Does Training My Employer Organised Count as CPD in NSW?

Many NSW builders complete in-house training, attend toolbox talks, or participate in workplace safety sessions organised by their employer. The question at licence renewal is straightforward: did the training come from a Registered Training Organisation? If not, it does not count toward your 12 CPD points regardless of how relevant or thorough it was.

The One Test: Was It Delivered by an RTO?

NSW Fair Trading requires CPD to be completed through a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). An RTO is a training provider registered with ASQA (the Australian Skills Quality Authority) and listed on the national training register at training.gov.au. The certificate you receive must include the provider’s RTO number to be accepted at licence renewal.

If your employer ran in-house training without using an RTO, that training does not count — no matter how many hours it took or how directly it relates to your building work. The same applies to toolbox talks, site inductions, vendor product demonstrations, and safety briefings delivered by non-RTO personnel.

How to Check If Your Employer’s Training Provider Is an RTO

Go to training.gov.au and search for the provider name. If they appear with a current RTO registration and are listed as delivering the relevant training, the training counts. If they do not appear — or their registration has lapsed — the training does not count regardless of any certificate they issued.

Builders CPD Online is RTO 91528. You can verify this directly at training.gov.au. Every certificate issued includes the RTO number, your name, completion date, course name, and points awarded — all the fields Fair Trading checks at renewal.

What If You Have Done Some Employer Training — Can It Count Toward CPD?

Only if the employer arranged the training through an RTO and an RTO certificate was issued in your name. Some larger construction companies do partner with RTOs to deliver compliant CPD to their workforce. If that is the case, the certificate you received should clearly show the RTO number. If it does not, it does not count.

If you are unsure, contact the training provider and ask directly: “Are you a Registered Training Organisation under ASQA? What is your RTO number?” If they cannot answer that immediately, the training likely does not qualify.

What to Do If Your Employer Training Does Not Count

Complete the shortfall through a confirmed RTO before your licence renewal. Builders CPD Online (RTO 91528) delivers all 12 CPD points online across all 8 Fair Trading learning areas — self-paced, from any device, from $169. If your employer training gave you some valid points from a separate RTO, you only need to top up to reach 12. If none of it counts, the full 12 points are needed.

See also NSW builder CPD requirements explained and the CPD checklist before licence renewal.

Frequently Asked Questions