Continuous Improvement

• Conduct quality assurance activities on courses

• Regularly monitor and review the:

  • Content and effectiveness of courses, including the extent to which Courses are supporting EST Participants to achieve the Learning Outcomes

  • Delivery of courses, including the effectiveness of facilitators and equipment

  • For Training Block 2 Generalist Courses and Specialist Courses, ensuring that the industries covered are in demand or have emerging opportunities in their local labour market.

• Work collaboratively with key stakeholders to tailor Courses.

Fees

• Participants must not be charged for any part of a Course

Course Outlines

Providers must develop and retain course outlines for all Courses that describe the:

• Learning outcomes

• Teaching strategies that will be used to achieve each Learning Outcome.

Scheduling

• Courses must be scheduled for a total of 75 hours, excluding breaks

• Courses must be scheduled for either:

  • 25 hours per week over 3 consecutive weeks, or

  • 15 hours per week over 5 consecutive weeks.

• Courses must not be scheduled on a public holiday and must not be scheduled for more than 8 hours per day.

Class Size

Maximum of 20 participants attending. Out of employment region referrals can be accepted where the individual is deemed suitable in the pre-commencement activities/engagement.

Service Delivery Plan

Providers must have a Service Delivery Plan targeted at Eligible EST Participants and Participants, and a Service Delivery Plan targeted at Employers, at a minimum. Service Delivery Plans must:

• Be no more than 2 pages

• Use language that is appropriate to the target audience

• Detail the Provider’s services relevant to the target audience

• Detail the Provider’s strategies to deliver the Services relevant to the target audience

• Capture the commitments the Provider made in its response to the request for proposal for this Deed that are relevant to the target audience, for example:

  • The offering of Industry Awareness Experiences in Training Block 1 Courses

  • The offering of cohort-specific Courses

  • The offering of accredited training

  • The industries covered in Training Block 2 Courses

  • The way the Provider will work with industry and Employers to tailor training to the needs of local industries and Employers

• Capture the Learning Outcomes if the Service Delivery Plan is targeted at Eligible Participants

• Be accessible for people with disability

• Comply with the requirements set out in the Workforce Australia Brand Style Guide for Providers

• Be approved by the Department

• Be prominently displayed at each Site.

Providers must retain the Department’s written approval of the Service Delivery Plans and retain the Service Delivery Plans.

Endorsement of Block 2 Specialist Course

Prior to delivering a Specialist course, Strategix must submit the following to the Department, in accordance with the Key Contacts Protocol:

• Records describing the consultation process in the design and development of a Specialist Course outline

• Evidence of a relevant industry association’s endorsement of a Specialist Course outline to the Department:

  • Course outline that was endorsed

  • Name of the industry association that provided the endorsement

  • Name and position of the industry association member that confirmed the endorsement

  • Date of the endorsement

  • How we consulted with the association.

Note: If a Provider has a reasonable justification for not being able to obtain endorsement from a relevant industry association, the Department will accept endorsement from a relevant and appropriate Employer. Refer to the EST Guidelines for details.

Industry Endorsement: Specialist course outlines, including major updates, must be endorsed by a relevant industry association to:

• Ensure the training is suitably tailored to, and valued by, Employers in the industry

• Make EST Participants more competitive for entry-level Employment opportunities in the industry.

Hybrid/Online Courses

Providers must have and retain written approval from the Department before creating hybrid or online Courses and must:

• Communicate to participants the delivery mode and any devices that are required to participate in the training

• Ensure each participant receives content relevant to their local labour market

• Issue information on ergonomic setup and wellbeing to the Participant before starting online delivery

• Provide information on wellbeing and links to supports if needed, using resources available from Safe Work Australia

• Retain the participant’s confirmation that they have received, read and understood the information on ergonomic setup and wellbeing issued by the Provider

• Record the following information for online students:

  • Course ID and name

  • Participant’s job seeker ID and name

  • Reason the participant cannot participate in person (Only if enrolling in a non-approved online course)

  • Name of the person creating the record.

Rolling Intakes

Rolling intake courses will be considered for Training Block 1 Courses and Training Block 2 Generalist Courses in limited circumstances, for example, in a location where there is insufficient demand to offer non-rolling intake courses.

Providers must seek approval from the Department before creating rolling intake Courses by completing the Rolling Intake Request Form and submitting it to the Department in accordance with the Communication Protocol.

Pre-Commencement Activities

Conduct activities to determine whether the participant is eligible and suitable for the course. If the student is not suitable, see EST Guidelines, Section 1.7.4

Initial Assessment

Providers must work with participants to complete and retain an initial assessment so the course can be tailored to their needs. The initial assessment must document:

• Job Seeker ID and name

• Course ID and name

• Participant’s level of digital literacy

• Participant’s strengths and experience

• Participant’s employment and other goals

• Participant’s main barriers to securing employment

• How the Course will be tailored to meet the needs of the EST Participant.

Attendance

• Record attendance daily using the Department’s Supervisor App. Notify the referring provider if they fail to attend (within 1 business day)

• If a participant does not attend within 7 Business Days of the Start Date (including the Course Start Date), the Provider must end the Participant’s Referral to the Course, and notify the Participant and the Referring Provider, as relevant

• Provide the daily QR code(s) (2 codes for sessions longer than 4 hours/day) to Participants in attendance to self-report attendance.

EST Participant Survey

The Department’s IT System sends all EST Participants a short, voluntary online survey on the second last day of their EST course. Participants receive a link to the survey via their Workforce Australia Online for Individuals inbox, and to their email account, where one has been provided. Providers are encouraged to allow time during the course for EST Participants to complete the survey, noting completion is voluntary.

Resume Update

• Providers must work with the participant to update their resume. Resume must:

  • Include the participant’s identified skills and experience

  • Be professionally presented

  • Not contain spelling or grammatical errors.

• Providers must retain a copy of the updated resume. If student does not develop resume due to lack of attendance, retain records of reason

• For Generalist Courses, the résumé must be tailored to at least one of the industries covered. For Specialist Courses, the résumé must be tailored to the industry covered.

Final Assessment

Providers should assess the progress and performance of EST Participants throughout the Course and update the assessment at the end of the course. The Assessment must:

• Include the initial assessment and document the student’s progress against it

• Include the updated résumé

• Document performance against each of the Learning Outcomes

• Document any units of competency completed

• Document industries and/or occupations that may be suitable, taking into account their goals, skills and the local labour market

• Recommend the next steps the participant should take to pursue employment and/or training opportunities

• Document the date the Assessment was finalised.

If the Provider is unable to complete a comprehensive Assessment due to insufficient attendance, the Provider must complete the Assessment to the best of its ability and retain records of the reason why the assessment was lacking.

Send the final assessment within 5 Business Days of the participant exiting the Course or the Course End Date, to:

• The student

• Referring Provider.

Providers must retain a copy of the final Assessment for each EST Participant.

Completion

A student is completed when:

• The course has been delivered as required

• An assessment has been conducted for each student and a copy sent to the student or referring provider

• Attendance has been recorded on the Department’s IT system

• The student completed at least 80% of the total hours for the course (or alternative measure).

Course Management

Create each Course in the Department’s IT Systems to facilitate Referrals of Eligible EST Participants and Payments no later than 2 weeks before the Course Start Date.

• Must not cancel a course that has commenced

• May cancel a course if the course has no referrals.

Exit Course- Digital Participant

If an Exit is requested, the Provider should discuss the reason for the Exit with the student to determine whether any issues can be addressed so they can continue their participation.

If an Exit is requested by a Workforce Australia Services Online Participant for a reason other than finding Employment, the Provider must advise the EST Participant to discuss the reason for the Exit with the DSCC, and the DSCC will end the Referral as required. The Provider must not end an EST Participant’s Referral for Workforce Australia Services Online Participant requested Exits for a reason other than finding Employment.

Exit Course- Workforce Australia Participant

For EST Participants with a Referring Provider, the Provider must not end Referrals for EST Participant requested Exits before discussing the requested Exit with the Referring Provider.

Exit Course - Completed

For EST Participants who do not Exit the Course before the Course End Date, the Provider must end the EST Participant's Referral in the Department's IT Systems within 5 Business Days of the Course End Date if the Referral was made through the Department's IT Systems.

Safety

Notify the Department of any WHS incidents, etc. Maintain copies of Incident Reports. Refer to EST guidelines - 3.7 Reporting and Managing Incidents

Feedback

• Collect feedback from participants

• Maintain a customer feedback system electronically

• Inform students of system and of referral to the Department’s National Customer Service Line for further investigation, where required.

Self-Assessment Report

Providers must complete and submit to the Department, in accordance with the Key Contacts Protocol, a self-assessment report at the end of each Performance period or as directed. Refer to Est Guidelines, 5.3 Self-Assessment Report

Marketing

Providers must use the Workforce Australia masterbrand in the delivery of Services and in accordance with the Workforce Australia Brand Style Guide for Providers (the Brand Style Guide).

Fraud

• Implement a fraud control plan and provide a copy to the Department. Procedures should include a clear reporting process for suspected fraud

• Strategix’s system users are to complete Fraud training annually. Must keep a record of staff training.

Additional RFFR Requirements

Refer to the Workforce Australia - Part A Universal Guidelines and Right Fit for Risk (RFFR) requirements.

FSKLRG003

Use short and simple strategies for career planning

FSKLRG007

Use strategies to identify job opportunities

FSKLRG011

Use routine strategies for work-related learning

BSBPEF101

Plan and prepare for work readiness

Develop Service Delivery Plan and Course Outline

Manager (M)

Create Course on Department’s System

Course Coordinator (CC)

Enrol Student

Course Coordinator (CC)

Complete Induction and EST Assessment

Trainer (T)

Induction and Initial ASsessment (Day 1)

Trainer (T)

Interview Students

Trainer (T)

Deliver Course

Trainer (T)

Complete Course

Trainer (T)

Issue Certificates and Completions

Course Coordinator (CC)

Monitor and Review Course and Course Requirements

Manager (M)

Withdrawals

Course Coordinator (CC)