SELMA and the VET Data Streamlining Program

An update for our Australian RTO customers and partners

Australia's Vocational Education and Training sector is in the middle of one of its biggest reporting overhauls in years. The VET Data Streamlining (VDS) Program, led by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) together with NCVER, state and territory governments, and sector regulators, is replacing the current AVETMISS 8.0 collection with a new VET Information Standard, submitted through a new national system called STARS, the Student Training Activity Reporting System.

We know this is front of mind for a lot of our RTO customers, so we wanted to give you a clear, honest update on where SELMA sits in this process.

What's actually changing

In simple terms, VDS replaces the old model, periodic NAT file exports validated after the fact, with a modern, API-based connection between Student Management Systems like SELMA and STARS. Once fully rolled out, this means:

• Data can be validated and submitted continuously rather than in periodic batches
• Errors can be corrected against individual student records as they're identified, rather than waiting for the next full export cycle
• Government and NCVER access to sector data becomes timelier, supporting better decisions for the whole industry

The rollout is progressive. Stage 1 has already begun with a smaller group of RTOs and SMS vendors connecting to STARS, with wider sector transition expected through 2026 and 2027, and full transition mandatory by 31 December 2028.

Where SELMA is at right now

We want to be upfront and specific about this, rather than just saying "we're across it."

We're in regular contact with the Department. Our team has ongoing engagement with DEWR and the VDS Program team as the technical specification and API requirements for STARS continue to be finalised. This means we're not waiting for a final announcement to start work, we're building alongside the program as it develops, and adjusting as requirements are confirmed.

We're actively building. SELMA already has deep experience connecting to government reporting systems, our existing AVETMISS and TCSI integrations are proof of that, and we're applying the same integration architecture and lessons learned to our STARS connection.

We're on track. Based on what we know of the current timeline, SELMA is tracking well against the Department's rollout schedule. As the specification stabilises, we'll have concrete dates to share, and we'll communicate those clearly and early, not at the last minute.

What you can expect from the SELMA interface

Government reporting changes have a habit of arriving as something clunky bolted onto the side of a system. That's not how we do things at SELMA, and STARS won't be an exception.

Our goal is the same as it is for everything we build: an interface that's genuinely simple to use, day to day, for the people actually doing the reporting. That means clear visibility of what's ready to submit, plain-language error handling when something needs correcting, and a workflow that fits naturally into how your team already works in SELMA, rather than a separate export-and-upload chore bolted on the side.

We'd rather take the time to get this right than rush out something that technically ticks the compliance box but is painful to use every week.

We want your questions and your feedback

This is a big change for the sector, and we know every RTO will have questions about what it means for their day-to-day reporting. If you've got questions, concerns, or specific scenarios you're worried about (funding contracts, multi-state reporting, historical data, anything), we genuinely want to hear them.

Reach out to your account manager, or get in touch with our team directly. Feedback from customers actually doing this work every day is one of the most valuable inputs we have as we design the interface, so please don't hold back.

We'll keep this page, and our customers, updated as the STARS specification and rollout timeline firm up. In the meantime, no action is required on your part, just clean, accurate data in SELMA as usual, and we'll take care of the rest when the time comes.

Have a question about VDS or STARS and SELMA? Contact us, we're happy to talk through it.