You want a qualification, a licence category or an exclusion removed. Recognition of prior learning (RPL) helps us establish what you already know and can do. Gap training addresses what remains.
At Sigma, both are part of a course for a defined outcome. We do not sell a standalone RPL report.
“I’ve been told to get an RPL report.”
That often means an initial gap analysis: a list of study, exams and evidence still needed. It does not mean the qualification or licence requirements are complete.
You may expect to buy that report, decide whether to proceed, then book and pay for each assessment separately. Sigma does not use that model. We assess your needs and work with you through an integrated course.
If you only want a standalone report, we are not the right maintenance training organisation (MTO) for you. If you want to complete an outcome, start with the outcome you need.
An initial report and a final report do different jobs
Initial RPL report
Records the starting position, recognised credit and remaining requirements. It guides your course. It may change as further evidence is assessed.
Final RPL report
Records the completed assessment and recognised credit for your selected outcome. It forms part of your completion and, where applicable, licensing records.
A gap analysis is useful for planning. On its own, it does not complete a unit, demonstrate all required competence or grant a licence. Our service includes the work needed to move from that starting position to completion.
What the $500 application fee covers
The $500 non-refundable application fee applies when you apply for a course delivered through the RPL and gap training study mode. It covers application administration, preliminary evidence review and setup in our learning management system. We use this review to evaluate your case and calculate eligible credit. Approved credit reduces your course tuition.
We also deduct the full $500 already paid before issuing your adjusted tuition invoice. It is not an extra charge on top of your course price, or a fee to buy an RPL report.
Course tuition − reductions for approved credit − your $500 application payment = remaining tuition payable.
See the application-fee FAQ and Fees and Refunds Procedure.
Apply for your outcome
Choose the course and RPL and gap training study mode. Pay the application fee, complete onboarding and upload the requested records.
Review credit and tuition
We evaluate your evidence and issue the adjusted invoice. Before paying tuition, you can ask for a quick call about the work you will need to complete.
Start your tailored course
Pay the adjusted tuition invoice or arrange an approved payment plan. We provide your initial RPL report, course and learning environment.
Complete the requirements
Work through the remaining learning, evidence, assessments and required exams. We finalise your assessment records when the requirements are met.
If your employer is paying, request an employer-invoiced application link before making a personal payment. Payment plans must be approved for your course.
One course, with the required training and assessment included
Our RPL and gap training tuition fees are all-inclusive for your chosen outcome. They include:
- Learning materials, RPL assessment and gap assessment.
- The MEA units of competency required for your outcome, including assessment of knowledge and practical evidence.
- Textbooks for the required CASA exams and the required remotely invigilated CASA exams.
- Your final RPL report and the relevant completion records.
- For applicable CASA outcomes, preparation and submission of the required Form 465 to CASA.
CASA decides whether to issue a licence or change its privileges. Read what Form 465 does. A qualification and a licence are also different outcomes.
This study mode does not include practical training. We assess practical competence through RPL and records in the Log of Industrial Experience and Achievement or, where appropriate, equivalent industry evidence. Compare the study-mode inclusions and check the fees procedure for other charges that may apply outside the agreed course scope.
Your experience counts. We still need the evidence.
A licence, qualification or years in the industry do not automatically establish every requirement of every unit. We check eligible completed units for credit transfer. For RPL, we assess your knowledge and practical evidence against the full applicable unit requirements and assessment conditions.
What ASQA requires of us
ASQA regulates registered training organisations (RTOs). Under the 2025 Standards for RTOs, we must make assessment decisions that we can support with evidence:
- Assess the whole unit. Standards 1.3 and 1.4 require assessment against the training product. For an MEA unit, this includes the required knowledge, practical performance and assessment conditions.
- Check the evidence. It must demonstrate the required skills, be enough to support the decision, be your own work, and show current competence. These are the rules of evidence: validity, sufficiency, authenticity and currency.
- Apply the same rigour to RPL. Standard 1.6 requires documented, evidence-based decisions. ASQA’s guidance also expects providers to explain any gaps, the training needed to address them, how it will be delivered and its cost.
See ASQA’s assessment practice guide and RPL and credit transfer practice guide.
A list of missing units or exams is a planning document. It is not evidence that those requirements have been met. Passing the required CASA exams also does not remove our responsibility to assess the full MEA unit requirements. Read more about unit competence and CASA exams.
We take responsibility for the assessment and the work that follows it. We identify your credit, plan the remaining requirements, support your study and assess completion within the same course.
ASQA sets the assessment requirements. It does not prohibit standalone RPL assessment or prescribe our fees. Offering an integrated course, rather than selling a separate gap-analysis report, is Sigma’s choice.
Check workplace access before you apply
You need access to an appropriate maintenance workplace for any outstanding practical tasks and evidence. The work must suit the course: aircraft and component-workshop streams have different requirements.
Sigma does not provide aircraft maintenance placements as part of this course. If you are unsure about your access, speak with us before paying. See the workplace-access FAQ.
Why we keep the report and course together
We want the assessment to lead to action. Keeping it within your course has practical benefits.
The plan matches your outcome
A qualification, a licence category and an exclusion removal can require different combinations of units, exams and experience. We map your course to the outcome you select, so you know what the remaining work is for.
New evidence stays in the picture
An initial report reflects what has been assessed at that point. Further records, assessment results or changes in your work can affect the plan. During your course, we review that evidence and update your remaining requirements.
Less starting again
Your evidence, credit decisions and completed assessments stay together. A separate gap report is not a qualification or statement of attainment, and another provider may need to review its conclusions. We check eligible completed units for credit transfer.
A course budget, not a shopping list
Your agreed tuition covers the included learning materials and assessment for your outcome. You can focus on completing the work instead of arranging each item separately. We explain the course scope and fees before you commit to tuition.
You commit to completing the requirements. We commit to helping you do that. Credit still depends on the evidence, and completion depends on meeting the assessment requirements. The initial report is the starting plan; the final records confirm the work completed.
Want to understand the time, cost and effort first?
That is a reasonable question. Our team can have an informal phone conversation about your background and intended outcome. Based on our experience, we can explain the likely work and give a general guide to the time involved.
That conversation is not a complete, assessed list of your units, exams or evidence gaps. We do not sell that list as a standalone report so you can decide whether to enrol. Detailed mapping and the initial RPL report form part of your course.
You can also request an overview of the remaining work after our application review and before paying tuition. See when your initial report is provided.
If you withdraw: the application fee is non-refundable under the application terms, subject to your rights under Australian Consumer Law. This includes choosing not to proceed because you cannot meet practical requirements explained before payment. Exceptional hardship or compassionate circumstances can be considered through a formal refund review; approval is not automatic. Read the refund FAQ before applying.
Already studying with Sigma? Build on what you have done.
You do not need to pay another application fee for an additional outcome once you are a Sigma student. That could be another licence category, B1 to B2, or further exclusion removals.
Email us your next outcome. We review your existing record, provide a quote, and set up the additional course once you pay. Tell us about any new training or experience. If you need several exclusions removed, include them in the same enquiry so we can price the package.
Email training@sigma.edu.au about your next outcome.
Choose the outcome. We’ll help you complete the work.
Not sure where to start?
Talk to Nick Booth, our Training Manager, about your experience, workplace access and intended outcome.
