Southpac Course Participants Handbook

Revised: December 2020

Contact and Company Details

ABN 84 282 447 175
RTO 32353
Address 2B/5 Executive Drive, Burleigh Waters QLD 4220
Phone +61 7 5533 9988
Email [email protected]

Contents

Welcome.
About Southpac.
Our Values.
Enrolment.
Unique Student Identifier (USI).
Cancellation Policy – Face to Face and Virtual (LLVC) Courses.
Cancellation Policy – Online Courses.
Special Needs.
Expectations of Participants.
Course Delivery.
Enrolment Cancellation, Termination or Refusal.
Training & Assessment.
Trainers & Assessors.
Expectations of our Trainers.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
Credit Transfer.
Cheating & Plagiarism.
Student Authenticity.
Certification.
Student Support, Welfare & Guidance Services.
Student Support Services – Important Contacts.
Fees & Charges.
Payments.
Deposits.
In-house Corporate Clients.
Cancellation Policy – Face to Face and Virtual (LLVC) Courses.
Cancellation Policy – Online Courses.
Course Transfer.
Cancellation by Southpac.
Certificates & Statement of Attainment Reprints.
Complaints & Appeals Policy and Procedure.
Legislative Requirements.
Privacy Notice.
Participants Privacy.
Consumer Rights.
Force Majeure.
Continuous Improvement.

Welcome

This Participant Handbook is designed to help inform you of the policies and procedures that Southpac and its participants agree to follow. This is to ensure that you receive quality products and services as well as an understanding of the content and regulations that govern all parties under the VET Quality Framework.

About Southpac

Southpac is a Registered Training Organisation, RTO Code 32353, committed to providing nationally recognised training to industry and clients.

Our goal is to ensure you time with us is enjoyable and productive and most significantly we strive to educate, to lead and to inspire.

Our Values

The following values have been selected and agreed upon by the whole Southpac team. These values guide the decisions we make, the services we offer and the way we conduct ourselves and our business.

• Customer Service Excellence
• Value Adding
• Integrity
• Openness
• Continual Improvement
• Professionalism

Enrolment

To officially commence training, an enrolment form must be completed for each participant. This can be done directly through the www.southpac.biz website or by calling the office on + 61 7 5533 9988. Enrolment will remain active for 12 months from the time of enrolment (for online self-paced courses) or the commencement of the class (for facilitated courses) and all assessment tasks will need to be completed within that timeframe. Extensions can be requested by contacting our Administration team.

International Enrolments
International participants entering Australia to complete face-to-face training with Southpac will need to supply a copy of their visa to Southpac prior to commencing training. Student visas are not accepted. Participants from New Zealand will need to show citizenship documentation (such as a passport or driver’s licence) to their Southpac facilitator to complete accredited training face-to-face in Australia.

Unique Student Identifier (USI)

A USI is required by all Australians undertaking nationally recognised training. It allows participants to link to a secure online record of all qualifications gained regardless of the provider. This system was implemented by the Australian Government in 2015, so it will show courses and units completed from 1 January 2015 onwards.

As a nationally-recognised training provider we may only issue qualifications and statements of attainment to students who provide us with a valid USI. Students must obtain their own USI from the government website at www.usi.gov.au and provide it to us. The sole exception is an overseas student studying offshore and not having an Australian passport or visa. However, foreign students in Australia will need a USI, since all foreign students in Australia will have been issued with an Australian visa, which allows them to use their passport as proof of ID when creating their USI. It is a condition of enrolment with Southpac that participants give us permission to verify their USI on the national register.

Special Needs

The student is responsible for notifying Southpac if they have a medical condition or disability or require assistance in their training.

Expectations of Participants

Courses run by Southpac are provided for professionals; as such participants are expected to act in a professional manner. Participants have a responsibility to:

• Read this Participant Handbook and ensure it is understood
• Note the date, time and location of the course as advertised
• Be punctual in attendance
• Treat staff, participants and the public with respect, fairness and courtesy
• Complete training and assessment activities as requested
• Refrain from engaging in disruptive behaviour
• Abide by copyright and plagiarism laws and legislation
• Pay/organise payment of all agreed fees and charges
• Follow all Southpac health and safety instructions

Course Delivery

Prior to starting the course, participants will receive all relevant information regards;

• Details of the training venue
• Course content
• Assessment requirements

Morning tea and lunch, along with tea, coffee and water are provided on our public courses.

Students may participate in courses involving physical activity and practical assessment and do so at their own risk. Southpac’s students are covered by public liability insurance whilst working within a classroom environment.

Enrolment Cancellation, Termination or Refusal

Southpac reserves the right to decline an initial student enrolment or reenrolment for any reason at its sole discretion.

Training & Assessment

Assessments are undertaken whereby the participant is completing a course that is aligned with a unit of competence, skill set or qualification. Assessments are conducted in class or post course depending on the course enrolled in.

Assessment is the process of collecting evidence and making judgments on whether competency has been achieved. In order to be assessed as ‘competent’, you will need to demonstrate that you can do the task with confidence and have the required knowledge and skills to the required standard.

An assessment of ‘Not Yet Competent’ is simply a request for more information or further confirmation of the knowledge and skills required. Our assessors will provide feedback to guide the participant’s resubmission of assessment items. The participant will be required to successfully resubmit the assessment with the required rectifications to achieve a competent result. The participant will be allowed a limit of two (2) re-submissions per unit of competency which is included in the course fee.

Our assessment decisions are based on your assessment submission and the evidence provided by you. This work must follow the ‘Rules of Evidence’ and be:

• Valid – match or meet the elements and performance criteria
• Sufficient – enough to prove competence across all elements and performance criteria
• Current – recent enough to prove competence across all elements and performance criteria
• Authentic – that it is your own work

Trainers & Assessors

Southpac ensure that the responsibility for the management and coordination of training delivery, assessment (including the recognition of prior learning), staff selection and professional development is clearly identified and undertaken by a person or persons with relevant qualifications and experience.

Southpac ensures that all those involved in the planning and conduct of training and assessment:

• hold the TAE40110 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment including the following two units of competency;
• TAELLN411 Address adult language, literacy and numeracy skills or its successor
• TAEASS502 Design and develop assessment tools

• Have demonstrated current vocational competencies at least to the level of those being delivered
• Have industry experience that is current and relevant to the particular course or units they are training and/or assessing

Expectations of our Trainers

At Southpac we take pride in and abide by the following Training Code of Conduct:

We will:

• Include and engage all participants in the training
• Provide assistance to those requiring it
• Be flexible and make application relevant to the group
• Raise opportunities for improvement
• Adhere to company values
• Relax, smile and enjoy the training!
• BE PROFESSIONAL

Such behaviors represent the trainer and Southpac in the best possible light, engages students and provides the optimum learning environment.

We won’t:

• Make offensive jokes or comments be it racist, sexist, related to sexual orientation or generally intolerant
• Criticise Southpac clients, partners or industry stakeholders
• Focus on one or a small group of students to the exclusion of others
• Express personal political or “world views”

Such behaviors can alienate students, detract from the learning experience and impact customer satisfaction and reputation.

If you feel we have not lived up to our values or code of conduct, please contact the Southpac CEO directly.

Andy Shone, [email protected], +61 7 5533 9988.

We can assure you that your feedback is both appreciated and will be dealt with fairly and in confidence.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

RPL is the acknowledgement of an individual’s skills and knowledge, irrespective of how it has been acquired. It includes competencies gained through formal study, work experience and other ‘life’ experience.

Southpac aims to ensure that an individual’s prior learning is recognised, irrespective of where or how the learning has taken place.

Southpac has developed a system that is offered to all participants to ensure there is no unnecessary duplication of training or assessment, and to ensure maximum recognition of current skills and knowledge.

For more information on the RPL assessment process, evidence requirements or any other queries regarding RPL please visit our RPL & Credit Transfer webpage or contact [email protected]

Credit Transfer

Southpac accepts and provides credit to learners for units of competency and/or modules (unless licensing or regulatory requirements prevent this) where these are evidenced by:

1. AQF certification documentation issued by any other RTO or AQF authorised issuing organisation; or
2. authenticated VET transcripts issued by the Registrar.

Cheating & Plagiarism

All work that is submitted for assessment must be the participants own. Whilst it is acknowledged that the majority of participants will approach their assessment tasks in an honest and professional manner, Southpac takes the issue of cheating and plagiarism very seriously. If the Training Manager deems plagiarism and/or cheating to have taken place then the following may occur:

• the participant may be counselled on plagiarism/cheating
• the participant will be required to resubmit the assessment again using their own work and/or using correct referencing and quotation marking techniques
• the participant may be suspended from undertaking the course for period of time appropriate to the offence
• the participant may be permanently removed from undertaking the course and their enrolment cancelled

Student Authenticity

Under the Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 we are required to ensure the authenticity of our participants submitted assessment work. This is done by:

1. providing a Unique Student Identifier (USI) upon enrolment
2. completing a self-declaration form attesting to the authenticity of submitted work – this is provided either in hard copy or electronically in the assessment documents.
3. Third-party verification of all certificates or statements of attainment provided to us as part of the RPL and credit transfer process
4. Submission of a Statutory declaration attesting to the authenticity of submitted RPL kits

Certification

Participants will be issued certificates, statements of attainment and qualifications highlighting the units of competency that were achieved after they:

1. attended a course and been assessed as ‘competent’
2. provided a USI
3. paid all course fees in full

Qualifications, records of results and statement of attainment are issued in accordance with the requirements of the Australian Qualifications Framework and all records of results are retained for a period of 30 years.

A record of results is also maintained on the National Register which can be accessed through an individual’s USI account.

Student Support, Welfare & Guidance Services

Our trainers and student support staff are available to help you achieve your learning objectives and successfully complete your course. If you are having difficulties with the course material, managing your time and commitment to your course, or any other academic related matter, do not hesitate to speak with our staff and ask for guidance.

Student support is provided to all students. The aim of this support may include to monitor your progress, assist with any learning or technical issues that may be hindering your progress, review your training plan timelines and to discuss planned activities for the next month.

We allow for reasonable adjustments in both our teaching and assessment and focus on flexibility and fairness whilst still maintaining validity. Adjustments may be made for students with:

• English as a second language
• Language, literacy or numeracy needs
• Sensory diminished capacity
• Physical or intellectual disabilities.

Modification or adjustments may be made to the:

• Learning materials and methods suitable to the student
• Physical environment and equipment
• Procedures for conducting assessment
• Evidence gathering techniques
• Number of opportunities to submit assessments
• Timing of assessment

If you require support in any way, please contact the Southpac office or your trainer at any time throughout your course.

Student Support Services – Important Contacts

If students need help when the Southpac office is open, you can contact our in-house support staff:

Support to achieve your study goals. e.g. Study skills, Language, Literacy, Numeracy Support	Annemette – Admin Manager/Course Coordinator Phone: 07 5533 9988 Between the hours of 8:30am-4:30pm
Making a complaint	Tania – Training Manager Phone: 07 5533 9988 Between the hours of 8:30am-4:30pm
Requesting a Review of an assessment decision	Tania – Training Manager Phone: 07 5533 9988 Between the hours of 8:30am-4:30pm

Students with language, literacy and numeracy needs may also wish to contact:

• Australian Council of Adult Literacy on (03) 9469 2950 email [email protected], and/or

Students requiring urgent non-academic help when the Southpac office is closed, may consider accessing the following services:

• Emergency Services (Police, Ambulance, Fire) on 000
• 24-hour Telephone Counselling Distress Call on 1300 364 454
• Lifeline on 131 114
• Salvo Care Line on 1300 36 3622
• Salvo Prevention Crisis Line on (02) 9331 2000
• Men’s Line Australia on 1300 789 978
• Sexual Assault Helpline on 1800 010 120
• Domestic Violence DV LINE on 1300363 550
• Alcohol and Drug Information Service on 1800 177 833
• Victims of Crime Support Line Victims Support Service on 1800 633 063 (8am – 5pm)
• Mental Health Services telephone the Mental Health Access Line on 1800 636 825 (free call)

Fees & Charges

Southpac complies with all applicable State and Commonwealth legislative requirements for collection of fees, and enrolment/course/tuition fees are only charged where required by the State or Territory regulatory authority. All Nationally Recognised Training courses delivered by Southpac are GST Exempt.

All fees and charges for Southpac services:

• are approved by the CEO prior to publication, quotation to clients or tender submission
• are fully disclosed at time of purchase and are available on southpac.biz
• will be provided with a numbered tax invoice detailing all fees paid or owing

Payments

All fees and charges are in Australian dollars. Available payment methods include:

• Cheque
• Credit card (MasterCard or Visa) or EFTPOS: payments are available online or by phone.
• Direct Deposit: payments can be made by depositing funds into the bank account included on your invoice. The invoice number should be used as payment reference.

Deposits

Our student course deposit amounts are limited to $1500 per learner in prepaid fees at time of enrolment. Prepaid fees being fees collected before the service ‘Face to Face, Virtual or Online Course’ is provided.

In-house Corporate Clients

Booking terms for in-house corporate training include:

• Once dates are confirmed a 25% deposit if required to secure the training and to allow the organisation of the inhouse training including trainer allocation, resources and logistics. This amount is not refunded if the course is cancelled by the client.
• The remaining 75% balance is required 14 days prior to the commencement of the course.

Cancellation Policy – Face to Face and Virtual (LLVC) Courses

If for any reason a participant wishes to cancel or withdraw:

• 21 days or more prior to course commencement – a $350 non-refundable admin fee will be charged, and the balance of the course will be refunded
• 14 days to 20 days prior to course commencement – a $1000 non-refundable admin fee will be charged, and the balance of the course will be refunded
• Within 14 days of course commencement – 100% course fee can be charged;
  • Partial or full refunds will be considered under exceptional circumstance such as long-term illness
  • Deferment of training can be negotiated
• Where no cancellation is received or where nominated participants do not attend – 100% course fees will be due and payable
• Once training has commenced – no refund is available to participants who leave before completion unless the student can provide a medical certificate or show extreme personal hardship.
• Any refund request is to be emailed to [email protected] – allow up to 4-8 weeks for refunds to be processed

Cancellation Policy – Online Courses

You must read the course page and/or brochure to ensure you purchase the correct online course suitable to your individual needs and situation. No refund is available to participants and clients who has paid for training once the online course has been made available.

Course Transfer

If you are booked into a course and wish to transfer to another scheduled course the following transfer fees are applicable:

• Transfer request more than 2 weeks from the course start date incur no fee
• Transfer request within 2 weeks from the course start date incur a transfer fee of $250

Cancellation by Southpac

Enrolment is accepted on the basis that Southpac will not be held liable for costs incurred due to course cancellation or rescheduling.

Courses with low enrolments may be cancelled no less than two weeks prior.

Should Southpac cancel the course, participants are entitled to a full refund (or pro-rata adjusted refund) or to transfer to another future course. In this event students will be given their preferred option.

Course dates, trainers and/or assessors and fees are subject to change without prior notice.

Certificates & Statement of Attainment Reprints

Should students require a statement of attainment to be reissued a $50 fee can apply.

Complaints & Appeals Policy and Procedure

Southpac has established this policy to support the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTO) 2015. The policy has been developed and implemented to support and provide clear instruction and guidance to both Southpac staff and students on the handling of complaints and appeals from students.

A complaint or appeal may include, but is not limited to;

• Complaints:
• Course advice and enrolment
• Suspension and/or cancellation of enrolment
• Course delivery
• Marketing and promotional activity
• Personal safety
• Customer service and administration
• Issue of results, certificates, statement of attainment
• Learning resources
• Fees and charges
• Equity and access, discrimination, harassment and bullying
• Appeals:
• Assessment process and decision
• Student progress and academic progress decisions

Full details of Southpac Policy 4 – Complaints and Appeals available on our website

Legislative Requirements

Southpac ensures compliance with regulatory requirements and Commonwealth, State/Territory legislation relevant to its operations including but not limited to:

• VET Quality Framework
• Work Health and Safety
• Confidentiality and Privacy
• Anti-Discrimination
• Equal Employment Opportunity
• Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015

Southpac aims to sustain a climate and culture for all Southpac students and staff, where harassment and victimisation are unacceptable forms of behaviours. Southpac Policy 1 – Antidiscrimination, Harassment and Bullying has been developed and implemented to support and provide clear instruction and guidance to both staff and students regarding the fair treatment of all persons involved in the delivery of Southpac training products and courses, in accordance with State and Federal legislation and best practice. Full details of this policy can be found on our website www.southpac.biz

Privacy Notice

Why we collect your personal information
As a registered training organisation (RTO), we collect your personal information so we can process and manage your enrolment in a vocational education and training (VET) course with us.

How we use your personal information
We use your personal information to enable us to deliver VET courses to you, and otherwise, as needed, to comply with our obligations as an RTO.

How we disclose your personal information
We are required by law (under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth) (NVETR Act)) to disclose the personal information we collect about you to the National VET Data Collection kept by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER). The NCVER is responsible for collecting, managing, analysing and communicating research and statistics about the Australian VET sector. We are also authorised by law (under the NVETR Act) to disclose your personal information to the relevant state or territory training authority.

How the NCVER and other bodies handle your personal information
The NCVER will collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with the law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the NVETR Act. Your personal information may be used and disclosed by NCVER for purposes that include populating authenticated VET transcripts; administration of VET; facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage; and understanding the VET market.

The NCVER is authorised to disclose information to the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE), Commonwealth authorities, State and Territory authorities (other than registered training organisations) that deal with matters relating to VET and VET regulators for the purposes of those bodies, including to enable:

• administration of VET, including program administration, regulation, monitoring and evaluation
• facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage
• understanding how the VET market operates, for policy, workforce planning and consumer information.

The NCVER may also disclose personal information to persons engaged by NCVER to conduct research on NCVER’s behalf.

The NCVER does not intend to disclose your personal information to any overseas recipients.

For more information about how the NCVER will handle your personal information please refer to the NCVER’s Privacy Policy at www.ncver.edu.au/privacy.

If you would like to seek access to or correct your information, in the first instance, please contact Southpac.

DESE is authorised by law, including the Privacy Act and the NVETR Act, to collect, use and disclose your personal information to fulfil specified functions and activities. For more information about how the DESE will handle your personal information, please refer to the DESE VET Privacy Notice at https://www.dese.gov.au/national-vet-data/vet-privacy-notice.

Surveys
You may receive a student survey which may be run by a government department or an NCVER employee, agent, third-party contractor or another authorised agency. Please note you may opt out of the survey at the time of being contacted.

Contact information
At any time, you may contact Southpac to:
• request access to your personal information
• correct your personal information
• make a complaint about how your personal information has been handled
• ask a question about this Privacy Notice

Participants Privacy

Southpac collects personal information during the enrolment, training and assessment process.

All records are kept in accordance with Southpac’s Privacy Policy and all personal information held by Southpac is relevant, accurate and stored securely with restricted access.

Where the training is funded by the employer and is a requirement of your employment, Southpac will provide a copy of the attendance or assessment results at the completion of your training, if requested. If you have any concerns, please see your trainer.

Participants may access their personal information held by Southpac upon request. Access by a third party will only be granted when the participant has completed a consent form and ID of the requesting party has been confirmed.

For detailed information on our Privacy Policy, please refer to Southpac Policy 3 – Privacy available on our website.

Various forms of media, which can include photographs and videos, may be taken during our courses and be used by Southpac for promotional material. Please let the Southpac team know if you do not want to be included in these.

Consumer Rights

As a consumer you are protected by Australia’s national consumer law under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. Our business supplies services that are guaranteed under the Act, including a guarantee that our services will be: (1) provided with acceptable care and skill or technical knowledge and taking all necessary steps to avoid loss and damage; (2) fit for the purpose or give the results that you and the business had agreed to; and (3) delivered within a reasonable time when there is no agreed end date. If you deem our services fail to meet one of these guarantees you have a right to seek a remedy. No ‘cooling-off’ period applies to our products and services since we do not employ telemarketing or door-to-door sales. (A cooling-off period is a safeguard designed to give consumers the opportunity to change their minds about a purchase or agreement they have made. You have a right to a cooling-off period when you purchase goods or services through telemarketing or door-to-door sales.) For further information on your rights under this legislation please visit the ACCC website at www.accc.gov.au.

Force Majeure

Neither party will be liable for any failure to carry out any provision of this Agreement if the failure was caused by circumstances beyond its control, including, but not limited to, acts of God, fire, accident, pandemic, interruptions to energy supplied, strike, riot, civil commotion or war whether declared or not (Force Majeure Event). The parties must do all things reasonably necessary to mitigate the effect of the Force Majeure Event on the performance of its obligations.

Continuous Improvement

Southpac is dedicated to providing a high standard of service, complying with relevant legislation and finding new ways to improve the level and quality of service offered to clients. To achieve this Southpac has an ISO 9001 certified quality management system for managing and monitoring all training operations, identifying opportunities for improvement and reviewing participant/client satisfaction and acting of these recommendations.