ACER’s vocational, adult and workplace education (VAWE) services promote and design evidence-based educational tools and services that support vocational learners and workplace professionals, with a focus on lifelong learning.

ACER works with Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), educators and trainers to gather a range of evidence that is the basis for implementing effective policies and practices to improve the quality of vocational education and training (VET) outcomes for learners. ACER’s work and programs are targeted at enhancing the learner’s journey and their engagement with the important educational aspects of VET.

ACER offers customised advice, support, professional development, curriculum and standards development, policy and program evaluation, survey and benchmarking services and psychometric and statistical analysis.

Areas of expertise include:


One of the crucial steps required for ensuring continuous improvement in RTOs, which in turn maximises learner outcomes, involves the identification of learner’s foundation skill levels and performance outcomes.

ACER develops assessments against the two key Australian standards for foundation and employability skills – the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) and the Core Skills for Work developmental framework (CSfW).

ACER designs assessments using a range of empirical processes, including moderation and validation, pilot testing (including interviews with learners), client consultations and trials with psychometric analysis. ACER’s rigorous quality assurance processes guarantee assessments which are valid, reliable, fair and fit for purpose.

ACER offers support and a set of instruments, reporting tools and benchmarking options to support a data-driven and outcomes-focused approach to quality assurance and continuous improvement in the vocational, adult and workplace education sector.

John Mitchell and Associates (JMA) and ACER have joined forces in the operation and ongoing development of a suite of workforce capability measures known as the Capability Assessment Tools (CATs). The CATs provide a systematic, whole-of-organisation approach to measuring and growing staff capability and organisational potential. 

Register to attend a complimentary Capability Analysis seminar in Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane.

ACER can provide pre-recruitment solutions and services to assist corporate or recruitment partners with the selection of candidates for employer-based programs via high-stakes, secure testing.

The Vocational Selection Test (VST) is designed to provide comparative information on candidates’ abilities and is particularly useful for screening large groups of candidates in the initial round of a selection process. The VST has high reliability and has been used since 2002 to screen more than 18 000 candidates.

ACER also offers a range of research-based ability, work skills and personality assessments for recruitment and selection purposes.