24 Feb What is a Unique Student Identifier (USI), why do I need one and how do I get one?

In 2012 the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) agreed to create and implement a USI, its purpose being to ensure every learner has access to a record of their own results re completed units of competency or whole qualifications. In 2014 the Student Identifiers Act 2014 was created and this states an RTO must not issue a Statement of Attainment or a Qualification to any Australian resident that has not been assigned a USI.

The initiative commenced 1^st January 2015 and is a reference code made up of 10 numbers and letters. Once you have been assigned a USI it is yours for life so you should keep it somewhere very safe and accessible.

The process of obtaining a USI is very simple:

1. Type the address www.usi.gov.au into your browser
2. Click on the button that says Create a USI
3. At the bottom of the page is a red button that says GET STARTED click on this
4. Read and agree to the terms and conditions then click Next
5. Click on the first blue button that says Create USI
6. Just follow the prompts on the screen and enter your personal details

You will need some form of ID and Australian drivers licence will suffice, however there are a list other forms of ID which on the site, which will meet the requirements.

The whole exercise should take less than 5 minutes as it is an easy to follow process.