March 11, 2015
Following recent “horror stories” about some vocational education training providers, Queensland TAFE has begun a hard sell itself … telling students it’s not too late to change to a reputable training provider.
A TAFE spokesman said today that each year, thousands of students enrol with vocational education training (VET) providers who promise outstanding opportunities, only to begin their course and realise they’ve made a major mistake.
Reports of unsatisfactory vocational training have increased over the past year, damaging the reputation of the VET sector.
“The increase in the number of training providers using pressure selling and inducements means that it is now more important than ever for prospective students to do their research and know their rights before making a commitment, particularly when this involves a study loan,” the spokesman said.
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An example provided by TAFE:
Beauty student Georgie* switched to TAFE Queensland after spending two weeks at another provider.
“I rang up to inquire about the beauty course, just to make inquiries,” she said.
“After that initial inquiry I was called twice a day as well as receiving several emails hounding me to enrol. I felt very bombarded.
“The classes were extremely big and the teachers were patronising; they weren’t helpful and weren’t supportive and a little bit nasty.
“In my two weeks there, I only ever did one beauty treatment and it was a facial and that was all I did in two weeks – it was not hands-on at all.
“This is why I left and TAFE was such a wonderful surprise. [Teacher] Lizy is amazing.
“I would recommend TAFE to anyone because it’s a great learning process and because it is so hands-on.”
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TAFE Queensland CEO Jodi Schmidt said all registered training organisations had a legal obligation to inform prospective learners of their rights as a consumer, in accordance with State or Territory laws.
“As a student, you do have rights,” she said.
“There are a range of things students need to be aware of if they are doubtful of their training provider and they want to make the switch to a provider of better repute.”
- Refund Policy – Where your provider has collected fees from you, and not delivered on their promises you may be entitled to a refund. Under the Australia Registered Training Organisations Standards all providers collecting fees have an obligation to make you aware of your refund rights before enrolment or commencement of training.
- Census Dates – The study loan is ultimately the student’s responsibility. Students who have opted to defer payment through VET FEE-HELP need to be particularly mindful of the census date. Some private training providers make students pay for an entire course during the first module. With these providers, once the census date has passed, students incur a large debt which could limit access to additional VET FEE-HELP in the future. Census dates vary from provider to provider and course to course.
Ms Schmidt said students who don’t know their census date – and aren’t satisfied with the quality of their course – should contact their provider now and request this information.
- Cooling Off Period -If a door-to-door salesman or cold-caller from a training provider convinces you to sign up to a course, you are entitled to a cooling-off period under Australian Consumer Law. If you haven’t been afforded a cooling off period, call your training provider now.
Ms Schmidt said all registered training organisations were governed by strict standards.
“If you feel like you haven’t received adequate training you need to take action. You can lodge a complaint with the Queensland Ombudsman, Australian Consumer Affairs or the Australian Skills Quality Authority,” she said.
* The name of this student has been changed to protect her identity
Related articles
- Editorial – It’s Time To Save Our TAFEs
- Jobseekers Urged To Read The Fine Print
- Study Now, Pay Later
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