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User Choice - Fact Sheet

Eligibility

To be eligible to receive a government contribution, the apprentice or trainee must:

• Have entered into a Training Contract for a qualification that is funded by the department

• Be registered on DELTA with a commencement date or recommencement date on or after 1 July 2010

• Select a training provider that holds PQS status for their nominated qualification.

The government contribution will be detailed in the apprentice or trainee’s Letter of Registration from the department, and is subject to student eligibility and their selection of an eligible PQS as their SRTO. Payment of funding is subject to the conditions set out in the VET Pre-qualified Supplier Agreement.

Co-contribution fees

Strategix must collect a student contribution fee, it may be paid on behalf of the student by their employer or a third party unrelated to the Strategix, but cannot be paid or waived by Strategix, unless approved in writing by the department.

Invoices for students will be generated and sent to the Client after Student/s are approved for funding. The payment amounts consist of the compulsory Student Contribution Fees.

Students will not be changed for Individual Subjects which are Credit Transferred, or Transitional Gap trained.

When a student converts from a school-based trainee to a full-time or part-time traineeship, the student contribution fees will be charged for training and assessment for any units of competency not yet commenced. This does not apply when the student is under 21 and is undertaking a high priority qualification as identified by the department (refer to next page*).

** Students require a federal police check to complete Individual Support. Students are not required to pay the fee for the check.

***Cert III in Business Administration is delivered online only

Partial exemption — tuition fees

Strategix will only charge 40 percent of the student contribution fee where the participant falls into one or more of the following exemption categories:

1. The participant is not at school, has not completed year 12 and was or will be under 17 years of age at the end of February in the year in which Strategix provides training.

2. The participant holds a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card issued under Commonwealth law, or is the partner or a dependant of a person who holds a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, and is named on the card.

3. The participant issues Strategix with an official form under Commonwealth law confirming that the participant, his or her partner or the person of whom the participant is a dependant, is entitled to concessions under a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card.

4. The participant is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person.

Full exemption — tuition fees

Only trainees who fall under one of the following circumstances can a student receive a full exemption of student contribution fees for the entire qualification.

Financial Hardship – Where evidence indicates payment of the student contribution fee would cause the trainee extreme financial hardship. Strategix has process’ in place in order to explore further payment options to lessen the impact of a payment prior to applying for a fee exemption. Applications for financial hardship and relevant supporting documentation will be gathered and assessed on an individual basis.

School-based – All School-based traineeships receive a full exemption for student contribution fees.

Free apprenticeships for under 21s – The Free apprenticeships for under 21s initiative will cover the cost of training for Queensland apprentices or trainees who commenced or are undertaking one of Priority Apprenticeship and Traineeship Qualifications* from 1 July 2019 to 30 June 2023.

* Priority Apprenticeship and Traineeship Qualifications:

Traineeship Cancellation

Strategix must be notified of all cancellations using the QLD cancellation form. The cancellation date is the date the trainee ceased employment with the company.

Refund Policy

In the event a trainee either cancels their training contract or nominates to change to another Supervising Register Training Organisation (SRTO), the student contribution fees paid will be reimbursed to the trainee, where the trainee has not undertaken the training, or a proportionate refund has been provided, where they have withdrawn from a unit of competency/ module. For additional information refer to Strategix’ Fee Refund Policy Procedure.

Other Information

• An apprentice or trainee can only receive one government contribution for a User Choice funded qualification at any single point in time.

• A maximum of two government contributions will be funded per participant under the User Choice 2017–20 program.

• A second government contribution is approved for participants who have previously commenced and completed one funded qualification under the User Choice 2010–16 program or User Choice 2016–17 program or User Choice 2017–20 program, and the second qualification is:

  • A Priority One qualification

  • A higher priority than the first qualification

  • Undertaken subsequent to a student having completed a qualification under the Skilling Queenslanders for Work initiative.

Required Documents

• Supervising Registered Training Organisation (SRTO) Notification (Approval from the Australian Apprentice Support Network)

• Enrolment Form

• Training Plan (completed with employer and Strategix)

• ERA, RFC (completed by employer and Strategix).