"Already experienced? Get qualified in weeks, not years — FREE RPL Assessment available now. No obligation, no upfront cost."
"Already experienced? Get qualified in weeks, not years — FREE RPL Assessment available now. No obligation, no upfront cost."
Recognition of Prior Learning converts your instructor experience — running defensive tactics drills, certifying officers on batons or OC spray, designing self-defence syllabuses, leading restraint training — into the nationally accredited 11346NAT Diploma of Operational Safety (Use of Force Instructor). The first qualification of its kind in Australia. Issued through Asset College RTO #31718 under the Australian Qualifications Framework.
The Use of Force Instructor stream is the named specialisation pathway for trainers. It comprises 12 units total — the same 6 core units shared across all 11346NAT streams, plus all 6 elective units from Group A. Tap any segment to see what each unit covers and the instructor evidence that maps to it.
Develop, implement and evaluate strategies to reduce or prevent workplace violence. The framework lens that all use-of-force instruction sits within — your trainees apply force only when prevention has failed.
The full structure of the named Use of Force Instructor stream under the Australian VET Quality Framework — fixed packaging rules (no electives outside Group A), every unit code from the official accreditation, instructor-specific entry requirements, and AQF Level 5 context. Cross-checked against training.gov.au/11346NAT.
Use-of-force instruction isn't only happening in security firms. The 11346NAT Use of Force Instructor stream maps cleanly across four civilian instructor sectors where trainers, L&D specialists and academy operators do the work this qualification recognises. Tap a sector to see the instructor tasks that count as evidence — and which of the 12 units they map against.
Until 8 May 2025, there was no nationally accredited use-of-force instructor qualification anywhere in Australia. Trainers either ran in-house programs of widely varying quality or paid thousands for unregulated overseas courses with no AQF outcome. That ended when ASQA accredited the 11346NAT Diploma after consultation with over 100 stakeholders — including ASIAL, the Institute of Strategic Risk Management, the Corrections Industry Reference Committee, and Artibus Innovation. Three pressures forced the fix.
Most use-of-force instruction in Australia has historically been delivered through unregulated equipment-manufacturer courses — primarily developed in the United States — or through in-house programs that vary widely in quality. The accreditation documentation flagged this directly: the inconsistency posed significant risks to both the security industry and the broader community, creating a pressing need for a consistent national standard.
Source: Course accreditation documentation, May 2025Artibus Innovation — one of the Service Skills Organisations consulted during accreditation — publicly noted that the absence of accredited Use-of-Force Instructor units had been a critical skills gap for a significant period. Their feedback shaped the Group A elective bank, ensuring that knowledge and skills addressed in the qualification are distinct from existing WHS units and meet the specific needs of operational safety training delivery in Australia.
Source: Public Skills Australia · Industry Skills Australia · BuildSkills AustraliaThe Australian Strategic Policy Institute's Safety in Numbers report on Australia's private security guard force and counter-terrorism flagged inconsistent UoF training as a national readiness risk. ASIAL's response confirmed the need for a robust accredited framework — one that would integrate the private security sector into Australia's broader counter-terrorism posture under SOCI Act compliance.
Source: ASPI · "Safety in Numbers" · ASIAL Security 2025 ReportBecause the Use of Force Instructor specialisation was built around real instructional evidence — session plans, assessment records, safety management plans, and post-incident reviews — your existing teaching experience is exactly what the assessment is looking for. Every Group A unit maps directly onto things experienced UoF instructors already do: design programs, run drills, supervise scenarios, evaluate trainee performance, and continuously improve curricula.
Listed on training.gov.au · Course Owner: Asset Training Australia (CO10683) · Accredited 8 May 2025 to 7 May 2030 · Issued through Asset College RTO #31718
First of its kind in Australia. Built around what experienced trainers already deliver.
Four steps. Built around your instructor evidence — session plans, lesson resources, participant assessments, scenario simulations, safety management plans, and the training you already deliver. Most candidates are qualified within 2 to 4 weeks.
Complete and submit the free RPL assessment form along with as much instructor evidence and documentation as possible — resume, training session plans, lesson resources, participant assessment records, safety management plans, equipment inspection logs, and your TAE40122 (or equivalent) certificate if held.
Day 1Our assessors — each with 3+ years' operational safety experience as required by the assessment conditions — review your submission and advise which qualifications you can obtain, based on whether your evidence meets the required performance criteria across the 12 units.
24–48 hrsConfirm the qualification you wish to obtain — general pathway or named specialisation — and pay the required fees. Payment plans available through Afterpay, Klarna, Zip, GoCardless and DebitSuccess. Targeted gap training is provided where small holes exist in your evidence.
Week 1–3Your nationally accredited 11346NAT Diploma of Operational Safety (Use of Force Instructor) — the named specialisation — is issued through Asset College RTO #31718 and added to your Unique Student Identifier (USI) transcript on training.gov.au. Job done.
Up to Week 4Accredited UoF instructors and training managers in Australia typically earn 25–45% more than unaccredited equivalents because of the AQF-recognised teaching authority the qualification confers. Enter your current salary and select an industry — the calculator runs against ABS Employee Earnings data (Cat. 6333.0, Aug 2025) and applied instructor industry multipliers.
Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Employee Earnings (Cat. 6333.0, Aug 2025) · SEEK Salary Guide 2025–2026 · Hays Salary Guide 2025–2026 · Estimates only — actual outcomes vary by employer, location, and seniority.
A comprehensive PDF covering everything you need before applying for the named Use of Force Instructor specialisation — entry requirements, recommended TAE40122 pre-requisite, all 6 Group A unit codes plus the 6 cores, instructor evidence categories that count, pricing breakdown, payment plans, and AQF Level 5 positioning. Sent straight to your inbox in seconds.
Takes 30 seconds — no obligation, no spam
Training and assessment are delivered under a third-party arrangement with Asset College RTO #31718. The 11346NAT Diploma of Operational Safety (Use of Force Instructor) is accredited by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) and listed on the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) at Level 5.
Some Group A competencies — supervising live defensive tactics drills, OC spray familiarisation, baton handling assessments, scenario simulation facilitation — benefit from being delivered in-person, in your training environment, with your equipment, your trainees and your existing curriculum. For RTOs and corporate L&D teams qualifying multiple instructors at once, 3CIR runs training-the-trainer workshops on-site. Pure RPL still works for individual instructors — workshops just bridge gaps faster for groups.
Your team's existing instructional evidence runs through standard RPL assessment. Where multiple trainers need a Group A competency demonstrated, supervised, and evidenced — defensive tactics facilitation, baton or handcuff drill design, OC spray scenario assessment — we send our assessors to your training facility for contextualised practical sessions. Same nationally accredited 11346NAT (UoF Instructor) outcome. Faster path to a fully-credentialed instructor team.
Run Group A competency workshops with your full instructor team in one block. Our assessors map evidence and supervise practical demonstrations against your existing TAS and SMP.
For mining, healthcare, transport and corporate security clients — qualify your in-house instructor team in a single on-site delivery block. Per-head pricing scales favourably.
For academy operators with apprentice and senior coaches — qualify your full instructor bench at once. Drills, demonstrations and assessments built around your existing syllabus.
Talk to us about your team size, target Group A competencies, and training calendar. We'll scope a blended package that pairs RPL with on-site sessions and quote per-head pricing transparently. No commitment, no obligation.
Until May 2025, most use-of-force instructors in Australia got their authority from unregulated US-developed equipment-manufacturer courses — typically $2,000–$5,000+ per certificate, no AQF outcome, no national recognition, and inconsistent delivery quality. Now there's an accredited alternative.
Australia just got its first nationally accredited use-of-force instructor qualification — at $1,665 with the 10% Public discount applied. The unregulated US-sourced courses many trainers currently rely on cost more, deliver no AQF outcome, and were flagged in the accreditation documentation as a national risk. RPL recognises the teaching you've already done, gives you a single Diploma covering all 6 Group A competencies, and puts your credential on training.gov.au where it stays for life. Potential savings of $5,000–$13,000+ compared to stacking unaccredited per-tool certifications.
Independently verified Google reviews from candidates — including instructors, RTO trainers and operational safety leads — who've gone through 3CIR's RPL process. We don't filter, edit, or incentivise reviews. These are real outcomes from real Australians who chose RPL over going back to study.
All reviews independently verified by Trustindex. 3CIR does not edit, filter, or incentivise reviews. Outcomes vary by individual based on the quality and quantity of operational evidence provided.
The 11346NAT Diploma of Operational Safety (Use of Force Instructor) is the named specialisation pathway of the 11346NAT Diploma — Australia's first nationally accredited use-of-force instructor qualification. It sits at AQF Level 5, was accredited by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) on 8 May 2025 for a five-year period (8 May 2025 to 7 May 2030), and is owned by Asset Training Australia Pty Ltd (Course Owner #CO10683). Listed on the National Register at training.gov.au.
The Use of Force Instructor stream comprises 12 units total — the same 6 core units shared across all 11346NAT streams, plus all 6 elective units from Group A. Group A covers the management of use-of-force training programs (NAT11346007), instruction of self-defence techniques (NAT11346008), instruction of defensive tactics (NAT11346009), instruction of batons (NAT11346010), instruction of handcuffs (NAT11346011), and instruction of OC spray and chemical agents (NAT11346012). The qualification was developed in direct response to the long-standing instructor skills gap flagged by Artibus Innovation and the unregulated US-developed equipment-manufacturer courses identified in the accreditation documentation as a national concern.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is the assessment process that converts existing instructional experience and evidence into competency credit against the 12 nationally-defined units. Strongest fit sectors include RTO trainers, in-house corporate L&D specialists, self-defence and martial arts academy operators, and healthcare/aged-care restraint trainers. Training and assessment delivered under a third-party arrangement with Asset College RTO #31718, under the Australian Qualifications Framework.
Six questions we hear most often from RTO trainers, corporate L&D specialists, self-defence academy operators and restraint instructors exploring the Public RPL pathway for the named Use of Force Instructor specialisation.
Run the free skills assessment now. We'll respond within 24–48 hours with an eligibility report — including which entry requirements you already meet, which Group A units your evidence likely covers, and an estimated timeline to qualified.
Apply for Free RPL Assessment →Training and assessment delivered under a third-party arrangement with Asset College RTO #31718. Prices shown include the 10% discount currently applied to all qualifications.