
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 1st 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:
- Type the address www.usi.gov.au into your browser
- Click on the button that says Create a USI
- At the bottom of the page is a red button that says GET STARTED click on this
- Read and agree to the terms and conditions then click Next
- Click on the first blue button that says Create USI
- 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.