Frequently Asked Questions

Transcription

1 Skilled Capital Frequently Asked Questions Training and Tertiary Education ACT Education and Training Directorate 220 Northbourne Avenue BRADDON ACT 2612 GPO Box 158 CANBERRA ACT Phone: (02) Published 11 August

2 1.0 Skilled Capital Initiative 1.1 How much funding is available for each RTO under Skilled Capital? The funding available to each RTO will depend on the caps applied to the qualifications delivered (Application Guidelines Section and Section 9.4), the training place limit applied to the RTO (Application Guidelines Section 9.4), any foundations skills, loadings and additional support delivered (Application Guidelines Section 3.3.1, Section 3.4 and Section 3.5) and the RTO s student enrolments. 1.2 Can an RTO that does not have an ACT Funding Agreement apply to deliver training under Skilled Capital? No, to apply to become an approved Skilled Capital RTO, the RTO must hold a current ACTFA at the time of application. (Application Guidelines Section 5.1) 1.3 Can an RTO that does not have any Skilled Capital qualifications on scope apply to become an approved Skilled Capital RTO if it has applied for scope for a Skilled Capital qualification? No, to apply to become an approved Skilled Capital RTO, the RTO must have a scope of registration at the time of application submission that includes at least one qualification on the Skilled Capital Qualification List. (Application Guidelines Section 5.1) 1.4 The RTO does not have any foundation skills qualifications on scope. How can it provide foundation skills support? Skilled Capital RTOs must have a strategy for providing contextualised foundation skills training and/or support. RTOs are encouraged to integrate accredited foundation skills training into vocational training. RTOs may choose to sub-contract the delivery of foundation skills training to another RTO that has the approved foundation skills courses on scope and holds a current ACT Funding Agreement (ACTFA). (Application Guidelines Section 3.4). Foundation Skills support may include strategies other than accredited foundation skills training. 1.5 What amount of funding is available for the loadings, conce ssion and additional support? The funding amounts for loadings, additional support, concessions are now available in the Application Guidelines or Skilled Capital Qualification List.

3 1.6 Can foundation skills be offered as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)? No subsidy will be paid for foundation skills recorded as RPL. Foundation skills must be delivered as contextualised gap training (delivered prior to commencement of the enrolled Skilled Capital qualification) or integrated foundation skills training. Foundation Skills delivery should be based on: an analysis of the Skilled Capital qualification to identify the specific foundation skills required for students to complete successfully an appropriate initial skills assessment that identifies any foundation skills needs a student may have (Application Guidelines Section 3.4) 1.7 Can a student undertake more than one Skilled Capital qualification at a time? No, students are only subsidised for one Skilled Capital qualification at a time. (Application Guidelines Section 3.1) However, a student can enrol into a different Skilled Capital qualification following the completion or withdrawal from a previous Skilled Capital qualification, subject to student eligibility and available places. 1.8 Can a student enrol into another funded training initiative if they are accessing Skilled Capital? Yes, subject to student eligibility of the other government funded training, students can enrol in other government funded training if undertaking a Skilled Capital qualification. 1.9 What is the mandatory minimum tuition fee? The minimum mandatory tuition fee is a contribution the student must pay if studying a Skilled Capital qualification. The mandatory minimum tuition fee is paid by the student and received by the RTO. Students who are eligible for a concession may have the fee waived at the choice of the RTO. The minimum mandatory contribution is a calculated percentage on the total efficient cost of training and ensures the student has an invested interest in their training. RTOs may charge above the mandatory minimum tuition fee.

4 1.10 Why do some qualifications have no cap? All Skilled Capital qualifications expect for certificate II level qualifications have a qualification cap. Given the additional student eligibility requirements for certificate II qualifications, there are no qualification caps for certificate II level qualifications. Depending on uptake, the Directorate may still apply a cap to certificate II qualifications during the initiative Does the fact that payment comes with compliant AVETMISS file submission mean RTOs only get paid once per quarter? No, RTOs may submit AVETMISS files as often as they like. Payment will be made following the submission of compliant AVETMISS files Is the completion bonus paid out of the subsidy amount recorded in the Skilled Capital Qualification List? No, the subsidy amount will be paid in addition to the subsidy amount recorded in the Skilled Capital Qualification List Can students who withdrew from the Productivity Places Program (PPP) enrol into Skilled Capital? Yes, subject to the student meeting the student eligibility criteria and available places Is the loading for disability and indigenous paid regardless of whether any support services are provided? Yes, the additional funding is to support the particular needs of these students to maximise their chance of success in the program Is government funding available to RTOs for the development of a foundation skills strategy? No, RTOs are required to develop a foundation skills strategy at their own cost What s the difference between the ACT Skills Needs List and ACT Skilled Capital List? The ACT Skilled Capital List is a subset of the ACT Skills Needs List. The qualifications on the ACT Skilled Capital List are funded through the Skilled Capital initiative. Qualifications not on the Skilled Capital list but on the Skills Needs List are skills needs qualifications not currently selected for funding through the Skilled Capital initiative. In many cases this is because an apprenticeship/traineeship pathway is required or preferred.

5 The Skilled Capital List also includes certificate II qualifications which are pathways to other qualifications on the Skills Needs List. Specific eligibility criteria apply for students wanting to undertake a certificate II qualification subsidised under Skilled Capital.

6 2.0 Skilled Capital Application Process 2.1 Can I nominate additional qualifications after the application process? No, you can only nominate qualifications during the Skilled Capital application process. RTOs will be given the opportunity to expand their nomination with the commencement of the ACT Funding Agreement Version 2.0. For more information on ACTFA Version 2.0, please refer to the ACTFA section on the Directorate s website. 2.2 I m unable to submit my SmartForm Ensure you have completed all the required sections, macros are enabled and you are using Microsoft Excel for windows (2007 or later). If you have completed all the sections, and you are still unable to submit, please contact the Directorate on (02) I wish to appeal the decision of the Skilled Capital assessment outcome Decisions of the assessment process are final. The assessment process does not contain any provision for review or appeal. The Directorate will not enter into justification for the selection of the successful RTOs, and will not debate the evaluation process. Unsuccessful RTOs will be given a further opportunity to apply for Skilled Capital with the introduction of ACTFA version 2.0. For more information on ACTFA Version 2.0, please refer to the ACTFA section on the Directorate s website. 2.4 What if a trainer and assessor staff has both a certificate IV and Diploma in TAE? Only enter the highest qualification level for the trainer and assessor staff. For example, your organisation may have ten (10) trainer and assessor staff. Eight (8) have a certificate IV in TAE and three (3) have diploma in TAE (2 of who also hold a certificate IV). Under this examples, the RTO will enter six (6) staff who hold a certificate IV in TAE and three (3) that hold a diploma or higher. Published 11 August

7 2.5 When can I reapply for Skilled Capital? The Skilled Capital applications are time specific and not rolling. Unsuccessful providers will be given the opportunity to access Skilled Capital with the introduction of ACT Funding Agreement Version 2.0. For more information on ACTFA Version 2.0, please refer to the ACTFA section on the Directorate s website. 2.6 Can I sub-contract another RTO to deliver part/all of a qualification? The RTO may subcontract Training Services (see section 6 of the ACTFA) to another RTO that holds an ACTFA. 2.7 Do I have to provide quotes/acquit for wrap around services? Funding for wrap around services is provided to students who are identified as youth at risk and/or long-term unemployment. If an RTO attracts the loading, it must demonstrate how the loading has been used for the provision of wrap around services at audit. 2.8 My RTO cannot attend the Skilled Capital Mandatory Information Session. All approved Skilled Capital providers must attend the mandatory information session. If representatives from the RTO are unable to attend the mandatory information session due to extraordinary circumstances, prior to the information session as discussed. 2.9 Under what circumstances will the Directorate not approve qualifications nominated during the application process? The Directorate may not approve all qualifications nominated by the RTO. Reasons for not approving nominated qualifications include, but are not limited to, the RTO s past performance, information supplied during the application process and the score the RTO received during the application assessment Is there an opportunity to receive feedback on the Skilled Capital Application? Yes, all RTOs will receive a letter of determination detailing the outcome of their application. This letter of determination will also provide feedback on the RTO s application. Contact details will also be provided for RTOs seeking further feedback.

8 2.11 What are the indicators under each indicator grouping? To detail the specific indicators under each indicator grouping would be misleading and provide an oversimplification of the assessment process. The indicators, weightings and benchmarks all vary based on the characteristic of the RTO. (Application Guidelines Section 6.2) 2.12 What are the assessment benchmarks? How will I know if I meet this benchmark? The Skilled Capital assessment benchmarks follow best practice principles and employ statistical mean-variance techniques (Application Guidelines section 6.1). As such, an RTO s ability to meet the specific benchmark will depend on how they perform relative to other RTOs that apply for Skilled Capital.