What is a skills unit and how is it different from traditional learning?

Consultation with industry has highlighted a disconnect between traditional learning and the needs of industry employers. Consistently, employees are finding that they do not have the skills and measurable capabilities employers want. Current courses in the market are generic and don’t provide specific insurance skills at the level of quality required. 

New ways of learning, like Skills Units, enable us to provide you with the skills your employers want, plus the interactive nature of the units themselves enables you to apply those learnings directly to your work. A win-win for you and your bosses.

We believe that the future of education is changing, and our goal as an education institute is to always provide the best quality education for industry — whatever that may look like in the future. For that reason, while we have transitioned of all traditional study to skills offerings.

What Skills Units are available?

Available Skills Units can be found at https://anziif.com/professional-development/skills-units

When will my Skills Units be available?
Skills Units will be rolled out continuously. We will be announcing Skills Units as they launch.
How do I enrol in units?
Simple. Find the unit you would like to enrol from www.anziif.com/professional-development and click ‘Enrol’. You may purchase a unit yourself or send your shopping cart to the appropriate person in your company to complete the transaction.
What if I am already studying with ANZIIF?
The world is your oyster! You have the option of continuing your study via the traditional mode of study or moving over to the new Skills Units to complete your qualification. 
Can I trial a Skills Unit to see what it looks like?
Absolutely. We recommend that you use the Google Chrome browser when you access our demo unit here
Are units AQF approved?

Skills Units relevant to qualifications are mapped against national competency standards as found in the relevant training packages of the AQF. 

As training package requirements can change, it is recommended that you complete your qualification within 5 years so that there is minimum impact to your study pathway.

How long does it take to complete a qualification?
A minimum of 12 months to five years. This will vary upon the qualification and your individual study plan. You may need to allow for regulatory training package changes which are outside of ANZIIF’s control.
What is the recommended study time for each unit?
This ranges for each individual learner but as a guide, 20 – 25 hours per 5 week unit and 28 – 35 hours per 7 week unit.
When can I enrol?
We offer flexible study period intakes every fortnight. You can refer to our Academic Calendar to help you plan your studies.
Are there assessments for each unit?
Yes.  There is an Exam and a Case Study Scenario, both are open-book or open-resource. From 2021 ANZIIF’s exam pass mark requirement is changing to reflect higher industry standards. You can learn more on our Assessment webpage.
Does doing one solution or pathway exclude staff from another?
The great thing about Skills Units is that the combination they are studied in is highly flexible. While you may study at random or along a particular pathway, this does not preclude you from attaining any of the benefits of other pathways. For instance, it is possible to reach a certain membership level, gain an ANZIIF Certificate and earn a Diploma at the same time! Our solutions are merely guides to help with your thinking on why and what you might study.
What if I already have experience?

If you have been in the industry for some time, you can simply skip the foundation-level Skills Units and begin learning at the level applicable to you. Moreover, you may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) a process that will allow you to gain credit for past experience and help you to attain an ANZIIF Certificate or AQF qualification. 


Visit the Recognition of Prior Learning webpage for more information.

Why do you call yourself a career partner when you are an education provider?
While it is true that ANZIIF is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), we are also a membership body and partner to industry. In Australia and New Zealand for over 130 and 80 years respectively, we have worked within the insurance industry to promote sustainability and quality. More than just an education provider, we want to make a difference to the industry and to your career by working with you to understand your needs at every stage of your career path.
Why must I get everything correct for Exam B?

ANZIIF’s requirement as a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) is to assess students against the criteria developed under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), the national framework of qualifications. These criteria are laid out in the units of competency that underpin the AQF and that ensure consistency of education and assessment across Australia.

The AQF is a competency-based system, which is different from the systems used in schools and universities. In a competency-based system, skills and knowledge are assessed against specific criteria, and RTOs are required to collect evidence that demonstrates a student is competent in those criteria. Students are either graded as ‘competent’ or ‘not yet competent’.

ANZIIF collects evidence through its assessment, which comprises a two-part exam and one or two interactive simulations. The assessment for Skill Units is specifically designed to cover all the elements and performance criteria defined in a unit of competency.

For a student to be marked competent, they must demonstrate that they have obtained the skills and knowledge required by unit of competency across all elements of the assessment. They must do so by achieving at least 70% in Part A of the exam and answer all Part B questions correctly (three tries per question provided if needed) and completing the interactive simulation/s.

In Part B, each question must be answered correctly and three tries are provided to enable this. Part B requires application of the knowledge, and therefore assesses the performative elements of the unit of competency. A student must be able to perform the skills required by the unit of competency to be assessed as ‘competent’. If a student cannot fully perform the skills, they cannot be assessed as competent in that skill.

At the completion of a unit, ANZIIF considers the assessment as a whole, not as discrete parts. Therefore, when a student is not yet competent in part of the assessment, they are required to complete all parts again.

A detailed breakdown of the relevant elements and performance criteria for each unit of competency can be found at https://training.gov.au.

More information on the AQF with the website: https://www.aqf.edu.au

Who can I talk to about studying?
If you would like to talk to someone about studying at ANZIIF, please contact our Customer Service Team on +61 3 9613 7200 (New Zealand free-call 0800 103 675).