Why Wellbeing is Now a Compliance Priority – And What RTOs Must Do About It

Standard 2.6 of the 2025 RTO Standards has made one thing crystal clear:

Learner wellbeing isn’t just important — it’s now a regulatory requirement.

For many RTOs, caring about learner wellbeing is nothing new. The best providers have always known that supporting the whole learner journey leads to better outcomes — both in learning and in life. What’s changed is that this responsibility is now formally embedded in the national standards. It’s no longer just good practice — it’s required practice.

Standard 2.6 is a powerful opportunity to recognise and reinforce what many RTOs are already doing — while encouraging a more structured, visible, and proactive approach across the sector.

What Does Standard 2.6 Require?

Under the new standard, every RTO must:

• Identify the wellbeing needs of its learners, based on the course content and learner cohort.

• Implement strategies to support those needs, using both internal and external services.

• Communicate clearly with learners about what supports are available, how to access them, and what actions they can take.

This is about embedding support into your everyday delivery — not creating a separate wellbeing department. It’s practical, scalable, and grounded in context.

What Does This Look Like in Practice?

Examples include:

• Developing a wellbeing support plan that aligns with the specific needs of your learners and learning products.

• Equipping your trainers and assessors to recognise signs of distress, refer learners appropriately, and create safe, inclusive learning environments.

• Sharing resources and access points for:

  • Learning and time management support

  • Financial guidance or emergency assistance

  • Mental health or counselling services

  • Local cultural or demographic-based support groups

  • Clear actions for leaners facing abuse, discrimination, or harassment

Importantly, Standard 2.6 does not require RTOs to provide direct counselling or in-house wellbeing services. The requirement is to ensure learners are aware of relevant support services and know how to access them. For smaller RTOs, this may simply mean referring learners to trusted external organisations such as Headspace, Lifeline, or local community groups. This approach ensures every learner can find support — even if the RTO’s internal capacity is limited.

These supports don’t need to be complex or expensive — they need to be meaningful, accessible, and responsive to the reality of your learners’ lives.

Contextual Examples in Action

• A regional RTO delivering aged care training might partner with local health services to offer learners confidential referrals for emotional wellbeing and placement-related stress.

• A provider offering online diplomas could embed short videos or wellbeing check-ins within the LMS to keep self-paced learners connected and supported.

• A youth-focused RTO could integrate a simple digital wellbeing toolkit into their onboarding module — giving learners confidence and language to seek help early.

A Shift Toward Empowered Compliance

Standard 2.6 reflects a broader shift in the VET sector — from rigid box-ticking to empowered, learner-centred delivery. It’s not about doing more with less. It’s about working smarter, not harder. About turning informal care into documented, sustainable systems.

It also encourages RTO leaders to reflect:

• Do our learners know where to turn when things get tough?

• Are we communicating supports clearly — not just at enrolment, but throughout the course?

• Are our teams confident, not just compliant?

Remember, wellbeing doesn’t always mean crisis. It can also mean confidence, connection, and clarity. When we embed those qualities into the learner experience, learning becomes more than content — it becomes transformation.

Closing Thoughts

Wellbeing isn’t just a compliance issue. It’s a quality issue. And it’s one more sign that the 2025 Standards are raising the bar — not just for what we do, but how we do it.

This isn’t about fixing what’s broken — it’s about strengthening what already works. Standard 2.6 gives every RTO the framework to make their commitment to learner wellbeing more visible, more consistent, and more impactful.

💡 Wellbeing is Now Compliance
Standard 2.6 makes it official: Learner wellbeing isn’t optional — it’s a regulatory requirement from 1 July 2025.

🔧 Practical, Not Performative
You’re not expected to become a counselling service. It’s about scalable actions that connect learners to real support.