Student Information & Requirements

Delivery and Recognition

Delivery of Programmes

Programs can be delivered in a classroom setting, in a real or simulated workplace environment, face-to-face, on-line, by distance education, flexible or blended delivery. 

Recognition of Skills and Experience

There are several processes that allow you to have your current skills and experience recognised.

Mutual Recognition

  1. Mutual recognition is the process that recognises qualifications or Statements of Attainment issued by another Registered Training Organisation that are the same as the competencies in the program you are enrolled in.  
  2. To receive credit for previous study, you will need to be enrolled in the program and provide certified copies of your qualifications, Statement of Attainment or Statement of Results to the College.
  3. You cannot receive credit for your whole program of study, at least one competency must be achieved through normal enrolment or Recognition of Prior Learning.

Credit Transfer

  1. Credit transfer is the process that recognises accredited study equivalent to the competencies in the program you are enrolled in.
  2. Because of the requirement for skills to be current, as a general rule, credit transfer may not be granted for competency results, which were obtained more than five years earlier, irrespective of perceived equivalency.
  3. You cannot receive credit for your whole program of study, at least one competency must be achieved through normal enrolment or Recognition of Prior Learning.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

  1. Recognition of Prior Learning is the process that recognises skills and experience you currently have regardless of where and when the learning occurred. Applications for RPL are based on whole competencies.
  2. You can base your application on any combination of formal or informal training and education, work experience or general life experience.  You will need to contact the College for information on the RPL process.  To apply for Recognition of Prior Learning you will need to complete the RPL form and attach your supporting evidence.
  3. Unsuccessful applicants have a right to formally appeal the RPL assessment, through the College academic appeals process.  You may be required to pay for the re-evaluation of assessment.  If your appeal is approved and recognition is granted, the College will refund any re-evaluation charge and amend and re-issue your results at no cost to you.  If your appeal is unsuccessful, you will not receive a refund and your result will remain unchanged.  Any subsequent application for RPL you lodge will be treated as a new application and will be processed accordingly.

Enrolment

You can take your enrolment form directly to the College or if you are paying with a credit card, you can enrol over the phone, by fax, post or on the internet.


When enrolling you are required to:



  • Complete the enrolment form
  • pay in full (or make arrangements for a payment plan) all required enrolment (and associated) fees at the time of enrolment
  • complete your enrolment prior to commencing study.

Enrolment is only confirmed once payment is received by the College.


You must re-enrol to gain competency if resubmitted assessment items were not submitted by the due date or were unsuccessful.


Types of Training


Accredited Training



  1. All qualifications and Statements of Attainment offered by ACE North Coast are nationally recognised.
  2. When you complete a nationally recognised qualification or statement of attainment it will be recognised by other registered training organisations across Australia.  
  3. Choosing nationally recognised training delivered by a registered training organisation is important if you want recognition for training you have successfully completed.

Full Fee Training


Most ACE North Coast training courses involve training that is not subsidised by the Government.  In this case students are charged for the full cost of training delivery.  


Government Funded Training


The Government sometimes funds ACE North Coast to deliver accredited training to meet strategic and regional training priorities.  When you enrol in these subsidised programs you will normally be charged an administration fee and sometimes a materials fee.  


Apprenticeships and Traineeships


Apprenticeships and traineeships combine hands-on training with a paid job. You get a qualification recognised anywhere in Australia and the experience required to help you get the job you want.


Certificate Qualifications


Certificate qualifications are offered at levels I - IV and are ideal for professional development, career enhancement, work entry and re-entry to the workforce.  You can enrol at a level that suits your current skills and knowledge and exit at a level that suits your goals.


Short Courses


Short courses can be either accredited or non-accredited.  An accredited short course has a Statement of Attainment outcome.  There are short courses in a wide range of subject areas, from information technology to languages, business and financial skills. There are also programs that develop skills such as reading, writing and maths.


Non-Accredited Training


Non-accredited training is training that has not been formally recognised by the Training Recognition Council or another accrediting body.  You will not automatically receive recognition of this training from a Registered Training Organisation, however you may be able to use this training and other experience when applying for recognition of prior learning.  Some of our General Course programs are examples of non-accredited training that we deliver.  Frequently this training does not have any formal assessment. Programs typically run for two to three hours a week for six to eight weeks.


Fees & Charges


All fees and charges are listed in the College brochure available at the beginning of each term.


Payment of fees


You must pay a course fee when you enrol at an ACE North Coast College. You can arrange a payment plan if you are unable to pay the full course fee in one payment. This option needs to be discussed with one of the College Administration staff.


Refunds



  1. Refund if the College cancels training.  If we cancel the training before it starts, the College must refund the fees you paid for the cancelled training.
  2. Refund if enrolment is cancelled more than five days before training starts.  If you cancel your enrolment at least five days before training starts, the College must refund the fees you have paid for the training after deducting an administration charge.
  3. Refund if enrolment is cancelled less than five days before training starts.  You are not entitled to a refund if you cancel your enrolment in less than five days before the course is due to start.  

Outstanding/Overdue Payments


If you have outstanding/overdue payments to the College, you may not be eligible to:



  • Undertake/submit assessment
  • Continue study
  • Enrol into further study with the College

Admissions



  1. You are required to apply for program entry by completing an application form.  
  2. You may need to meet any/all specified pre-requisites, co-requisites and entry requirements to be eligible for consideration for program admission.

Student Assistance/Income Support


Eligibility requirements for student assistance external to the College (for example Austudy, Youth Allowance, and Abstudy) may vary across agencies (for example Centrelink and Veterans' Affairs); therefore prior to enrolment it is your responsibility to:



  • Discuss your study options with the relevant agency
  • Discuss your study requirements (for example attendance rates/study load) with the relevant agency.

If you are receiving student assistance from another agency you should notify them immediately of any changes to your study load or student status to avoid penalties.

Absence

It is your responsibility to advise your teachers of any absence/s.

Progress of Study

You are expected to achieve satisfactory progress in your studies through the required participation/attendance. If you are having difficulty maintaining acceptable progress you should discuss the situation with your teacher as soon as possible.

Assessment

The following information is for students who are enrolled in Accredited Courses at ACE North Coast.

Our accredited courses are nationally recognised, which means you can take a Certificate or Statement of Attainment you are awarded here to any Registered Training Organisation (RTO) in Australia and you won't have to repeat the units of work you have studied with us.

The majority of programs offered by ACE North Coast incorporate competency based assessment.  The purpose of assessing competency is to confirm that you can perform to the standards expected in the workplace.  Assessment is defined as the process of making judgements about whether competency has been achieved.  You will be given the option of providing evidence that you meet the requirements of competency through Recognition of Skills and Experience or you can undertake training and assessment against the competency.  

If you don't want to be assessed, you will need to tell your tutor. If you choose not to be assessed, you won't be able to get a Certificate or Statement of Attainment. You can get a Statement of Attendance for the units of work you have attended.

The teacher will advise prior to the commencement of training how the competency is to be assessed.  Assessment will generally be progressive and involve more than one assessment item for each competency.  Assessment items can include, but are not limited to:  projects, case studies, oral questions, assignments, portfolios, written examinations, role plays, practical demonstrations or observation of activities in the workplace or simulated work environment.

Assessment Items

Assessment items must be submitted to the assessor BY THE DUE DATE specified for a result to be recorded, unless an extension has been granted.

Extensions will only be granted due to personal illness, or for other extenuating circumstances.  Formal requests for extensions must be submitted to your teacher in writing 48 hours prior to the advertised deadline. The length of the extension is at the discretion of the teacher.

You are responsible for:

  • Complying with the procedures for assessment item submission and collection.
  • Requesting feedback and negotiating resubmission of the assessment item (if a re-evaluation is required).
  • The retention of the assessment item for a minimum period of 14 days after you receive your result unless an appeal is being lodged. In this case the items should be retained until the appeal is finished.

To avoid plagiarism you must properly acknowledge all information sources.

If you don't submit your assessment item by the due date and you don't have an approved extension, you will receive an unsuccessful result for that assessment item.  If this is the only assessment item for this unit, you will be given the result of withdrawal with participation.

If you have submitted your assessment item by the due date, and it is assessed as requiring additional work you can request an opportunity to resubmit the item.

If you don't resubmit your assessment item by the due date you will be given the result of ‘not yet competent' for that competency and you will have to re- enrol to gain competency.

Assessment Feedback

  1. You have the right to receive written feedback for an assessment item.
  2. You should contact your assessor if you are dissatisfied with the result of an assessment item and the feedback given.

Re-evaluation of Result

If you are dissatisfied with the result of an assessment item you can submit a written application for re-evaluation of the result to the College Principal or delegated officer. You must lodge your application within 14 days of notification of the result.

  • If the re-evaluation of assessment takes in excess of one hour, the delegated officer may vary the amount of the scheduled charge to be at actual cost.

Where possible an assessor other than the original assessor should undertake the re-evaluation.

If you are dissatisfied with the re-evaluation outcome, you have a further right to appeal to the College Academic Appeals Committee.

  • The notice of appeal should be in writing and addressed to the College Principal for referral to the Chairperson of the Academic Appeals Committee and submitted within seven days of the re-evaluation decision.
  • If the appeal is not lodged within the specified time, the result will stand and you must re-enrol in the competency.

Alternative Assessment

If you consider you will be disadvantaged, due to a disability or unusual circumstance, you may request an alternative assessment.

Results & Awards

Types of Results

Statement of Attendance

A Statement of Attendance is issued (if requested) on the successful completion of non-accredited training.

Statement of Attainment

A Statement of Attainment is issued on the successful completion of accredited training in one or more Units of Competency (but less than the number of units required under packaging rules for a full Qualification).

Certificate

A Certificate is issued on the successful completion of a full qualification based on accredited training. The back of the Certificate will list all Units of Competency successfully completed.

Issuing of Awards

Awards are issued to students who complete the necessary requirements. However, if a financial debt is owed to the College the award will not be issued at that time. Awards will be reissued when the debt is cleared.

Replacement awards can be obtained to:

  • recognise a name change
  • replace a damaged award
  • Replace a lost award or

You must include the original award with your application or a witnessed Statutory Declaration, declaring the circumstances if the original has been lost or destroyed.  You will need to include a certified copy of evidence of name change if necessary.

Cancellation of Qualification or Statement of Attainment

  1. The College may cancel an award if it was issued in error or it was found that the award was based on false or misleading representations.
  2. If the College cancels your award, you will be advised in writing.
  3. You must return the cancelled award to the College within 21 days of receiving written notice from the College.  You have the right to appeal this decision through the College Principal.  

Academic Appeals

This process is for appeals by students in relation to academic decisions or procedural matters.
For appeals against academic decisions, you should first follow the re-evaluation of result process.

How to lodge an Academic Appeal

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the re-evaluation process, you have a right to appeal to the College Academic Appeals Committee:

  • The notice of appeal should be in writing addressed to the College Director for referral to the Chairperson of the Academic Appeals Committee and submitted within seven days of notification of the outcome of the re-evaluation process.
  • If the appeal is not lodged in the specified time, the result will stand and you must re-enrol in the competency.
  • In emergency circumstances, such as in cases of serious illness or injury, you must forward a medical certificate in support of a deferred appeal.  The notice of appeal must be made within three working days of the concluding date shown on the medical certificate.

If a standing member of the Academic Appeals Committee was involved in the matter of your appeal, that member will be required to stand down for the duration of your appeal.

The decision of the Academic Appeals Committee is final. 

Misconduct

Student misconduct includes student academic misconduct and behavioural misconduct.

Academic Misconduct - Cheating, Plagiarism and Collusion

Academic misconduct is a very serious academic offence.  The penalties for academic misconduct include but are not limited to:

  • Failing the assessment item.  You may, at the discretion of the College, be given the opportunity to complete supplementary assessment. Supplementary assessment will be treated as resubmitted assessment.

  • Failing the competency

  • Exclusion from the College for a specified time determined by the College.

Behavioural Misconduct

Behavioural misconduct is broadly defined as actions that breach the Student Responsibilities and Obligations listed in this document, or impair the reasonable freedom of other persons to pursue their studies and participate in the activities of the College.

How to lodge a misconduct complaint

  1. A College employee or student may report an alleged occurrence of misconduct by forwarding a signed, written account of the incident(s) to the College Principal.  You must include your postal address.
  2. Following receipt of advice of an act of misconduct, the Principal must advise the student in writing of the alleged incident of misconduct.
    The student has five working days to make oral or written representations regarding the alleged incident of misconduct.
  3. After this period, the Principal may take action including: modify or dismiss the charge; reprimand and warn the student against repetition of the breach of discipline; suspend the student from attending classes or any combination of the above.
  4. The student must be informed of their right to appeal the decision

Misconduct Appeals

If you have been found guilty of misconduct you can appeal the decision or the decision process in writing to the College Principal.  The College Principal will refer your appeal to the College Misconduct Appeals Committee.

  1. A date for the College Misconduct Appeals Committee meeting will be set as quickly as possible and you will be notified of the time, date and venue in writing.
  2. College Misconduct Appeals Committee members will include the College Principal or delegated officer, a College staff member from an unrelated teaching area of the College and a member of the management team or delegated officer.
  3. You have the right to be accompanied by a representative and you may call witnesses, or you can provide a written submission instead of attending the meeting.  
  4. If you do not attend the meeting or provide a written submission, the panel may assess the matter and where necessary impose a penalty as if you had participated.
  5. The panel will advise you in writing of the decision within two working days of the date of the decision.
  6. The decision of the Misconduct Appeals Committee shall be final.