VET FEE-HELP quarterly newsletter
The January 2012 VET provider newsletter is now available
Approved VET provider training
DEEWR will provide training to representatives of approved VET providers on the administration of the VET FEE-HELP Scheme.
The training is broken into two sessions (please click on links for overviews):
The following table outlines the dates and venues of the next VET FEE-HELP policy training:
*Please note that the sessions in Brisbane and Melbourne in March 2012 have been cancelled due to low participant numbers.
| Sydney |
14 March 2012 |
9:00 am - 12:30 pm |
Radisson Hotel and Suites Sydney
72 Liverpool St
Darling Harbour |
7 March 2012 |
| Canberra |
20 March 2012 |
9:30 am - 1:00 pm |
50 Marcus Clarke Street
Canberra |
13 March 2012 |
The following table outlines the dates and venues of the next VET FEE-HELP HEPCAT training:
| Sydney |
14 March 2012 |
1:00 pm - 3:30 pm |
Radisson Hotel and Suites Sydney
72 Liverpool St
Darling Harbour |
7 March 2012 |
| Canberra |
20 March 2012 |
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm |
50 Marcus Clarke Street
Canberra |
13 March 2012 |
Your organisation may nominate up to 3 representatives to attend this training. Please e-mail TSEnquiries@deewr.gov.au with:
- the names and contact details (phone and e-mail addresses) of your organisations representatives;
- the session they would like to attend (eg HEPCAT or Policy and relevant dates); and
- any special dietary requirements attendees may have.
If you have any specific questions in relation to the training please forward to TSEnquiries@deewr.gov.au.
Dates for the diary
Training dates and locations
You can register for the next available training day in a location near you by emailing TSEnquiries@deewr.gov.au.
The dates for the diary table is currently being updated.
Student eligibility
A student is entitled to VET FEE-HELP assistance if they:
- are Australian citizens or permanent humanitarian visa holders,
- are full fee-paying* students enrolled on or before the census date in an eligible unit of study through an approved VET provider and remains enrolled in the unit at the end of the census date, and
- have not exceeded the FEE-HELP limit
* Some state government subsidised students may be eligible for VET FEE-HELP assistance. Refer to Information for Approved VET Providers in Victoria page for more information.
It is a providers responsibility to determine student eligibility. DIAC can provide additional information on visas, including permanent humanitarian visas. Visit the DIAC website at www.immi.gov.au or call 13 18 81 for further information.
Forms and information booklets for students
Once your application has been approved, you will be asked to provide the department with a contact person who will be sent an initial order of VET FEE-HELP marketing material which includes student forms, information booklets, brochures and posters. If you do not receive these publications, email TSEnquiries@deewr.gov.au.
The VET FEE-HELP Information booklet is designed to assist students to understand VET FEE-HELP, and their rights and responsibilities when accessing VET FEE-HELP assistance.
Students must read the booklet before they sign and submit the Request for VET FEE-HELP assistance form. By signing the form a student is declaring they have read the booklet and are aware of their obligations under VET FEE-HELP. Students only sign one form per course not for each unit of study. The information in this booklet is valid for 2012 only. A copy should be kept for reference for this period.
Advertising VET FEE-HELP
After you receive your notice of approval under HESA, you will be sent a marketing kit which provides guidance in relation to the promotion of VET FEE-HELP.
The brochure and poster are the preferred VET FEE-HELP promotional material for approved VET providers to use for events such as open days and information sessions. These are sent to you in the initial order of marketing material you are sent. Additional requests for orders for the brochure and poster can be sent to TSEnquiries@deewr.gov.au.
Allocating CHESSNs
Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Numbers (CHESSNs) can be allocated and viewed by providers through the VITS. Providers can enter student details to locate an existing CHESSN or they can enter the details to have a CHESSN allocated.
Offering VET FEE-HELP for additional courses
After you have been approved as a VET provider you wish to offer VET FEE-HELP assistance for any additional courses you must first notify DEEWR by submitting the additional course information via your VITS account and providing via fax 02 6276 7770 or email TSEnquiries@deewr.gov.au :
- a copy of your Credit Transfer Arrangement (where applicable), AND
- an amended Tuition Assurance Arrangement, AND
- an amended Statement of VET Tuition Assurance.
You will follow the same procedure in submitting a course or courses as you did when you first applied to become an approved VET provider. Once you have been notified by DEEWR that your course(s) have been approved, a new schedule of VET Tuition Fees will need to be supplied to DEEWR and published to students.
Census dates
A census date for a unit of study is the closing date for a student to apply for VET FEE-HELP assistance and the date a student incurs a VET FEE-HELP debt (the tuition fees) for the unit undertaken. The census date is set by the VET provider for each unit of study it provides or intends to provide during a year and can be no earlier than 20 per cent of the way through a unit of study. The period of time during which the unit of study is undertaken should include any normal study breaks, assessment or examination periods (except supplementary examinations as these are not normally undertaken by all the students in the unit of study). If a provider does not know the date for the final examination for a unit, the last day of the examination period is to be used as the end of the study period. If a unit does not include a final examination, an examination period should not be included.
Equivalent Full-Time Student Loads (EFTSL)
EFTSL is an equivalent full-time student load that is used in data reporting via HEPCAT and payment estimates. It is a measure of the study load, for a year, of a student undertaking a course of study. A typical full-time student would have an EFTSL of 1.0 (or above 1.0 under certain accelerated pathways: this is an exception rather than the rule). A part-time student undertaking part of the full-time student load would incur an EFTSL less than 1.0 such as an EFTSL for a student undertaking half of the full-time student load of 0.5, quarter of the full-time student load of 0.25 and so on.
The EFTSL value of a unit of study is determined by calculating the unit’s proportion of the annual standard full-time study load as specified by the provider in that course of study. Examples of how to calculate EFTSL can be found in Section 1.13.3 of the VET Provider Handbook.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
RPL for the purposes of the VET FEE-HELP Assistance Scheme, is defined as the acknowledgement of a person's skills and knowledge acquired through previous training, work or life experience, which may be used to grant status or credit in a VET unit of study.
The granting of status or credit by an institution or training organisation to students for existing qualifications or units of competency completed or previously formally recognised at the same or another institution or training organisation does not constitute RPL under the VET FEE-HELP Assistance Scheme.
Ongoing Financial Viability Requirements
Approved VET providers must submit each year to the Department audited financial statements and other financial information. The requirements for this annual submission are set out in the VET FEE-HELP Financial Viability Instructions – for Approved VET Providers.