful approach to support this transition and can supports this shift by enabling an RTO to:
- Respond Quickly to Compliance Requirements
New Agile Approach: Evidence-informed decisions and practices that demonstrate outcomes. The RTO undertakes regular internal self-assurance audits to ensure the roll out of the new Standards.
- Engagement with industry stakeholders, employers, and community
New Agile Approach: Rapidly respond to industry feedback, adjust training and assessment strategies based on market needs.
- Promote a Culture of Continuous Improvement
New Agile Approach: The 2025 Standards require evidence of continuous self-assessment. Implement short fortnightly or monthly Continuous Improvement meetings to capture all the small, incremental changes that are occurring.
- Support Workforce Capability
New Agile Approach: Leaders must ensure trainers and assessors maintain current industry and VET skills. Encourage regular PD and use feedback loops to identify areas for development with all RTO staff.
- Embrace Learning Engagement
New Agile Approach: Adapt training techniques based on learner need. Trial new training techniques and tech tools and gather student feedback early and often.
Agile leadership is about progress, not perfection. This means that the focus of agile leadership is on continuous improvement and making incremental progress. Agile leaders understand that perfection is not the goal; instead, they aim to make consistent, small improvements that collectively lead to significant advancements over time. This mindset is essential in transitioning your RTO for the outcomes-focused 2025 Standards. By embracing agile leadership, RTOs can create a culture of continuous improvement and responsiveness, which is essential for meeting the new standards and achieving positive outcomes.
For more information on support for your RTO during this current transition to the new Standards for RTOs 2025, please visit www.harrisstyles.com.au or send me a PM.
