Eligibility

To be eligible for government-subsidised training under Smart and Skilled, the following general elibility requirements must be met:

• 15 years old or over

• No longer at school or is home-schooled

• Living or working in NSW

• An Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, New Zealand citizen, humanitarian visa holder** or partner visa holder whose sponsor is a humanitarian visa holder.

As a condition of eligibility, students must also:

• Provide Strategix with their USI, and

• Log into their USI Account and provide "Strategix Training Group" and "Training Services NSW" with access to their USI transcript. This enables Strategix and Training Services NSW to view a student’s USI Transcript to validate their eligibility for Smart and Skilled and determine any Credit Transfers and/or fees.

Specific Requirements -

Entitlement Apprenticeships and Traineeships Program (Full Qualifications)

To be eligible to receive funding under this program a person must also:

• Be a NSW Apprentice or New Entrant Trainee* and have an approved Training Contract in NSW; and

• Have the approved Qualification shown on their Training Contract and the qualification must be on the NSW Skills List.

*A New Entrant Trainee is an employee who is enrolled in a nationally recognised course of study, within three months of commencement of employment.

**If the student holds a Bridging Visa, the student must provide a document from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection acknowledging that the bridging visa is linked to an application for a humanitarian visa.

NSW Fee Free

Smart and Skilled eligible students that enrol in a Fee Free priority qualification between 13 November 2023 to the 30 June 2024 with a commencement date between 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024 are eligible for a fee free place, subject to the availability of a training place and funding.

Fee free places are limited and therefore a place is not guaranteed.

Eligibility Evidence Guide

Students must provide at least ONE piece of evidence for EACH eligibility category that applies:

*Additional requirement for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Person who lives in specific defined interstate NSW border areas - Must provide evidence of living location (Any Commonwealth or NSW Government issued document).

Notification of Enrolment

Once a student has completed an Enrolment Form, Strategix will notify the Department through the Notification of Enrolment Process (see below). Eligibility for funding can only be determined once a student has passed through the Notification of Enrolment Process. Please note: The Notification of Enrolment process must not be concurrently completed for the same qualification and/or the same units of competency for the same or other qualification(s).

Discontinuing Training

If at any stage you wish to discontinue your training, you must formally notify Strategix through:

• Traineeships: Must complete the Department's Cancellation of an apprenticeship or traineeship

• Non-Traineeships: Use the Strategix Withdrawal Form or email detailing the reasons why.

Complaints, Appeals and Consumer Protection Policy

This policy focuses on the management of all informal and formal complaints and appeals. Each are defined as follows:

• Informal Complaint – A concern, problem or issue that may in the first instance be resolved by discussion with the person or people most directly involved

• Formal Complaint – An informal complaint which has not been resolved and has been escalated by the complainant (in writing) as a Formal Complaint

• Appeal – A request to management for a review of a decision. This may be either an Academic Appeal of an assessment outcome or a General Appeal of a decision made. If a student wishes to appeal an outcome of their assessment they may do so as per the procedure.

If the student chooses to access the complaints and appeals processes as per this policy and procedure, Strategix will maintain the student’s enrolment while the complaints and appeals process is ongoing. A complainant may withdraw their complaint or appeal at any stage.

Students who lodge a complaint or appeal are required to maintain standard attendance and progression requirements throughout the complaints and appeals process. The general principles that must be applied to all stages of this procedure are:

• The complainant and respondent must be given the opportunity to present their case at each stage of the procedure at minimal or no cost

• Each party may be accompanied or assisted by a support person at any stage

• The complainant and the respondent must not be discriminated against or victimised

• A copy of all student correspondence and notes must be recorded on aXcelerate under the note type; ‘Enquiry – Complaints and Appeals’*

• For a complaint made by a staff member, a copy of all correspondence and notes must be recorded on the staff HR file (not aXcelerate)

• The complainant is given a written statement of the outcome of the appeal, including the reasons for the outcome

• All other parties who have used this procedure will have access to the records relating to the complaint (available on request in writing), otherwise all records will be kept confidential.

*If the individual does not currently have a profile in aXcelerate, a profile is to be created for the purpose of recording/handling and future reference of the complaint.

Conflict of Interest

Persons attending to complaints must identify and report any situation where a conflict of interest exists. For example, family members, personal relationships, spouses, business relationships, etc. In these situations the attending person must exclude themselves from involvement.

At any stage in the process (initial contact to elevated stages) where a conflict of interest has been identified, an equivalently qualified and authorised person must assume responsibility to address the claim. Qualified and approved persons may include senior managers, departmental managers or senior team members.

Timeframes Surrounding the Complaint Process

All complaints and requests for an appeal must be acknowledged in writing and finalised as soon as practicable, the timeframes outlined below is the maximum time allowed for each part of the process.

*For an international student, the timeframes are mandated by the regulator and must be followed strictly (there is no adjustment allowed for these timeframes). For domestic students, when necessary due to the severity of a complaint or appeal, the time be adjusted as long as the following requirements from the standards are taken into consideration.

Strategix will not report the international student through Provider Registration and International Student Management System (PRISMS) for unsatisfactory course progress or attendance until the international student has accessed the internal and external complaints handling and appeals process, and the decision or recommendation supports the registered provider.

Further Information and Contact Details

Strategix has systems and processes to assist students as they progress through their studies, refer to the Student Information Sheets for further details on:

• Fee Refunds: Obtaining a refund of fees (where/when appropriate/penalty)

• Complaints, Appeals and Consumer Protection: Contacting Strategix about concerns or issues etc.

• Learner Support: Internal and external support services

• Deferrals: Temporarily putting studies on hold

• Withdrawals and Cancellation: When and how to withdraw from the course

• Fees and Charges Information: How fees can be paid and recovery of outstanding fees

Students may also refer to the Student Handbook which includes information about Student fees for repeat attempts (re-assessment) and further information for each of the above points.

Strategix has a dedicated Consumer Protection Officer, the contact details are as follows:

• Name: Jeremy Rota

• Number: 1300 872 464 (ext. 001).

Information on consumer rights and obligations relating to Smart and Skilled can be obtained through the Departments Smart and Skilled website, the Departments Consumer Protection Strategy and or by calling 1300 772 104.

Fees and Charges

Co-Contribution Fees

Students receiving funding under the Smart and Skilled program must contribute towards the cost of their course/training. The fees may differ for each course; refer to the following table for pricing.

Please note, pricing may be different for delivery methods (online, campus and workplace). The price tables detail the fees and charges which are collected by Strategix.

Fees may be adjusted if Credit Transfers are applied. Credit Transfers must be supported by a copy of the certificate, statement of attainment or USI Transcript.

Fees may be paid on your behalf by an employer or another third party (but not by Strategix). If you are required to pay fees personally you will be given a payment advice that details the total amount due and a payment schedule.

Student fees are collected during the enrolment process. When a student withdraws or is cancelled, and they re-enrol into the course, they may be required to pay additional student fees for any units which require training and assessment.

Entitlement Apprenticeships and Traineeships Program^

^eligibilty criteria apply

*Previous qualifications do not affect eligibility; however, they may affect the student fee. Students with a post-school qualification, will pay a higher fee for their Smart and Skilled training than someone who does not have any qualifications.

**Students who meet the conditions outlined in the following table may be able to access the Fee Exemptions or receive an adjustment to their fee.

NSW Fee Free Program

^^Subject to availability

Fee Exemptions and Variations

Where students are required to pay a student fee, they may be eligible for a partial or full fee exemption. Fee exemptions must be supported with evidence from the student to be eligible. Fee exemptions include:

Support Needs

Where additional support needs are identified from the enrolment form, additional evidence will be required:

Smart and Skilled Fee Administration Policy

The Smart and Skilled Fee Administration Policy for further information on fees.

Refund Policy

Strategix will refund in full any course fees, where a request to withdraw is received seven (7) days prior to course commencement. No refund is due when a withdrawal is within seven (7) days prior to commencement or after training has commenced, except for extenuating circumstances. Refer to the Fee Refund Information Sheet for full details.

Course Details

Training Timeline/s

*Students are afforded additional time and opportunities where required (assessed on a case-by-case basis).

Delivery Location

Strategix delivers courses in regional and metro centres with permanent and temporary locations. When you select the enrolment form, it will be specific to the location of delivery. For example: An enrolment form for Individual Support will contain the start date, the delivery suburb and which delivery days the course will be. You will then receive a Tentative email outlining the specific delivery address for your course. Where the enrolment is in relation to a particular organisation, the class name will reflect the organisation's name. https://strategix.edu.au/courses/class-list/ lists all upcoming classes.

Learner Support Services

Strategix Trainers and Support Officers provide students with real time assistance for any learner support needs. Students are required to disclose all needs that may impact their learning and participating prior to commencement of training.

During your induction or orientation, Strategix will assess your learner needs and you will be able to identify areas where assistance may be required. Our staff are always happy to help you whenever possible. If you are facing problems of any kind, please do not hesitate to contact an Administrative Assistant, Course Coordinator or your Trainer on 1300 872 464 or enquiries@strategix.edu.au. We encourage you to take advantage of the support facilities available before any problems become an issue.

Strategix can provide access to specialist support for students who may have special needs, including assistance for:

• Language, literacy and numeracy

• People from disadvantaged backgrounds

• Persons from non-English speaking backgrounds

• People with disabilities

• People in rural or isolated locations.

Other services include:

• Career assessment: Assessing the student's innate interests and personality to allow the student to make informed choices about their career plans and the course that is right for their needs

• Flexible assessment procedures: Our strategies allow for students to demonstrate outcomes in appropriately diverse ways

• Language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) assistance: We can assist with LLN barriers and/or help you to access appropriate specialised support.

Notification of Enrolment Process

This process outlines the steps that prospective students must take to access government funding.

Note: This process does not apply to the School-Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship Programs.

STEP 1: Complete Enrolment Form

The first step is to complete an enrolment form which provides us (Strategix) with the necessary information about you and obtains your consent for us to undertake the Department's “Notification of Enrolment Process”.

STEP 2: Notification of Enrolment

Once we receive an enrolment form and your consent*, we start the Notification of Enrolment Process with the Department to inform them that you wish to access funding and to determine your eligibility and entitlements. This includes:

• Inputting your details and validating your eligibility

• Inputting any details of Credit Transfer (CT) or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) – Providing Strategix and the NSW department access to your online USI record is mandatory to help us to complete this step. Refer to the Providing USI Transcript Access for a guide.

• Using the fee calculator to determine your student fees

• Generating a quote which will be provided to you.

Successful completion of the Notification of Enrolment Process will result in the issue of a Commitment ID. This Notification of Enrolment Process must be completed before any training is delivered to you.

*Note: if you do not provide consent, we cannot proceed with the Notification of Enrolment Process.

STEP 3: Training Plan

Once the Notification of Enrolment Process is complete, we will:

• Work with you to create a Training Plan. Where applicable, this also includes working with your employer to creating a Training Plan Proposal and Contract ID

• Commence your training on the Planned Start Date*.

*Note: If you do not commence on this date, your Commitment ID must be cancelled and we will need to go through the Notification of Enrolment Process again to create a new Commitment ID for the new start date.

Consent Wording

I understand and agree that, under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Data Provision Requirements) Instrument 2020, Strategix Training Group is required to collect personal information (information or an opinion about me), collected from me, my parent or guardian, such as my name, Unique Student Identifier, date of birth, contact details, training outcomes and performance, sensitive personal information (including my ethnicity or health information) and other enrolment and training activity-related information (together Personal Information) and disclose that Personal Information to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER).

My Personal Information (including the personal information contained on my enrolment form and my training activity data) may be used or disclosed by Strategix Training Group for statistical, regulatory and research purposes. Strategix Training Group may disclose my personal information for these purposes to third parties, including:

• School – if I am a secondary student undertaking VET, including a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship;

• Employer – if I am enrolled in training paid by my employer;

• Commonwealth and State or Territory government departments and authorised agencies, including the NSW Department of Education (Department);

• NCVER;

• Organisations (including the Department) conducting student surveys; and

• Researchers.

Personal Information disclosed to NCVER may be used or disclosed for the following purposes:

• Issuing a VET Statement of Attainment or VET Qualification, and populating Authenticated VET Transcripts;

• Facilitating statistics and research relating to education, including surveys;

• Understanding how the VET market operates, for policy, workforce planning and consumer information; and

• Administering VET, including program administration, regulation, monitoring and evaluation.

I may receive an NCVER student survey which may be administered by an NCVER employee, agent or third party contractor. I may opt out of the survey at the time of being contacted.

NCVER will collect, hold, use and disclose my Personal Information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the VET Data Policy and all NCVER policies and protocols (including those published on NCVER’s website at http://www.ncver.edu.au).

The Department may disclose my Personal Information to other Australian government agencies, including those located in States and Territories outside New South Wales.

The above government agencies may use my Personal Information for any purpose relating to the exercise of their government functions, including but not limited to the evaluation and assessment of my training, the determination of my eligibility to receive subsidised training or for any Fee Exemptions or Concessions. My Personal Information may also be disclosed to other third parties if required by law.

I also acknowledge and agree that the Department may contact me by telephone, email or post, during or after I have ceased subsidised training with Strategix Training Group for the purposes of evaluating and assessing my subsidised training.

I declare that the information I have provided to the best of my knowledge is true and correct.

I consent to the collection, use and disclosure of my Personal Information in the manner outlined above.