Audit Express attend exclusive education furniture launch in Melbourne

Audit Express attend exclusive education furniture launch in Melbourne

Last week Audit Express Express was invited to attend an exclusive launch and private viewing of Rose Office Furniture’s new range of Education Furniture at their West Melbourne Showroom.

[emaillocker id=6291]The champagne flowed and canapés as guests worked their way through the showroom, wowed by the new range of incredibly designed, ergonomic, quality education furniture. The evening was well attended with a number of guests of honour, including The Hon Lord Mayor, Robert Doyle, who congratulated and thanked Rose Office Furniture for its long standing presence as a reputable, well known and well regarded Melbourne business.

Since 1954, Rose Office Furniture has delivered best practice in customer service and has become a Melbourne institution, as it has survived the test of time, supplying office furniture locally and nationally to individuals, businesses and training providers, both big and small.

If your Training Organisation, TAFE or University needs any education or office furniture, we highly recommend that you get in touch with Tom and the team at Rose Office Furniture. Mention this post by Audit Express and Tom will take care of you. You can also take a look at their range of products online by visiting >>> https://www.roseoffice.com.au/

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FREE Professional Development Session

FREE Professional Development Session

SOLD OUT

Registrations for this event are currently closed as we have reached full capacity. Thank you for your interest. The VET Development 2018 PD Calendar will be launched soon, check out their website in the coming weeks www.vdc.edu.au.


FREE Professional Development Session!

Audit Express has teamed up with the VET Development Centre to deliver a one off FREE Professional Development Session titled ‘VET Professional Development – How much is enough?’

What is covered in this webinar:[emaillocker id=6291]

This session will cover off on the most common questions that we receive about VET Professional Development, including:

• Understanding of what VET PD is
• What sources are acceptable for PD
• How to quantify
• Establishing an acceptable framework and plan for PD

As 2017 winds up, it is really important that Trainers and Assessors start planning their continuing professional development (PD) for the year ahead (2018) as VET practitioners.

As part of the Registration Standards, an RTO must ensure that all trainers and assessors undertake PD in the fields of the knowledge and practice of vocational training, learning and assessment, including competency-based training and assessment.

In this webinar we will explore what VET PD is, what forms of VET PD could be acceptable, how to quantify VET PD and explore some examples of best practice. Participants will also receive a complimentary 2018 VDC PD Planner.

At the end of this webinar, participants will gain:

​• An understanding of what is required of Trainers/Assessors in maintaining their VET Professional Development
• Insight into what they should do in the lead up to 2018 in planning their Professional Development.
• Participants will also receive a complimentary 2018 VDC PD Planner

You can find out more information, and you can register for the live webinar by clicking here >>> http://www.cvent.com/events/webinar-vet-professional-development-how-much-is-enough-/event-summary-6a4ab97a10ea49999cdaef0fd453c186.aspx

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How to apply to become a VET Student Loans approved provider

[emaillocker id=6291][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1504679716308{background-color: #8dc63f !important;}”][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”6916″ alignment=”center”][vc_tta_accordion active_section=”1″ title=”What is the VET Student Loans program and how can my organisation apply?”][vc_tta_section title=”What is the VET Student Loans Program?” tab_id=”1504676679503-97cfeeb7-5649″][vc_column_text]

Overview

The VET Student Loans (VSL) program is an income contingent loan offered by the Australian Federal Government that helps eligible students pay for some vocational education and training (VET) diploma level or above courses. VSL courses can only be offered by a limited number of registered training organisations (RTOs) that have been reviewed and authorised by the Federal Department of Education as an approved provider of the VET Student Loans program.

 

Eligible VSL Courses

VET Student Loans are only available for the following higher level VET qualifications:

  • Diploma
  • Advanced Diploma
  • Graduate Certificate
  • Graduate Diploma.

Course eligibility for VSL is limited to:

  • courses that have high national priority,
  • meet industry needs,
  • contribute to addressing skills shortages and
  • lead to employment outcomes.

 

The approved courses list for VET Student Loans entitled VET Student Loans (Courses and Loan Caps) Determination 2016 is available at https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017C00493

Applicants should check the approved course list to ensure that they offer at least one course on the approved course list, before applying.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”VET Student Loans Approved Provider Application Criteria” tab_id=”1504676679555-e44bcb35-8645″][vc_column_text]

VSL Course Provider Eligibility Criteria

Information provided on the Department of Education and Training’s website https://www.education.gov.au/vet-student-loans/vet-student-loans-applicants  advises organisations that are seeking to become a VSL course providers, that they are required to meet certain threshold criteria. These include:

  • Being a body corporate that is not a trustee
  • Carrying on business in Australia and having its central management and control in Australia, and
  • Being a Registered Training Organisation (RTO)

To apply to become a VSL course provider, an organisation must demonstrate that it meets the course provider requirements set out in the VET Student Loans Act 2016 (Part 4, Division 1) and the VET Student Loan Rules 2016 (Division 3), made under the Act.

  1. The VET Student Loans Act 2016 (Part 4, Division 1) requirements include:

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017C00183

  • Secretary may approve a body

(2)  To meet the course provider requirements the body must:

                                    (a)  be a body corporate that is not a trustee; and

                                    (b)  be established under the law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory; and

                                    (c)  carry on business in Australia and have its central management and control in Australia; and

                                    (d)  be a registered training organisation; and

                                    (e)  meet the provider suitability requirements; and

                                    (f)  be a fit and proper person; and

                                    (g)  be a party to an approved tuition assurance arrangement; and

    (h)  be a member of an approved external dispute resolution scheme.

  • Note: If Part IIE of the Ombudsman Act 1976 (VET Student Loans Ombudsman) is an external dispute resolution scheme, all approved course providers are taken to be members of the scheme (see section 42BA).

26      Provider suitability requirements:

(2)  The provider suitability requirements may deal with the following in relation to a course provider:

       (a) financial performance;

        (b) management and governance;

       (c) experience in providing vocational education;

      (d) scope of courses;

      (e) fees and modes of delivery for courses;

      (f) student outcomes;

     (g) industry links.

  1. The VET Student Loan Rules 2016 (Division 3) https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017C00602

Division 3 of the VET Student Loans Rules 2016, sets out the General requirements for course providers and provides further details as to what each suitability requirement listed above, would look like. This includes the following:

  • To demonstrate that your RTO meets the general requirements, you will need to outline that you are:
    • Committed to:
      • the delivery of high quality vocational education and training: and
      • achieving the best outcomes for students; and
    • act efficiently, honestly and fairly in all dealings with students, stakeholders and the Commonwealth (including the National VET Regulator); and
    • have a record of satisfactory conduct in relation to any previous vocational education and training:
      • provided by the provider; and
      • for which the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory provided funding (including by way of loans to students).
  • Your RTO’s Financial Performance in the previous 3 years must demonstrate that your RTO is financially viable, which includes:
    • having sound financial management
    • having at least 20 percent of revenue from sources other than Australian Government income contingent loans (for applicants with more than 100 student enrolments in 2016)
    • being able to pay your debts as and when they are due
    • having annually audited financial statements by an independent qualified auditor
    • having worker’s compensation and adequate public liability insurance
  • The RTO Management and Governance systems and processes, which include:
    • robust management and governance structures,
    • clearly defined decision-making processes,
    • relevant resources and human resource management processes,
    • systems to maintain records ensure data integrity and the reporting of data consistently, accurately and on time
  • The experience and expertise available in the RTO for the delivery of services, including:
    • A minimum of 3 years’ experience in the delivery of VET training,
    • the level of expertise of the RTO trainers and assessors,
    • the level of expertise of the RTO’s management and high managerial agents,
    • history of delivering high quality Diploma and Advanced Diploma qualifications
    • track record of providing state subsidized courses – eg. listed on a preferred provider register
    • how your training processes have benefitted students – eg. References or articles and good news stories indicating that your training has benefitted the community at a local, state or national level.
  • Legislation and standards the RTO complies with and how it ensures reporting and other legislative requirements such as OH&S, anti-discrimination, privacy, etc., are being met.
  • The RTO’s student support processes and how the RTO monitors student progress that assists in high student outcomes and course completion rates. The RTO will also need to include in the application:
    • Completion rates for each of its courses
    • Levels of student engagement in the past 3 years
    • surveys that measure student satisfaction and the results of these surveys
    • QI indicator survey outcomes
    • Number and type of complaints received and actions taken for improvement
    • Processes and methodology for determining student academic suitability for a course
  • The RTO links with industry and the workplace that ensure workplace needs are met and employment outcomes are improved. This may include:
    • Industry advisory boards and the impact of their input
    • Student placement arrangements with employers
    • Memberships with professional associations and how they assist with the currency of course delivery
    • RTO involvement in relevant industry presentations, conferences, etc.
    • Projects undertaken with peak employer organisations
    • Industry and employer refrences
    • Evidence of employment outcomes for students

VSL Course Provider Application Process

Applicants are required to register their interest to apply to become a VSL course provider, via the Department’s online enquiry form, available from: https://www.education.gov.au/vet-student-loans/vet-student-loans-applicants

The application forms consist of:

  • the Application Submission Outline – provides a format for applicants to address:
    • the course provider requirements
    • the provider suitability requirements
    • evidence to support claims against each of the requirements
  • the VSL Workbook – contains ten (10) worksheets, which must all be completed. Some of these include forms that need to be uploaded to HITS as pdf documents. The VSL Workbook addresses the following information:
    • Applicant’s Details
    • Key Personnel Details – for each Key Personnel
    • Financial Performance (Forms C1, C2)
    • Course History
    • Industry References (example only)
    • Proposed Approved Course Details
    • Senior Authorised Officers’ Declaration and Authorisation (Forms G1, G2, G3)

The Application Submission Outline and the VSL Workbook are not publicly available and will only be provided to applicants who register their interest in applying for approval.

All application documents must be submitted to the Department in accordance with the requirements of Part B of the Approved Course Provider Application Guide found on the Department’s website https://docs.education.gov.au/node/44981 

Application Approval

In accordance with the Act, for an application to be approved, it must be submitted in the form provided by the Secretary and be accompanied by the Application Fee.

According to the VSL Information for new providers Fact Sheet released early in 2017, stringent requirements will be placed on VSL course providers and only high quality, trusted providers will be approved.

Under the VSL approval arrangements, RTOs will be appraised and evaluated against:

  • Their relationships with industry
  • The RTO’s previous 3-year track record of student completion rates and employment outcomes
  • Any articulation arrangements with higher education providers
  • The provider’s track record of delivering education and training

Providers will also be assessed against their:

  • Financial performance
  • Strong management and governance
  • Course scope and fees

Application Fee

An application fee of $5,110 applies to this application round (opening on 30 August 2017).

The Application fee ($5,110) is required to be paid before the RTO’s application can be assessed and payment is required within 14 days, after receiving an invoice from The Department, following lodgement of your application on HITS.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”How to apply to become a VET Student Loans Approved Provider” tab_id=”1504677612723-44a51734-3b5e”][vc_column_text]

Timelines

The VET Student Loans program commenced on 1 January 2017. The first applications round for eligible organisations to apply to become VSL course providers, closed on 20 February 2017.

A second application round opened on 30 August 2017 and is due to close at 11.59pm on 26 September 2017 (Canberra time).

Deadline for submission of any questions providers may have, is 4pm Wednesday 13 September 2017.

Information sessions for interested providers, were held in Canberra on Tuesday 5th September 2017.

HELP Information Technology System (HITS)

You must have an active account with HITS in order to submit your VSL application. If you do not have a HITS account, you need to complete the HITS Credentials application form and submit this to the Department as soon as possible.

Steps to preparing and submitting your application

  1. Become familiar with the VET Student Loans Act 2016 and the VET Student Loans Rules 2016 https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2017C00183 and https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2017C00602 to ensure your understanding of your obligations and responsibilities as an approved VSL course provider.
  1. Check the threshold criteria to ensure you are eligible to apply to become an approved VSL course provider.
  2. If you already have a HITS account, determine if it’s active by logging onto HITS using your existing user ID and password.
  3. If you do not have a HITS account, complete the HITS Credentials application form and submit this to the Department.
  4. Get your annual financial statements for the current year as well as the previous 2 years signed off by an independent qualified auditor; also obtain auditor’s declaration of compliance and report on your financial performance during the three financial periods. Financials can often take the most amount of time to prepare, so the first thing that you need to do is ensure that your organisation’s financials meet the Financial performance requirements.
  5. Collect industry/employer or other bodies’ referrals as evidence that your courses meet workplace needs and improve employer outcomes for students.
  6. Start addressing the Course Provider and Provider Suitability Requirements as outlined in the VSL – Application Submission outline.
  7. Concurrently, gather information for the completion of Forms A – G in the VSL Workbook including information on:
  • Your student completion and engagement rates;
  • Student satisfaction rates;
  • Your financial Performance in the past 3 years and
  • Information and credentials on your key personnel.
  1. Check all application documents including attached evidence to ensure their accuracy and compliance with the application requirements.
  2. Check file names against recommended naming conventions listed in the Approved Course Provider Application Guide.

Pay the invoice for your $5110.00 application fee.

As mentioned above all applicants are required to pay an Application fee of ($5,110). This fee is required to be paid before the RTO’s application can be assessed and it must be paid within 14 days after receipt of an invoice, following the lodgement of your application on HITS.

Submit your application on time!

Don’t forget to submit your application through HITS, before 11:59pm on Tuesday 26 September 2017.
The Department will not accept the late submission of applications. 

 

Disclaimer
The information provided in this update is our analysis and interpretation of the VET Student Loans application requirements. This information should not be solely relied on for the purpose of your application. Always refer to the information provided by The Department, this will always be the source of truth. For more information please contact Audit Express Pty Ltd.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_accordion][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_cta h2=”Need help with your application?”]If your organisation needs help completing the VET Students Loans application get in touch with the team at Audit Express by phoning 1300 73 55 41  or click here to send us an email.[/vc_cta][/vc_column][/vc_row] [/emaillocker]

How to apply for a Victorian Skills First Funding Contract

How to apply for a Victorian Skills First Funding Contract

What we know so far

The Victorian Department of Education and Training (The Department) has announced that it’s call for expressions of Interest for Skills First 2018-19 VET Funding Contracts will open at 2pm on Friday the 1st of September 2017, and will close on Thursday the 28th of September 2017.

It is understood that applying organisations will be able to apply for either a “Standard” or “Restricted” funding contract, which is consistent with the current 2017 Skills First VET Funding Contracts.

Successful applicants will be offered a 2 year contract, that will be valid throughout the 2018 and 2019 calendar years.

[emaillocker id=6291]The Department has advised that it is hoping to provide applying organisations of their outcome in November 2017.

A suite of information will be published on the The Department’s Skills Victoria Training System (SVTS) when the Call for EOI opens on 1/9/2017, including draft VET Funding Contracts and supporting information to assist providers with completing the application process.

Information sessions will be held in Melbourne, Geelong, Traralgon and Bendigo in the first week of September. Providers can register now via SVTS. Places will be limited to three attendees per training provider.

For more information on how to apply for a Skills First 2018 – 2019 Funding Contract please complete your details on the registration form at the end of this post to attend our FREE WEBINAR on “How to apply for a Skills First 2018 – 2019 Funding Contract“.

The Good News

There is some really good news in this years’ Skills First contract application process, in that the Victorian state government has listened to our feedback and calls for longer contract durations. As already mentioned, successful applicants will be offered a 2 year contract, that will be valid throughout the 2018 and 2019 calendar years. This is a great outcome and will offer quality training providers greater certainty and stability. This will also allow providers to invest in their business to deliver quality training.

It is also really pleasing to hear that the Department will allow training providers up until 16/10/2017 to provide the required financial information, including financials that have been audited by an ASIC Registered Auditor.

Get Your Financials Ready NOW!

The Department has advised that training provider applicants will need to submit their audited financial statements for the two most recently completed full financial years. These financial statements must be accompanied by independent audit reports completed by an ASIC registered auditor. Applicants are encouraged to prepare this documentation as soon as possible. If your organisation has not already started work on this, do not delay – now is the time to start work on this important task.

Learn Local Training Providers that are applying for a restricted contract must have audited financial statements, but will be pleased to hear that they are exempted from the requirement for the auditor to be an ASIC Registered Auditor. That is unless they are applying for a standard contract, in which case Learn Local Training Providers must utilise an ASIC Registered Auditor.

The requirement to submit audited financials is arguably the most challenging part of the application process, and the one sticking point that has seen countless applications rejected over previous years. Having financials audited by an ASIC Registered Auditor is no small task. If your organisation is looking for an ASIC Registered Auditor that is experienced in supporting training providers to apply for VET Funding Contracts, please get in touch and we will happily introduce you to one of our reputable contacts.

The To Do List

  • Register online at eduweb.vic.gov.au/svts/Events to attend the Department’s 2018 Provider Selection Process Information Sessions. These sessions are targeted towards training providers that are considering lodging an expression of interest for a Skills First 2018-19 VET Funding Contract
  • Continue to monitor SVTS daily for further updates and announcements throughout the application process
  • Register your details on the form below to attend our FREE LIVE WEBINAR on Monday 4th September where we will unpack the Skills First contract for you and discuss what is involved in the application process, or click on the following link if the form below isn’t working on your device: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6372504797326981891
  • Contact the team at Audit Express if you have any questions, or require support completing your application

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How to apply for a Victorian Skills First Funding Contract

The importance of supporting GLBTI students in your organisation

The current social & political climate

With all of this talk of Marriage Equality, the plebiscite and postal vote I thought I’d make a timely shoutout to all RTO & TAFE Managers, reminding you of the importance of supporting your Gay, Lesbian, Bi-Sexual, Transgender and Intersex (GLBTI) students.

What does the current research tell us?

Reports from Beyond Blue suggest that the mental health of LGBTI people is among the poorest in Australia. Lesbian, gay and bisexual Australians are twice as likely to have a high/very high level of psychological distress as their heterosexual peers (18.2% v. 9.2%) This makes them particularly vulnerable to mental health problems. The younger the age group, the starker the differences: 55% of LGBT women aged between 16 and 24 compared with 18% in the nation as a whole and 40% of LGBT men aged 16-24 compared with 7%. For more detail take a look at the full report – https://www.beyondblue.org.au/docs/default-source/default-document-library/bw0258-lgbti-mental-health-and-suicide-2013-2nd-edition.pdf?sfvrsn=2

Why is it important to support GLBTI students?

School, College or University is often the place where young #GLBTI students feel most safe. It should come as no surprise that this is often the safest place for a young GLBTI person to come out. Are your teachers and training coordinators ready and equipped to handle this kind of classroom situation?

The Star Observer Newspaper has reported that a TAFE student recently made a formal complaint about being bullied by a fellow student after she “came out” as transgender. See- http://www.starobserver.com.au/news/national-news/trans-tafe-student-lodges-harassment-complaint/161034

It would appear that in this instance the TAFE wasn’t equipped to support and provide a safe place for their student being bullied. I can’t help but wonder how many RTOs, TAFEs and Universities really would be willing, ready and able to step up and support a young transgender person throughout their educational experience and personal journey of transition.

I have been talking about the need for RTOs and TAFEs to have provision in their ‘complaints and appeals’, and ‘student support’ policies, procedures and business processes to ensure that they are providing a safe and inclusive environment for all learners – including GLBTI students for quite some time now. However simply updating your policies isn’t enough. If your organisation is committed to creating a supportive environment for all students, including GLBTI students the most valuable thing you can do is educate your teachers.

I am interested to know if you believe that your organisation is already equipped to deal with this type of complaint or support need? Perhaps you have faced similar types of issues in your organisation. I would love to hear about what approaches were taken and how you managed the experience for all students in the classroom environment.

What can my organisation do to support its GLBTI students?

I believe that there is a huge gap in the knowledge and understanding of the support needs of GLBTI students in education. Professional development is needed in all parts of our education system from early childhood, right through to higher education. Earlier this year my friend and colleague Rebeckah Loveday from SensWide Employment teamed up with the VET Development Centre to deliver a webinar titled: ‘Supporting learners of diverse gender, sexuality and orientation’. For more information click here.

UPDATE 05/09/2017: Over the past few weeks the VET Development Centre has had a large amount of interest in their webinar ‘Supporting learners of diverse gender, sexuality and orientation’ so much in fact that they have decided to host another webinar focussed on  ‘Supporting GLBTI Learners in Vocational Education’ this will be happening on Tuesday, 19 September, 2017 from 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM, click here to register >>> http://www.cvent.com/events/webinar-supporting-learners-of-diverse-gender-sexuality-and-orientation/custom-17-74e1ad1e252342e4add0808eb1896f75.aspx 

There is a lot of work to be done in across all divisions of the education sector to ensure that GLBTI learners are supported. As a Vocational Education & Training Sector consultant and former policy advisor, it is my experience and opinion that many Community Colleges, RTOs and TAFEs are currently leave themselves exposed by putting their head in the sand and by not being proactive in taking action.

Next time you are reviewing the professional development schedule in your organisation, why not take a step up and include a useful informative session for your teachers on ‘how to support GLBTI students’?

If you are wanting to discuss this topic further please feel free to get in touch with Matthew Dale at Audit Express by phoning 1300735541