YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
All About VET
Vocational Education and Training (VET) provides workplace skills, technical knowledge and qualifications for rewarding jobs and careers. VET is the practical education option with courses designed by industry experts that combine work-ready skills with the latest knowledge.
VET qualifications provide a fast, cost-effective pathway to employment, giving you first-hand experience and confidence to navigate a rapidly changing environment. When you enrol in a VET course, the skills, knowledge and experience you have gained from your previous learning and work experience may be taken into account. You won’t have to study subjects that you have already mastered.
Qualifications range across four levels of certificates (Certificate I, II, III and IV), with some training providers offering Diploma courses and Advanced Diploma courses as well. The range of professions with strong job prospects for VET graduates may surprise you!
A registered training organisation (RTO) is a provider registered by ASQA (or a state regulator) to deliver nationally recognised VET training and qualifications.
Registration by ASQA confirms that the provider is capable of meeting rigorous government standards and is permitted to issue nationally recognised qualifications.
There are currently around 4,000 RTOs in Australia. The national register, training.gov.au, maintains a complete list of RTOs.
Adult and community education (ACE) provides accessible learning opportunities for adults in local communities that meets their needs and supports place-based community development.
Adult and community education (ACE) is a discrete fourth sector of education in Australia that is not for profit and community based. Research shows that ACE providers offer a platform for disengaged and/or disadvantaged adults to:
- transition back into learning;
- develop basic skills for work;
- improve language, literacy and numeracy;
- pathway into formal learning programs.
ACE programs build community capacity, enhance social cohesion and promote health and wellbeing. They foster skill development and provide vocationally focussed education and training programs and pathways. ACE enables inclusive learning by recognising that there is a broad spectrum of learners with individual needs and preferences. ACE learning programs are highly focussed and offered in a friendly, flexible and supportive environment.
Smart and Skilled is a reform of the NSW Vocational Education and Training (VET) system that offers subsidised training for courses on the NSW Skills List, which identifies industry areas that need more qualified workers. Smart and Skilled is helping people in NSW get the skills they need to find a job and advance their careers.
Smart and Skilled provides eligible students with:
- an entitlement to government-subsidised training up to and including Certificate III;
- government funding for higher-level courses (Certificate IV and above) in targeted priority areas.
Approved Adult and Community Education (ACE) providers receive community service obligation (CSO) funding from the NSW Government to provide training to disadvantaged students and people living in regional and remote communities who need assistance to access Smart and Skilled entitlement training.
Eligible learners include:
- Australian citizens/permanent residents or humanitarian visa holders who have low literacy, language and numeracy skills;
- people who have limited employability skills;
- people who are unemployed or underemployed;
- students who have a disability;
- students who receive a Commonwealth allowance;
- young disadvantaged students who need help accessing further study.
Apprenticeships and Traineeships
Apprentices spend three to four years, depending on their industry and qualification, learning a traditional trade such as building and construction, automotive, cooking, engineering or manufacturing. Their apprenticeship leads to a job as a qualified tradesperson.
Trainees spend one to three years, depending on their industry and qualification, learning a vocation in areas such as agriculture, information technology, hospitality, business, digital media or financial services.
Courses and Enrolment
To find out about the courses we offer browse the Course List.
To find courses in study areas browse the Training Categories.
All students undertaking nationally recognised training (including Vocational Education and Training (VET) in schools) need a unique student identifier, known as a USI. A USI provides an online record of VET training a person has undertaken in Australia.
Find out more about the USI and how to get one by visiting Your USI.
Find the most commonly requested forms by visiting Student Information.
You can pay for your course using Mastercard or Visa.
We use Eway to process your online payment. Eway is a third party payment provider that works with businesses to provide a safe and secure gateway for you to purchase goods and services. You can check our status as an approved eWay merchant by clicking on the eWay logo below.
Digital Skills
Digital literacy skills are very important to your study—your digital literacy can directly impact your ability to research, collaborate with other students and complete assignments.
We embed digital skills learning into the training we deliver and provide support for students who need to improve their digital literacy for learning.
As a digitally capable learner you may be expected to:
- Use a range of ICT-based devices including laptops, tablets, smartphones, desktop computers, a mouse, keyboard, touch screen, audio headsets, digital capture devices such as a camera, video camera, or audio recorder;
- Use basic productivity software to complete tasks such as text editing, presentation, spreadsheets, and image editing;
- Use a web browser and search engines;
- Use email and other digital communication services such as photo sharing, video conferencing;
- Use the college digital systems including the Student Portal, and a range of personal digital services such as social media.
Language, Literacy and Numeracy
Foundation skills are fundamental to a person’s participation in the workplace, the community and in education and training. They are a combination of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills and employability skills. Digital skills are now considered to be foundation skills as well.
The Australian Government supports the development of foundation skills through vocational education and training (VET) so that individuals are equipped with the language, literacy, numeracy and employability skills required by businesses.
The best way to understand the importance of Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) skills is to consider LLN in the context of work and jobs.
LLN skills help people do their jobs and are so much a part of their work that they are often not thought of as separate skills—for example, working out the amount of timber needed for a job, or filling out timesheets, are job skills, but you can't do them properly if you don't have the underpinning LLN skills. Understanding safety signs is taken for granted but not everyone has the skills needed to read and interpret these signs correctly.
Most jobs have some reading demands in them. The ability to read at the appropriate level for a job can affect safety, morale, job satisfaction and productivity. It can also affect whether a person gets promoted.
Writing in a workplace can range from taking messages, to ticking boxes on a checklist, to writing reports. Again, employees need appropriate writing skills to do their job effectively, and also to advance at work.
Effective speaking and listening skills are essential for clear communication in the workplace. Different industries and jobs have different levels and methods of communication, with customers, colleagues or supervisors.
Workplace numeracy is not the same as school maths. Workplace numeracy involves using mathematical ideas and techniques efficiently to achieve a purpose in a particular context. Workers with appropriate numeracy skills can respond with confidence and competence to the particular mathematical demands of their job.
Policies and Procedures
You can find the Student Handbook by visiting the Information for Students page or download it here.
You can find our policies by visiting the Policies page.
Learner Portal
If you are enrolled in a Qualification or Skill Set with us you will be given access to your own Learner Portal.
The Portal allows you to view and access information about your training including your courses, resources, assessments, course announcements, personal details and more.
If the course you are enrolled in provides automatic Portal access you will receive an emailed invitation with a link to create your login. If you have any difficulties accessing the Portal or creating a login for your account, please contact us on 1800 952 264.
Student Support
We regularly invite feedback from students as part of a continuous improvement program that aims to identify student concerns so they may be acted upon before escalating to a complaint. Feedback is considered an important opportunity to improve the quality of our training delivery and student service. If after providing feedback a student wishes to lodge a complaint about any aspect of their training, the 4-stage resolution process outlined below should be followed.
Step 1: A student complaint must be recorded in writing using the Student Suggestion/Compliment/Complaint form and submitted to the VET Manager who will respond to the complaint with a proposed resolution within five working days.
Step 2: A student may appeal any decision made by the VET Manager by submitting details in writing to the Executive Officer (EO). The EO will appoint a person not involved in the original decision to consult with the student and any relevant parties.
Where the complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of all parties, the EO's appointee will seek to identify, in consultation with the student, a mutually agreed upon independent person or panel to resolve the issue.
Step 3: If the complaint remains unresolved the assistance of an independent mediator may be sought. Contact information is available through the Head Office Administration Officer.
Step 4: If the complaint remains unresolved after the decision of the independent person or panel, the final option to both parties is to seek the Assistance of the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA). ASQA can be contacted on 1300 701 801.
More information can be found on the ASQA website.
In accordance with the Standards for RTOs 2015, at a minimum, the support we provide to students will include:
- Identifying particular requirements (such as literacy, numeracy, English language or physical capabilities) students would need to complete each course; and
- Developing strategies to make support available where gaps are identified.
Strategies may include:
- Language, Literacy & Numeracy (LLN) support;
- assistive technology;
- additional tutorials; and/or
- other mechanisms, such as assistance in using technology for online delivery components.
Where appropriate, we will provide referrals for any student that is at risk of physical abuse, or requires counselling support.
We will also support identified at risk students with 1:1 trainer support.
