SMS readiness self-assessment capabilities

To meet the baseline capabilities of readiness to connect to STARS and be used as a VET Data System, an SMS product should be able to:

Note: This list is not exhaustive, rather it focuses only on the core business outcomes and compliance requirements needed to enable VET IS reporting in STARS.

These capabilities are described in more detail below, but only at a baseline level defined to confirm that an SMS can collect, manage, submit, and report VET IS compliant data as per the Data Provision Requirements (DPRs). SMS suppliers are welcome to deliver additional functionality beyond the baseline described.

Once system development is complete and SMS suppliers are confident their product enables all capabilities, SMS suppliers should complete the readiness self‑assessment form on the VET IS website to confirm their system is ready to connect to STARS Production and meets the minimum mandatory functions of a VET Data System.

1. Establish an authenticated connection to STARS

Enable your SMS product to establish specific authenticated connections to STARS for each different training organisation you support. Note, if you plan to also support funded training organisations in Stage 2, your system may also need to support parallel connections to indirect jurisdiction reporting systems for the same training organisation.

An SMS product that enables this capability can:

a)       Provide a public key certificate file to the relevant user to enable creation of a STARS account

b)       Configure the client ID provided by the MyVET Data Portal to establish a machine-to-machine connection

c)       Manage certificate renewal and expiry to maintain connectivity with STARS

2. Maintain auditable user authentication

Apply access controls to STARS reporting functions so that your system can appropriately track which reporting users undertook actions related to VET IS reporting. Users who will be managing or submitting VET IS data through STARS should also be shown the STARS Terms and Conditions to confirm they are aware of their responsibilities.

An SMS product that enables this capability can:

a)       Establish access control to VET IS reporting functions

b)       Display or link to STARS Terms and Conditions for all relevant users prior to enabling interaction with STARS

3. Submit valid reportable data to STARS

Enable reporting staff to validate and submit reportable VET activity data to STARS. It is recommended to submit program conclusions for multiple students (at least two) who have completed the same program and subjects (at least two) within a single reporting period. This is intended to provide baseline coverage of the full lifecycle of a student activity (as the enrolment and commencement details are also required for a conclusion), with shared resources across multiple students.

An SMS product that enables this capability can:

a)       Upload student activity lifecycle events to STARS

b)       Validate uploaded records

c)       Display validation errors, warnings, and corrective action messages to a user, if present

d)       Confirm uploaded records are valid

e)       Submit uploaded records to STARS

f)        Confirm successful submission of uploaded records

4. Reconcile data by reporting period

Enable reporting staff to confirm whether their reportable activity data records have been submitted for a specific reporting period. It is recommended that reconciliation be tested when it is known that there are outstanding records to be reported, and when it is believed that all required records for a period have already been submitted.

An SMS product that enables this capability can:

a)       Request reconciliation from STARS for a reporting period

b)       Receive the list of resources submitted to STARS for that reporting period

c)       Compare the resources submitted in STARS to internal records to identify any discrepancies

d)       Display reconciliation discrepancies to a user

5. Remove STARS data reported in error

Enable reporting staff to remove records that were submitted to STARS in error so that they are no longer part of the submitted dataset. It is recommended to remove student enrolment records for at least two students in different subjects or programs for different reasons.

When enabling delete functionality, it is important that records are only removed where they have been genuinely submitted in error and cannot be updated or corrected. If a record requires updating, the corrected record should be uploaded using the same record identifier through the standard submission process.

An SMS product that enables this capability can:

a)       Identify a record submitted to STARS requiring removal

b)       Upload a transaction batch including data flagged for removal

c)       Confirm the removal request is valid

d)       Submit the transaction batch with data to be removed to STARS

e)       Receiving confirmation of successful removal

6. Check the quality of reported data

Enable reporting staff to understand the outcomes of data quality checks on their data and identify any issues requiring further action. It is recommended to submit sufficient data for at least one reporting period to trigger a data quality error or warning in Client Integration, to confirm that your system can retrieve and display data quality issues and corrective actions.

An SMS product that enables this capability can:

a)       Determine the data quality assessment status for a reporting period

b)       Initiate data quality checks for a reporting period

c)       Receive data quality check outcome for a reporting period and any identified errors and warnings

d)       Display data quality errors, warnings, and corrective action messages to a user

7. Submit end-of-quarter declarations

Enable staff to complete and submit an end‑of‑quarter declaration for their organisation, and a Nil Activity Report where no reportable activity has occurred. It is recommended that at least one standard declaration and one nil activity report are submitted for different reporting periods.

An SMS product that enables this capability can:

a)       Display to users the declaration or nil activity report text as specified on the VDS Developer Portal

b)       Record a declaration or nil activity report by a specific user for a reporting period

c)       Submit a declaration or nil activity report to STARS

d)       Receive confirmation from STARS of successful declaration submission

e)       Confirm to the declaring user that the declaration or nil activity report has been successfully recorded in STARS