TPQA New Requirements 2026: The Full Checklist
Summary
SSG's TPQA Self-Assessment Checklist v1.1 (Dec 2025) tightened marketing controls and closed-loop feedback. Here is every criterion, the evidence that passes, and how to prepare.
SkillsFuture Singapore has published Version 1.1 of the TPQA Self-Assessment Checklist, dated December 2025, and it changes what Registered Training Providers must put in front of assessors. Every requirement is now prefaced with "Describe and demonstrate" — a documented process and implementation evidence, judged separately. Item 1.5 on marketing activities was tightened with effect from 1 December 2025, and closed-loop feedback handling is now explicit under Item 1.1. This guide walks through the full criterion set, the evidence that actually passes, and the preparation sequence that keeps you at Grade 1. If you are scheduled for assessment, book a TPQA readiness review.
Why the December 2025 checklist caught providers off guard
TPQA is the quality assurance assessment that determines whether an SSG-funded Registered Training Provider (RTP) keeps its funding status. The official TPQA page on Training Partners Gateway describes it as a holistic assessment ensuring RTPs adopt a systematic approach to good processes and industry-relevant training methods. The stakes are blunt: Grade 1 qualifies you for Tier 1 SSG funding, Grade 2 for Tier 2, and Grade 3 terminates your RTP status along with SSG Funding and Qualifying Fees. A deregistered entity may only reapply after 12 months.
The problem most providers hit is not that they lack quality. It is that they cannot evidence quality on demand. SSG gives about two months' notice from notification to document submission, then arranges a one-day on-site assessment roughly a month later, with results about two months after that. Two months sounds generous until you discover your management review minutes for the last financial year were never formally approved, or that your trainer deployment records cannot prove the 80% ACTA/ACLP threshold across a one-year window.
Version 1.1 sharpened this. The checklist splits every sub-requirement into two independent columns — "You have a documented process, i.e. POM/SOP/flowchart that describes" and "You have implementation evidence that demonstrates". A beautiful manual with no matching emails, forms, meeting minutes, reports or approval records fails half the requirement. So does a well-run operation with nothing written down.
What the TPQA v1.1 criteria actually require
The checklist runs to three criteria across 13 pages. Here is the structure as published, with the evidence that assessors sample against each.
Criterion 1 — Course Administration and Corporate Governance
Item 1.1 — Learner Communication and Management of Feedback, Requests, and Appeals. You must describe and demonstrate how you provide essential course information (dates, time, venue, materials, technical hardware/software, assessment information), how that information is vetted or verified before it reaches learners, how course confirmation is issued before commencement, and — the one that trips people up — how you establish a closed-loop process that informs the learner of the outcome of their feedback, request or appeal. The footnote is explicit: a closed loop means the outcome is shared back with the learner. A complaints log with no reply-to-learner record is an open loop, and it will be flagged.
Item 1.2 — Pre-course and Post-course Advisory Service. Pre-course advisory must cover six specified areas: course content and relevance to employment/upskilling/reskilling; fee payment information including grants, subsidies, breakdown and payment modes; refund policy (typically in the Learner Contract); attendance requirements; admission prerequisites; and course completion requirements. Post-course advisory needs both the modes or platforms of support and the support types — progression, upskilling, reskilling, employment advice. You must also show that course advisors are adequately trained and monitored for service delivery.
Item 1.3 — Administration Systems. Split into 1.3.1 (administration systems) and 1.3.2 (LMS requirements). You need a system to submit assessment results into TPGateway with accuracy controls, a system to maintain training and assessment records and issue certificates, and an attendance system covering all applicable modes — including e-attendance taking for SSG-funded classroom-facilitated training and synchronous e-learning.
Item 1.3.2 is where many providers underestimate scope. Your learning management system must authenticate learner identities, validate attendance records and track progress, provide trainer support and technical helpdesk support, validate course commencement date, end date and estimated learning hours, and verify learner identity for e-assessments. Critically, the footnote states you are still required to have documented processes for LMS requirements even if you do not currently run an LMS — and you must explain to assessors why it is not applicable and show alternative evidence.
Item 1.4 — Corporate Governance. Three sub-items. 1.4.1 covers strategic planning and management review: effective strategies with KPIs and targets covering learners' training experience and learning outcomes, timely management review measuring achievement against those KPIs, and identified owners and execution timelines for follow-up actions approved by Management. 1.4.2 covers financial management — accurate record-keeping of financial data and fee payments, regular monitoring of financial statements. 1.4.3 covers review of systems and processes: regular internal review, analysis of the data collated, and action plans implemented as a result.
Item 1.5 — Management of Marketing Activities (updated, effective 1 December 2025). This is the item that changed. You must ensure all marketing materials and activities comply with the SSG Terms for Training Providers, ensure marketing representatives understand the critical information needed for pre-course advisory through continual training and timely updates, ensure all promotion materials and advertisements by marketing representatives are approved by Management, and monitor representatives — including a code of conduct they abide by, and appropriate, timely action when it is violated. If you use agents, affiliates or commission-based marketers, this item now demands an auditable approval trail for every piece of collateral they publish.
Item 1.6 — Processes for Tracking and Monitoring Organisational Outcomes. You must track and monitor the outcomes listed in Item 3.1, and demonstrate that you use that performance data to improve organisational quality. Collecting survey results is not enough; the improvement loop must be visible.
Criterion 2 — Course Quality Assurance
Item 2.1 — System on course quality assurance. Assessed separately for WSQ and non-WSQ. For WSQ courses, your internal QA system must ensure courseware and the Assessment Plan are aligned to WSQ standards (the TSC/CCS documents), pedagogically sound, contextualised, and developed in consultation with industry. The checklist defines "pedagogically sound" precisely: the course meets all learning outcomes, assessments meet the principles of assessment and rules of evidence, and courseware is complete and pitched at the correct proficiency level. For non-WSQ courses, objectives and materials must align to approved learning outcomes and be industry-consulted.
Item 2.2 — Learner screening and profiling. Systematic screening must confirm learners meet prerequisites across literacy level, numeracy level and required assumed knowledge or skills, and that only learners with appropriate aptitude and attitude are enrolled.
Item 2.3 — Adult Educator (AE) Management. Five systems: recruit/select/induct qualified AEs; plan and deploy them so qualification requirements are met; monitor, appraise and manage them (including alignment to SSG requirements and industry or sector-agency practice, periodic appraisal, and a formalised code of conduct acknowledged by AEs); train and develop them via train-the-trainer and professional development; and take intervention actions where needed. The deployment footnote sets the hard number for public training providers: at least 80% of trainers and/or assessors must hold ACTA or ACLP, measured on actual deployment per SSG-approved course over a one-year period. Assessment activities must follow the principles of assessment (valid, reliable, fair, flexible) and rules of evidence (valid, sufficient, current, authentic).
Item 2.4 — Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) System. Your courseware QA review must run a PDCA cycle that includes engagement with industry to review courseware, training materials and assessment relevance; analysis of the data collated including learner feedback; and follow-up action against benchmarks you have set. A PDCA diagram in a manual with no completed review cycles behind it is a documented process with zero implementation evidence.
Criterion 3 — Outcomes
Item 3.1 (Organisational Outcomes) is submitted via the SSG-provided "Required Information from TP" template and covers learner satisfaction survey response rate, satisfaction following feedback/appeals/requests, satisfaction with pre- and post-course advisory, satisfaction with administration matters, KPI achievement against strategic plans plus profitability, and compliance with the SSG Marketing Guidelines in Appendix A of the SSG Terms. Non-compliance sighted here may be raised back under Item 1.5. Item 3.2 (Training Outcomes) is measured through the SSG-administered TRAQOM initiative.
The TPQA preparation checklist — evidence that passes
Use this as a working audit. For each row, ask two questions: is there a written process, and can I produce three dated samples from the last 12 months?
| Item | Document to write | Evidence to sample |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Feedback, request and appeal SOP with closed-loop step | Complaint log + the reply email closing each case |
| 1.2 | Pre/post-course advisory script covering all six areas | Advisory records, Learner Contract, advisor training records |
| 1.3 | Results submission, records and e-attendance SOPs | TPGateway submission logs, attendance exports, certificates |
| 1.3.2 | LMS identity, progress and e-assessment procedures | System screenshots, helpdesk tickets, learning-hour reports |
| 1.4 | Strategic plan, management review and internal audit SOPs | Signed minutes with owners and dates, financial statements |
| 1.5 | Marketing approval workflow and representative code of conduct | Management approval records per asset, breach actions taken |
| 1.6 | Outcome tracking and improvement procedure | Dashboards plus the improvement actions they triggered |
| 2.1 | Courseware and AP quality assurance procedure | Signed QA sign-offs, industry consultation minutes |
| 2.2 | Learner screening and profiling procedure | Completed screening forms, rejection or deferral records |
| 2.3 | AE recruitment, deployment, appraisal and development SOPs | ACTA/ACLP certificates, deployment matrix showing 80%, appraisals |
| 2.4 | PDCA courseware review procedure with benchmarks | Completed review cycles with analysis and follow-up closure |
| 3.1/3.2 | Survey and outcomes methodology | "Required Information from TP" template, TRAQOM results |
The pattern across every failed assessment we have seen is the same: the right-hand column is thin. Providers write the manual, then never generate the artefacts that prove the manual is lived. If you want a second pair of eyes on your evidence pack before submission, request a TPQA gap analysis.
Tips for a good TPQA preparation
Six things that consistently separate Grade 1 outcomes from Grade 2 ones.
- Build the evidence index before the manual. Map every sub-requirement to a named file location and an owner. Assessors sample; if retrieval takes more than a minute on the day, confidence drops across the whole assessment.
- Close every loop in writing. For Item 1.1, the acceptable artefact is the outbound message telling the learner the outcome. Add a mandatory "outcome communicated on [date]" field to your feedback register.
- Date-stamp and approve your management reviews. Minutes must show measured KPI achievement, named follow-up owners, execution timelines, and Management approval. Undated notes fail Item 1.4.1.
- Audit your marketing trail against the new Item 1.5. Pull every live advertisement, landing page and agent-published post, and confirm each has a Management approval record. This is the December 2025 change with the sharpest teeth.
- Prove the 80% AE threshold with a deployment matrix. Not a list of qualified trainers — a per-course, per-run deployment table over a one-year period showing the actual percentage.
- Run a mock on-site assessment. One day, real questions, someone external asking them. The on-site is a single day; rehearsal converts scattered documents into confident answers.
How we help training providers prepare
Tertiary Infotech Academy runs as a Registered Training Provider ourselves, so our TPQA consultancy is built from the inside of the same assessment. We work in four stages: a gap analysis against the v1.1 checklist item by item; drafting or remediating the Policy & Operations Manual, SOPs and flowcharts so the "describe" column is complete; building the evidence pack and filing structure so the "demonstrate" column is retrievable on the day; and a mock on-site with the questions assessors actually ask.
Where the gap is systemic rather than documentary, the fix is usually infrastructure. Item 1.3 and 1.3.2 are far easier to pass with a TPGateway-integrated training management system that produces attendance exports, submission logs and learning-hour reports as a by-product of normal operations, rather than as a scramble two months before assessment. If you are earlier in the journey, our SSG ATO application support covers registration before TPQA becomes relevant, and our guide on SSG RTP registration requirements sets out the prior step.
On the courseware side of Criterion 2, our WSQ course development service produces courseware and Assessment Plans already mapped to TSC/CCS standards, which is precisely what Item 2.1 asks you to demonstrate. Providers looking to strengthen their own trainers can point them at the SSG-funded WSQ courses catalogue, and teams automating their evidence collection often start with agentic AI for business process automation.
Frequently asked questions
Does TPQA apply to us if we only run in-house courses?
No. The SSG FAQ dated 2 July 2025 states that RTPs running only in-house courses will not be scheduled for TPQA. The assessment applies to RTPs receiving SSG course fee funding, who must obtain at least a Grade 2.
How much notice will we get?
SSG schedules RTPs in phases and gives about two months from notification to prepare and submit documents via TPGateway. The one-day on-site assessment is arranged roughly a month after submission, with the result about two months after that. Failure to respond promptly to SSG communications may mean you are not assessed as scheduled, which can itself lead to termination of RTP status and funding.
What happens if we get Grade 3?
RTP status, SSG Funding and Qualifying Fees (SkillsFuture Credit) are terminated. Once terminated you are not eligible for funding on any course, including runs commencing on or after the effective date. Reapplication as a new RTP is possible after 12 months, subject to prevailing registration requirements and any additional checks SSG imposes.
We do not use an LMS. Is Item 1.3.2 waived?
No. The checklist footnote is explicit that you must still have documented processes for the LMS requirements for future implementation, explain satisfactorily to assessors why an LMS is not currently applicable, and show alternative evidence of how you meet the requirements without one. In practice, writing those processes is often more work than adopting a system.
Can we appeal the outcome?
Yes, within a defined review window, on grounds of procedural failure or findings that are manifestly different from the evidence. A review fee applies. Check the current figure and window on the TPGateway TPQA page, as both are periodically revised.
Does EduTrust certification reduce the scope?
RTPs holding 4-year EduTrust Certification are eligible for a reduced-scope TPQA, which waives most Criterion 1 items while Criterion 2 and Criterion 3 remain assessed in full. Confirm your eligibility with SSG before planning around it.
What to do next
- Read the current v1.1 checklist and the TPQA compliance guide alongside it, then mark every sub-requirement red, amber or green.
- Learn where your systems create evidence automatically — attendance, results submission, learner feedback — by comparing your stack against the CASL and Tier 2 funding walkthrough.
- Engage us for a full gap analysis, SOP remediation and mock on-site — request a TPQA consultancy quote and we will scope it against your assessment date.