What is NAT00120?

NAT00120 is the Student Training Activity file in AVETMISS reporting. It contains one record for each unit of competency, accredited unit, or module a student is enrolled in during the reporting period. Each record represents a single student studying a single subject within a specific program, delivered at a defined training location, with start and end dates, a delivery mode, an outcome identifier, and a funding source. If a subject appears in NAT00120, it means that training activity has been formally reported for that subject.

How NAT00120 Links to Other NAT Files

NAT00120 does not exist on its own. It inherits data from several other NAT files, including the Training Organisation file, the Training Delivery Location file, the Program file, the Subject file, and the Client file. NAT00120 does not fix errors in these files; instead, it reveals them. When data is incorrect upstream, the issues surface in NAT00120 and are often repeated across many students and enrolments.

Why NAT00120 Matters

NAT00120 is relied upon by AVETMISS validation systems, state funding bodies, and NCVER for national reporting. It shows what training actually occurred, how students participated and progressed, which units were completed, withdrawn, or continuing, where training was delivered, and how it was funded. If NAT00120 data is incorrect, the submission will fail regardless of how accurate other files may appear.

Core NAT00120 Rules

To validate successfully, activity records must be unique based on a specific combination of organisation, student, subject, program, and activity start date. Activity start and end dates must not be blank, must be logical, and must align with AVETMISS timeframes, with end dates not extending more than five years after start dates. Subjects must exist in the Subject file, be nationally recognised or accredited, and include all mandatory national fields, including Nationally Agreed Nominal Hours. Where subjects form part of a qualification, course, or skill set, the associated program must exist in the Program file and match national registration records exactly. Outcome identifiers, funding source, training delivery location, and delivery mode must all accurately reflect what actually occurred during training.

Why NAT00120 Errors Multiply

Errors in NAT00120 often multiply because a single setup issue can affect many records. For example, if a subject is missing its nationally agreed nominal hours in the Subject file and that subject appears in NAT00120 for a large number of students, each linked training activity record will generate a validation error. Once the subject is corrected at the source and the data is re-exported, all related NAT00120 errors resolve automatically. However, when multiple subjects are incomplete, the number of errors can quickly escalate into the hundreds or thousands, making NAT00120 appear to be the problem when the underlying cause sits elsewhere.

Duplicate Subjects and Legitimate Re- Attempts

Duplicate activity records are not allowed, but this does not mean a student can never undertake the same subject more than once. In real delivery scenarios, particularly for CRICOS RTOs, students may defer subjects or reattempt them after a not-yet-competent outcome. This is permitted provided each attempt has different activity start and end dates. If the same subject, program, and dates are reported more than once, the records will fail validation as duplicates.

Continuing Enrolments with Incorrect End Dates

Another common issue arises when subjects are marked as continuing enrolment even though they have an end date within the reporting year. A subject that finishes during the submission year cannot remain marked as continuing. To resolve this, the subject end date must be extended beyond the reporting year or the outcome must be updated to a final result such as competent, not yet competent, recognition of prior learning, or credit transfer. This issue is especially common in annual NCVER submissions, where problems can accumulate silently throughout the year.

Funded and Non- Funded RTOs

For funded RTOs, NAT00120 is submitted regularly, often monthly or quarterly, which means errors tend to surface quickly and can affect funding claims. For non-funded RTOs, submissions are typically annual, so issues are often discovered late and require urgent correction. The reporting rules themselves are the same for all RTOs; only the timing of discovery differs.