Generating AVETMISS NAT Files

RTObase generates AVETMISS Release 8.0 compliant NAT files. This guide walks through the reporting process from data validation to file export.

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Understanding AVETMISS reporting

What is AVETMISS?

AVETMISS (Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard) is the national standard for collecting and reporting VET data.

When to report

NAT file structure

A complete AVETMISS submission includes multiple NAT files:

Pre-reporting checks

Before generating NAT files, validate your data:

Generating NAT files

AVETMISS reporting is a guided wizard that walks you through the whole submission: Period → Readiness → Generate → Validate & fix → Lodge.

Importing AVETMISS data

RTObase can import existing AVETMISS NAT files to migrate data from another system.

Import history

The import history table shows all past imports with:

• Date: When the import was run
• Date Range: The earliest and latest activity dates in the imported data
• Records: Number of students, enrolments, and other entities created
• Status: Success, partial (with conflicts), or failed

Undoing an import

A member with Reports and exports: Manage can undo an import to remove every record it created. The confirmation lists the current counts for students, enrolments, classes, courses, units, locations, contacts, disabilities, prior education, assessment outcomes, bookings, booking sessions, appointment and attendance links, trainer and asset reservations, booking capabilities, identity verifications, and payment records that came in with it.

Two rules protect work you have done since:

• You have 7 days. The undo option is available for 7 days after the import ran. After that the imported data is treated as part of your live records.
• Later work blocks it. If anything created after the import depends on the imported records, the undo is refused and tells you what to remove first. This includes later assessment evidence and operational booking records that are not part of the import's own lineage. Nothing is partially deleted, so a refused undo leaves your data exactly as it was.

Superseded unit detection

During import, RTObase automatically checks each newly imported unit against training.gov.au to detect superseded units. If a unit has been superseded, RTObase records:

• Superseded by: The code of the replacement unit
• Superseded date: When the unit was superseded

This helps you identify units that need updating in your training packages. The lookup runs automatically as part of the import process and gracefully skips if training.gov.au is unavailable.

Submitting to NCVER

This section is the fee-for-service path. NCVER cannot accept government-funded data from RTOs; government-funded activity must follow the relevant State or Territory Training Authority process. RTObase does not currently guarantee a portal-ready state lodgement format.

AVS (AVETMISS Validation Software)

Before NCVER submission:

1. Download AVS from NCVER website
2. Import your NAT files
3. Run validation
4. Fix any additional errors
5. Generate the validated submission file

NCVER Data Entry Tool

Submit via the NCVER portal:

1. Log into the Data Entry Tool
2. Upload your validated NAT files
3. Confirm submission details
4. Submit for processing

Common reporting scenarios

New enrolments only

To report new enrolments since last submission:

1. Set start date to day after last report
2. Set end date to current reporting date
3. Only new/changed records will be included

Full year refresh

For annual Total VET Activity:

1. Set period to full calendar year (1 Jan - 31 Dec)
2. Include all enrolments
3. This replaces previous submissions for the year

Withdrawn students

Students who withdrew should be reported with:

• Outcome ID 40 (Withdrawn)
• Date of withdrawal
• Completed units (if any) marked separately

RTObase automatically changes unfinished outcomes 70/85 to outcome 40 when you mark an enrolment as Withdrawn. It records the previous value so reactivating that enrolment can restore only RTObase's automatic changes. Final and manually corrected outcomes are preserved. Legacy withdrawals without restore history require staff to review outcome 40 rows before reactivation; RTObase does not guess whether the correct resumed outcome is 70 or 85.

NAT file details

NAT00010: Training Organisation

Your RTO details:

• Training Organisation ID
• Organisation name
• Contact details
• RTO type

Edit in Settings → Organisation

NAT00030: Programs

Course information:

• Program ID (qualification code)
• Program name
• Nominal hours
• Recognition identifier

Managed in Courses

NAT00080: Clients

Student personal details:

• Name, DOB, gender
• Indigenous status
• Language, country of birth
• Highest school level

See AVETMISS Student Fields

NAT00120: Enrolments

Training activity:

• Student-course-unit link
• Dates
• Delivery mode
• Outcome
• Reportable unit fee. A fee with cents is written rounded to the nearest whole dollar.

NAT00130: Training Activity

Unit-level outcomes:

• Unit code
• Start/end dates
• Outcome ID (competent, not competent, withdrawn)
• Scheduled hours

Outcome IDs

The result of training activity:

RTObase sets these based on enrolment status and unit results.

Troubleshooting

"Invalid USI" error

• Verify USI format (10 characters)
• Check with USI Registry
• May need student to re-verify

"Missing prior education"

• Ask student to complete survey
• Or select "Not stated" (@@)

"Dates outside reporting period"

• Check enrolment dates fall within selected period
• Training activity dates must align with enrolment

File rejected by AVS

Don't fix AVS errors by hand. In the Validate & fix step of the reporting wizard, upload the detailedReport (and optional summary) CSV that AVS returned:

• Every error is mapped to the exact student and field it belongs to
• Use Fix this to jump straight to the flagged field on the student record
• Mark each error fixed or ignored as you resolve it
• Re-generate, re-upload AVS's new report, and resolved errors close automatically

Common underlying issues are blank/invalid postcodes, postcode/state mismatches, missing USIs, invalid dates, and address fields that don't match the Australia Post locality list (re-enter the address via autocomplete to fix those).

Lodgement workflow

For courses that require lodgement with an external issuing authority (such as LGNSW for local government qualifications), RTObase provides a dedicated lodgement tracking workflow.

How lodgement batches work

A lodgement batch is created when you export the issuing authority's CSV for enrolments from one course. Each batch groups the enrolments from that class into a single trackable record with a unique reference number, so you can monitor submission progress from export through to confirmation.

To create a new lodgement batch:

1. Go to Lodgements in the sidebar
2. Click New Lodgement
3. Use the wizard to select enrolments from one course
4. The batch is created with status Exported and a generated reference number

Lodgement list

The Lodgements list page shows all lodgement batches for your organisation. Use the status filter above the list to narrow it:

Each row in the table displays the reference number, portal reference, issuing authority, course type, linked class, student confirmation count, status, and export/lodgement timestamps.

The Confirm Exported button on the list page opens a quick-confirm dialog to mark enrolments as lodged in bulk without navigating to individual batches.

Lodgement detail page

Click any lodgement batch to open its detail page. The page is organised into three tabs:

Overview tab

Displays the lodgement details including:

• Reference: the internal reference number for this batch
• Portal Reference: the submission ID assigned by the issuing authority portal (editable)
• Issuing Authority: the external body the training is being lodged with
• Course Type: the issuing authority's classification for the course (e.g. LGNSW course types)
• Class and Course: links to the source class and qualification
• Exported and Lodged timestamps

When a lodgement is in Exported status and has unconfirmed students, a confirm panel appears below the details. Enter the portal reference number from the issuing authority's system, select which students were successfully lodged, then click Confirm Lodged. Confirmed students are marked with a green tick and a confirmation date.

Enrolments tab

Shows a paginated table of all enrolments in the batch with columns for student name, email, completion date, and confirmation status. Click View on any row to go directly to that enrolment.

Audit Log tab

A full change history for the lodgement record, showing who made each change and when.

Lodgement statuses

To revert a lodged batch back to Exported (for example, if a submission was rejected), open the batch and click Revert to Exported. This resets all enrolment confirmations so you can re-confirm after resubmitting.

External reference field

The Portal Reference field stores the submission ID assigned by the issuing authority's portal (for example, a CHC reference number from the LGNSW portal). Enter it during the confirmation step on the Overview tab. It appears in the lodgement list table so you can look up a specific submission quickly.

Print Letters

Click Print Letters on any lodgement detail page to generate a ZIP of branded PDF completion letters, one letter per student in the batch. The ZIP downloads automatically to your browser. Letters are formatted with your organisation's branding and the student's completion details.

Reimport validation results

Import the AVS detailed report for the export you are validating. Repeated unresolved errors keep their triage history and remain visible for that export. A new report closes earlier errors only when it covers the relevant file and no longer reports those errors. An empty or unrelated report does not prove that an error was resolved.

The reporting period cannot be lodged while blocking errors remain. Review the inbox for the selected export, correct the source records, then validate the regenerated files again.

Lodgement audit history

Audit access is separate from viewing or changing the record. Grant it only to members who need to review change history.

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