To ensure SA VET activity is reported to the correct student’s USI transcript, the Department has implemented a process whereby STELA interacts with the USI Registry overnight to verify the reported USI and associated student details with records held by the USI Registry System.
This page outlines the actions required by training organisations where discrepancies have been identified with USIs reported in the current collection year.
All discrepancies identified will appear in red on the ‘USI Discrepancies Report’ within the Submission Progress page in STELA.
Discrepancies can include:
- Missing USIs,
- Invalid/Deactivated USIs
- Incorrect names and/or Date of Birth
- Incorrect use of exemption codes SHORT or INTOFF.
Zero tolerance applies to Invalid/Deactivated USIs and must be fixed as soon as possible.
Below is an explanation of each discrepancy type and the required action to be taken.
Discrepancy Type & Explanation/Action Required
Unverified
Unverified will be displayed in the following two situations:
- Where a USI has been reported in STELA for the first time. Overnight these details will be validated against the USI registry and where discrepancies are identified these will appear on the report in red. Required Action: Address the following day.
- Where a USI is missing for a student – see below for more information on how to resolve.
Missing USIs
Unless exempt, a USI is required for all nationally recognised training courses.
Required Action
Collect and report the student’s USI in STELA. Where an exemption applies report USI as INDIV in STELA.
Invalid / Deactivated USIs
Required Action
Contact the student or re-verify the USI and update STELA as necessary. In rare circumstances a USI can be ‘deactivated’ by the USI office because of a duplicated record. In this scenario you should contact the student to obtain their correct USI or access the ‘deactivated USIs’ report via the USI portal.
Incorrect use of exemption code SHORT
From 1 January 2018 the exemption from USI reporting for single day course lapsed.
Required Action
Contact the student to obtain USI and update STELA.
Incorrect use of exemption code INTOFF
Offshore students (international students undertaking their entire VET course outside Australia) are exempt from obtaining a USI but the reported training must reflect their training is taking place offshore.
Required Action
Ensure that training activity for offshore students is reported in STELA against one of the following State Fund Sources:
- ‘OFF – International Offshore Client’ (Private RTOs)
- 424 - FFS - Overseas Delivery (TAFE SA)
Also ensure that the student’s Residential Address has:
- State as ‘Other (Overseas but not an Australian Territory or Dependency)’ (STELA V2 Users)
- Post Code as ‘OSPC’ and ‘State identifier’ as ‘99’ in the NAT00080 file (STELA NAT Upload Users)
Incorrect First Name, Last Name, Single Name or Date of Birth
Required Action
Discrepancies on names are common due to marriage, divorce or students not providing updates to the USI office.
Where a USI provided has a status of ‘Valid’ and the DOB is also valid than then tolerance will be given to these discrepancies and no further action needs to be taken.
If all names and the DOB are not valid for a USI provided, then contact the student or re-verify the USI and update STELA as necessary.
I have updated my discrepancies in STELA, why are they still showing on my report?
The USI verification process is an overnight process. Where updates have been made to your data please check the report the following day. Where discrepancies have been resolved these should disappear from the report. If the report continues to show discrepancies that have been resolved, please contact the STELA Helpdesk.
How often should I action my USI discrepancies?
Regular review and maintenance of USI discrepancies will mean less effort to finalise student records for the end of year collection and more accurate data reporting. Discrepancies identified with a zero tolerance MUST be actioned as soon as practicable to ensure data quality is maintained and student transcripts are updated.