TSA Candidate Handbook
TSA Candidate Handbook
HANDBOOK
Trade Skills Australia requires each candidate to read and understand the information contained in this
Candidate Handbook prior to enrolment or commencement of our assessment processes.
For any concerns, questions or clarifications please contact Trade Skills Australia at:
Address: 2a, 969 Abernethy Road, high Wycombe WA, 6057
Email: [email protected]
This Candidate Handbook has been designed to brief Trade Skills Australia candidates on relevant information
in relation to their course, enabling candidates to make informed decisions. Candidates are able to contact Trade
Skills Australia’s candidate support team regarding any clarification to the information contained in this
handbook.
Mission Statement
It is the main mission of Trade Skills Australia to provide excellent and intensive skills assessment services to
non-qualified but skilled workers in the engineering space, both nationally and internationally, to help them gain
better employment opportunities within Australia.
Founded by real Australian tradespeople for other tradespeople, Trade Skills Australia believes in delivering
good old fashioned no-nonsense genuine service to our clients. In keeping with this, Trade Skills Australia aims
to provide our clients with a clearer and faster way to earn their engineering qualifications via a more practical
and holistic RPL assessment process that only we as an industry expert-driven and professional company can
deliver.
Vision Statement
First and foremost, it is the primary aspiration of Trade Skills Australia to establish itself as the industry
benchmark for delivering the most relevant, compliant, highest standard, of service for quality assessing in our
very own sector of the VET industry. That being said, our organisation accordingly aims to achieve this goal by
primarily letting the superior quality of our service and work speak for itself. As such, Trade Skills Australia will
always strive to be the best at what we do at all times.
On a separate note, in addition to our organisation’s main vision mentioned above, Trade Skills Australia also
seeks to fulfil the current skill shortages in the Australian workforce by delivering genuine and intensive skills
assessment services to non-qualified but skilled workers in the engineering industry, both living within and
outside of Australia. As an organisation, it is one of the highest objectives of Trade Skills Australia to assist
international engineers in giving them a viable migration pathway to our country through skills assessment and
accreditation.
As a registered training organisation (RTO) in the vocational education and training (VET) sector, Trade Skills
Australia offers the following nationally recognised qualifications and nationally accredited qualifications
including:
For more information on the courses Trade Skills Australia has on offer, please refer to our website:
http://tradeskillsaustralia.com.au/
Candidate Support
Candidates completing an RPL certification program will be supported by Trade Skills Australia’s Candidate
Support Team. Our knowledgeable team will work with you to help you achieve success in your chosen field.
Support will include but is not limited to any disability or impairment that restricts access and equity as well as
pre-screening information obtained from candidates prior to enrolment and prior to the commencement of
their first unit of competency.
Educational and support services may include, but are not limited to:
1. equipment, resources and/or programs to increase access for candidates with disabilities and other
candidates in accordance with access and equity;
Assessors
Your RPL assessors will be qualified industry professionals, ready to guide you through your RPL application.
Their feedback and guidance will ensure that you are fully informed of the required RPL evidence and assessment
you need to prove competency in your chosen industry.
3. current knowledge and skills in vocational training and learning that informs their assessment.
Candidate Selection
Trade Skills Australia conducts recruitment of candidates at all times in an ethical, fair and responsible manner
using various methods.
Trade Skills Australia is committed to ensuring that all candidate selection processes are fair, equitable and
consistent with workplace performance, competency level and the training package requirements. Therefore,
selection into the program is based upon the applicant:
Trade Skills Australia shall ensure that any applicants who do not meet entry requirements are advised of any
appropriate pre-entry training they may take to meet eligibility criteria.
Enrolment
While Trade Skills Australia will endeavour to complete the enrolment process as quickly as possible, please
allow up to 5 business days from confirmation of your payment for enrolment.
Candidates will first provide sufficient evidence to Our Administration team for review. Once sufficient evidence
has been provided an Assessor will be assigned to perform a free pre-enrolment evidence review and may
contact you by email, text or phone if they need to verify units selected in the self-assessment questionnaire.
After the pre-enrolment review is complete, the assessor will inform the administration team if the candidate is
suitable for RPL and Skills Assessment and whether to accept the candidates application.
A candidate will be considered enrolled once the application has been accepted and they have received the
Exemptions to the USI requirements may apply including for international candidates studying onshore and
outside of Australia. For any candidate exempt from supplying a USI, completion results and records will not be
available through the Commonwealth Registrar. The Company can use the following links to search for or create
USIs (ONLY with candidate permission):
• http://usi.gov.au/Pages/default.aspx
• https://portal.usi.gov.au/org/
Trade Skills Australia assesses candidates to fulfill the RPL certification requirements of their chosen field.
The following guidelines will help foster a healthy learning and assessment environment for all candidates.
As a candidate at Trade Skills Australia, you will be providing proof-of-work to be RPL certified. Note that hours
are flexible as RPL certification may require evidences and assessments that can be gathered and conducted at
anytime.
Assessors are also able to provide guidance by phone and email. Help and support is only a phone call or email
away:
Email: [email protected]
Trade Skills Australia conducts a free pre-enrolment review to assess if the candidate is suitable for RPL and
Skills Assessment. The pre-enrolment review will determine what RPL certification the candidate can enrol in
and Trade Skills Australia will ensure that identified support needs are managed.
Candidate support may include but is not limited to any disability or impairment that restricts access and equity
and computer literacy.
• equipment, resources and/or programs to increase access for candidates with disabilities and
other candidates in accordance with access and equity;
Where appropriate, Trade Skills Australia will seek external assistance to ensure additional support services are
available. You will be informed in case additional costs may be incurred to arrange access to external additional
support services.
Trade Skills Australia will help you apply for credit transfer and/or recognition of prior learning (RPL) as long as
sufficient evidence is provided and technical assessments are accomplished as required. To learn more about
credit transfer and recognition of prior learning, please refer to the RPL and Credit Transfer Policy located in the
Policies and Procedures section of the handbook.
For further information on how to apply for credit transfer and RPL you can contact Trade Skills Australia’s
candidate support team.
Assessment Requirements
Candidates are advised to keep a copy of their evidence or workplace portfolios prior to submitting these online.
Trade Skills Australia will not be responsible for lost assessment tasks.
Please note: Candidates will have to submit evidence again if their evidence goes missing and therefore it is
important to keep a copy of their original evidence or workplace portfolios.
Assessment malpractice
Assessment malpractice include: cheating, collusion and plagiarism.
Trade Skills Australia regards the integrity of assessment as critical to its professional responsibilities as an RTO
and therefore strives to ensure the assessment processes are not compromised. Trade Skills Australia has
policies and procedures in place for dealing with assessment malpractice.
What is cheating?
Cheating within the context of the study environment, means to dishonestly present any evidence or workplace
portfolio as genuinely representing your own understanding of and/or ability in the subject concerned.
There are other forms of cheating not contained in this list. These are merely given as some examples. If you
are unsure about whether any particular behaviour would constitute plagiarism or cheating, please check
with your assessor prior to submitting your assessment work.
What is Collusion?
Collusion is the presentation of work, which is the result in whole or in part of unauthorised collaboration with
another person or persons. It is your responsibility to ensure that other candidates do not have opportunity to
copy your work.
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is a form of cheating and includes presenting another person's or organisation’s ideas or
expressions as your own. This includes, however is not limited to: copying written works such as books or
journals, data or images, tables, diagrams, designs, plans, photographs, film, music, formulae, web sites and
computer programs.
3. If the Assessment Manager’s investigation confirms that you have engaged in cheating or
plagiarism you will be advised of one of the following consequences:
• If it is determined that your offence committed is minor or unintentional, you will be asked to
resubmit your evidence and be given a formal warning in writing by Trade Skills Australia’s
Assessment Manager; OR
• If it is determined that your offence committed is of a serious and intentional nature you will
be un-enrolled in the qualification immediately and have to re-enrol if you wish to complete
the qualification. Your result for the qualification and all units of competency will be recorded
as RPL Not Granted. A cheating/plagiarism note will also be recorded against your candidate
4. If the conduct is repeated or if the initial conduct is of a very serious nature (as determined by
the Assessment Manager), such as knowingly falsifying evidence, the candidate’s enrolment may
be terminated. In cases of termination, all fees paid will be non-refundable.
Code of Conduct
All Trade Skills Australia participants are expected to take responsibility for their own learning and behaviour
during assessment. Any breach of discipline will result in the participant being given a ‘written warning’. Further
breach will result in a participant being asked to ‘show cause’ as to why they should not be excluded from further
participation in the program. A third breach will result in instant dismissal. Where a breach is deemed as of a
serious nature, as determined by the Assessment Manager, the candidate’s enrolment may be terminated. In
instances of dismissal and termination of enrolment, all fees paid will be non-refundable.
Discrimination
Discrimination means treating a person less favourably than another because of a personal attribute that they
may have. Under State and Federal equal opportunity laws, discrimination based on attributes is unlawful. The
attributes that can initiate a discrimination claim include:
• Gender
• Age
• Race
Physical Assault/Abuse
Physical abuse is an act of another party involving contact intended to cause feelings of physical pain, injury, or
other physical suffering or bodily harm. Physical abuse will not be tolerated in any shape or form and any
instances of physical abuse will result in instant termination of the candidate’s enrolment.
All testamurs will be emailed to the candidate’s email address and hard copies posted to the mailing address
provided by the candidate or their allocated agent or employer.
As a matter of quality assurance and continuous improvement, Trade Skills Australia relies heavily on the
feedback from candidates. Trade Skills Australia requires all candidates to complete various feedback and
evaluation forms.
At the end of the assessment, candidates will be asked to provide feedback by completing a Candidate
Questionnaire and Course Feedback Form. Candidate Questionnaires may also be emailed to a candidate.
Participation in the survey is highly valued, but voluntary. Trade Skills Australia will fully protect the candidate’s
anonymity and the confidentiality of the candidate’s response within the limits of the law.
All assessments provided by Trade Skills Australia are registered under nationally endorsed training packages.
These assessments are competency based and can be proven by way of:
• Employment evidence
• Pay evidence
• Training evidence
• Workplace evidence
• Trade test evidence
• Assessment records
• Declaration forms your employer, and/or
• A copy of your candidate records provided by ASQA.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment process that assesses the competency/s of an individual
that may have been acquired through formal, non-formal and informal learning to determine the extent to
which that individual meets the requirements specified in the training package or VET accredited courses.
formal learning refers to learning that takes place through a structured program of instruction and
is linked to the attainment of an AQF qualification or statement of attainment (for example, a
certificate, diploma or university degree);
non-formal learning refers to learning that takes place through a structured program of instruction,
but does not lead to the attainment of an AQF qualification or statement of attainment (for
example, in-house professional development programs conducted by a business); and
informal learning refers to learning that results through experience of work-related, social, family,
hobby or leisure activities (for example the acquisition of interpersonal skills developed through
several years as a sales representative).
Recognition therefore determines the subsequent advanced standing to which the candidate is entitled in
relation to a course/qualification. The main focus of recognition is what has been learned rather than how,
where or when it was learned. Recognition focuses on both the demonstration of competence and the currency
of that competence to industry standards.
Trade Skills Australia believes that no candidate should be required to undertake a unit of competency for which
they are already able to demonstrate satisfactory achievement of the performance outcomes, as stated in the
endorsed training package or nationally recognised course.
Trade Skills Australia aims to maximise the recognition of a candidate’s prior skills and knowledge whilst at all
times maintaining the integrity and standards of the defined learning outcomes of the specific qualification or
course of study. Candidates who consider they already possess the competencies identified in all or part of any
course/qualification offered by Trade Skills Australia may seek recognition.
Pre-Enrolment Review
Aspiring candidates need to contact Trade Skills Australia by website, email or via phone and obtain the RPL
enrolment and evidence collection documents. Once obtained they need to submit sufficient employment,
pay and our training evidence to demonstrate a minimum of 5 years’ time in their trade.
Once the evidence and enrolment documents have been received an Assessor is assigned to perform the
pre-enrolment evidence review to evaluate if the candidate is suitable for an RPL.
The outcome of the pre-enrolment review will determine if the prospective candidate’s application for
enrolment will be accepted by Trade Skills Australia.
Evidence is the material proof that you have performed the specified competency or task to the required
standard. Your evidence and assessments will determine the certificate you receive to reflect Unit of
Competency, employability skill requirements, industry expectations, government regulations, and your
qualifications and current experience. Evidence can take many forms and you will be required to present more
than just one piece of evidence.
The candidate will need to demonstrate competence to the assessor(s), including provision of certification
documents. Competency may be derived from many sources, including but is not limited to:
Work experiences
Work product
Life experiences
Training offered by industry, private or community-based providers which may or may not have
been formally recognised
Training undertaken overseas
Informal learning programs
Certification from another RTO
Trade Skills Australia requires RPL candidates to submit evidence documents such as:
Employment evidence
- Contracts of employment
- Position descriptions/ duties
- Employment certificates/ letters
- Employment IDs
- Employment Statements
- Employment History/Resume
It is important to note, the onus is on the candidate to present evidence and demonstrate pre-existing
competence to justify a claim for recognition and present their case to the satisfaction of the assessor.
Regardless of the type of evidence that you submit, Assessors must be confident that the evidence meets the
following criteria:
The recognition process may include the necessity to provide evidence that demonstrates the application of
skills. Where it is identified that this is required to assist the assessor in their judgement of competency, videos
or pictures of proof-of-work can be sent to Trade Skills Australia using workplace portfolios selected through
consultation with our Assessor.
Any documents you provide to support your claim of competency can be submitted via email, file share or direct
upload into our SMS/LMS. This will be kept in your candidate record for documentation. It is also expected that
any evidence submitted is your own and if any part of the work is the work of others, that this is formally
acknowledged and advised.
Assessment
Assessment is defined as the process of collecting evidence and making judgments on the nature and extent of
progress towards the performance requirement set out in a (competency) standard, or learning outcome, and,
at the appropriate point, making a judgment as to whether competency has been achieved’.
The RPL assessment decision will comply with the Principles of Assessment and Rules of Evidence as outlined
in the SRTOs 2015 and the requirements of the relevant Training Package and VET accredited course.
In simple terms, assessment is the process of collecting evidence and making judgments on whether competency
has been achieved. In order to be assessed as ‘Competent (C)’, you will need to provide evidence which
demonstrates that you have the essential knowledge and skills to successfully complete the relevant unit to the
required standard. Competency is simply about demonstrating that you can do the task with confidence to the
required industry standard as endorsed by the training package or VET accredited Course.
An assessment of ‘Not Yet Competent (NYC)’ is not a failing mark. It is simply a request for more information or
further confirmation of the knowledge and skills required. Our assessors will provide feedback to guide your
resubmission and are available for contact if required. A candidate will have unlimited tries for submission of
evidence and technical assessment provided the assessor can authenticate the submitted proof. If this is not
possible, the candidate will fail the assessment.
To be eligible for the qualification, the candidate must provide sufficient evidence and pass the technical
assessment.
• assessing competencies held by the candidate no matter how or where they have been
acquired; and
• drawing from a range of assessment methods and using those that are appropriate to the
context, the unit of competency and associated assessment requirements, and the
individual.
Validity Any assessment decision of the RTO is justified, based on the evidence of performance of the
individual candidate.
Validity requires:
• assessment against the unit/s of competency and the associated assessment requirements
covers the broad range of skills and knowledge that are essential to competent
performance;
Reliability Evidence presented for assessment is consistently interpreted and assessment results are
comparable irrespective of the assessor conducting the assessment.
Validity The assessor is assured that the candidate has the skills, knowledge and attributes as described
in the module or unit of competency and associated assessment requirements.
Sufficiency The assessor is assured that the quality, quantity and relevance of the assessment evidence
enables a judgement to be made of a candidate’s competency.
Authenticity The assessor is assured that the evidence presented for assessment is the candidate’s own
work.
Currency The assessor is assured that the assessment evidence demonstrates current competency. This
requires the assessment evidence to be from the present or the very recent past.
Assessment Results
Results of assessment are provided to candidates as soon as practicable. These results are available through
your candidate login account. Assessment results are always confidential and will not be given to any other
party unless a written request signed by the candidate is received in advance.
Reasonable Adjustment
Candidates with disabilities or learning difficulties are encouraged to discuss with Trade Skills Australia any
‘reasonable adjustment’ to our assessment processes which they consider necessary.
Careful consideration will be given to any requests for reasonable adjustment of this nature, and, where
reasonably practicable, such adjustments will be made. There may however be circumstances where it will not
be reasonable or reasonably practicable for Trade Skills Australia to accommodate or where other adjustment
may be more appropriate. Reasonable adjustments cannot compromise the integrity of the assessment.
Credit Transfer
Trade Skills Australia recognises the AQF qualifications and Statements of Attainment issued by other
Registered training organisations (RTOs). Where a candidate has completed a unit/s of competency prior to
enrolling with Trade Skills Australia that is included in the course in which the candidate is enrolling, the
candidate may apply for recognition. This may result in the candidate not having to complete the same unit of
competency again. This is known as credit transfer. Should you wish to seek credit transfer, contact the Trade
Skills Australia Admissions Staff for a Credit Transfer Form.
See the RPL and Credit Transfer Policy for more details.
Once a candidate has successfully completed all assessment requirements for an RPL, the candidate will be
issued with a Qualification/Testamur and an accompanying Record of Results.
For candidates who have not met all requirements and have paid relevant fees, have the right to receive
Statement of Attainment from Trade Skills Australia for the units of competency they have been deemed
competent in.
Candidates should note that they will be unable to receive their qualification or statement of attainment until
course fees are paid in their entirety.
The Qualification or Statement of Attainment will be emailed to the current email address and mailed to the
current address noted in Trade Skills Australia’s Candidate Management System. The candidate should allow 30
calendar days from the date of completion of the assessment for the issuance of your award.
Recognition Delivery
Assessment methods used by Trade Skills Australia meet specific quality requirements and are chosen to best
suit the unit of competency and qualification, while giving consideration to the past and relevant work
experience of the candidate.
The delivery method will be online/remote given that evidences can be gathered on the candidate’s own time.
This policy ensures that Trade Skills Australia has mechanisms in place to collect, analyse and act on
any support requirements that are additional to the provision of standard services. This ensures
individual candidates are provided access to the educational and support services necessary for them
to meet the requirements of the training as specified in training packages or VET accredited courses.
This policy also ensures that Trade Skills Australia determines the validity, authenticity, currency, and
sufficiency of the submitted evidence and assessment in accordance with the requirements of the
relevant qualification. Trade Skills Australia will consider each individual candidate’s existing skills,
knowledge and experience with respect to the relevant vocational competency.
POLICY PRINCIPLES
Trade Skills Australia is responsible for collecting, recording, analysing and acting on additional
support information that could adversely impact on a candidate’s ability to undertake and complete
a course.
This includes but is not limited to any disability or impairment that restricts access and equity as well
as pre-screening information obtained from candidates prior to enrolment and prior to the
commencement of their first unit of competency.
Educational and support services may include, but are not limited to:
1. equipment, resources and/or programs to increase access for candidates with disabilities and
other candidates in accordance with access and equity;
2. flexible scheduling and delivery of training and assessment;
3. counselling services or referrals to these services;
4. information and communications technology (ICT) support;
5. learning materials in alternative formats, for example, in large print;
Complaints
Trade Skills Australia supports the rights of a candidate to lodge a grievance or complaint if a candidate feels
they have been treated unfairly. Trade Skills Australia will do everything possible to address grievances or
complaints in an unbiased and professional manner. Complaints are welcomed as a means of ensuring that we
identify and overcome problems faced by candidates and provide an opportunity to improve our business and/or
the delivery of our assessment processes.
1. Trade Skills Australia recommends for candidates to first try and resolve the complaint/appeal
informally by contacting their assessor or Trade Skills Australia candidate support team at (08)
9463 0892 or via [email protected].
2. All complaints should be committed to in writing at the earliest possible opportunity and lodged
through Trade Skills Australia’s Complaints Online Form. You can access the Complaints
Lodgement Form through Trade Skills Australia’s Website. This will constitute a formal complaint
from the candidate. This should only happen once step one has been completed and where the
candidate is unhappy with the outcome of this step
3. The Lead Assessor of Trade Skills Australia is automatically notified via email each time a
Complaints and Appeals form has been submitted.
4. The Lead Assessor of Trade Skills Australia will initiate a transparent, participative process to deal
with the issues at hand.
5. Complaints are to be resolved within 10 working days of the initial application. The Lead Assessor
of Trade Skills Australia may delegate responsibility for the resolution of the complaint as
required. In all cases the final conclusion will be endorsed by Trade Skills Australia’s Lead Assessor.
6. The candidate will be advised in writing of the outcome of their complaint via email.
7. If the outcome is not to the satisfaction of the candidate, he/she may contact the Manager to
discuss their concerns.
8. All complaints will be handled as Staff-In-Confidence.
Appeals
Trade Skills Australia supports the rights of a candidate to lodge an appeal against any assessment decision and
will not impair that right in any way. Trade Skills Australia will do everything possible to address the appeal in
an unbiased and professional manner.
Any candidate wishing to appeal the assessment decision/judgment should follow the steps outlined below.
1. Trade Skills Australia recommends for candidates to first try and resolve the appeal informally by
contacting their assessor to discuss their assessment result and why they believe that the
assessor’s judgement is incorrect showing evidence of how they have addressed the assessment
criteria. Candidates may also contact the Trade Skills Australia support team at (08) 9463 0892 or
[email protected].
2. All appeals should be committed to in writing at the earliest possible opportunity, and lodged
through Trade Skills Australia’s Appeals Lodgement Form through Trade Skills Australia’s
Website. This will constitute a formal appeal from the candidate. This should only happen once
step one has been completed and where the candidate is unhappy with the outcome of this step.
4. The CEO of Trade Skills Australia is automatically notified via email each time an Appeals form has
been submitted.
5. The CEO will initiate a transparent, participative process to deal with the issues at hand.
7. The CEO of Trade Skills Australia may delegate responsibility for the resolution of the appeal as
required. In all cases the final conclusion will be endorsed by CEO.
8. The candidate will be advised in writing of the outcome of their appeal via email.
Where the candidate is unhappy with the outcome at step two, they can follow the formal appeal process
outlined below:
• The candidate has the right to request a review of the appeal by an independent party.
• The candidate will be responsible for the costs of the independent review.
• Trade Skills Australia reserves the right to nominate or agree to the independent party and will
cooperate fully with this independent review.
• Trade Skills Australia will aim to complete this appeal process as quickly as possible and within a total
of 30 days. Where an appeal will take more than 60 days to be resolved, the RTO will advise and inform
the appellant in writing. Trade Skills Australia will keep the candidate informed of the progress of the
appeal throughout the process.
The nationally recognised training courses delivered by Trade Skills Australia may be superseded by a new
training package qualification. If required, Trade Skills Australia will apply to add the replacement training
package qualification to its scope as soon as practicable but no later than 12 months from the date of
publication of the replacement qualification on the national register.
Trade Skills Australia will manage the transition of candidates to the updated course as soon as is practicable,
but no later than 12 months from the date of publication of the replacement qualification on the national
register. There may or may not be a fee payable to transition to the updated course.
All candidate records are subject to Trade Skills Australia’s Privacy Policy. However, candidates may reasonably
access their files by notifying Trade Skills Australia. Trade Skills Australia will endeavour to give candidates
prompt access to their own files where reasonable notice is given.
Trade Skills Australia will provide candidates with timely access to their participation and progress throughout
our assessment process.
Procedure
• Candidates are able to view assessor feedback and the list of completed units via the candidate
portal. For any other requests on their course progress candidates are to contact candidate
support by [email protected]. Candidates must list their full name, date of
birth, address, course enrolled and Candidate ID.
• Alternatively, candidates can send a written request to: 2a Abernethy Road, High Wycombe, WA
6057
• Candidates will receive notification that the request has been received and may be contacted by
Trade Skills Australia to obtain further information.
• Trade Skills Australia will issue a letter of confirmation outlining candidate results for the course
within 7 working days of receiving the request. Candidates will receive this information by email.
Records of results, qualifications and Statements of Attainment for candidates currently enrolled are stored in
individual candidate files. Electronic files are kept up to date and backed up regularly, with the backup copy
being kept in a secure location. All candidate records are stored for retention archiving and retrieval for a period
of 30 years.
Trade Skills Australia retains all rights to assignments, tests, exams, projects and assessments. All soft copies of
assessments submitted are retained via the Trade Skills Australia Dropbox. All assessments will be kept for a
period of 6 months from the date on which the judgement of competence for the candidate was made as
outlined in ASQA’s General Direction: Retention requirements for completed candidate assessment items.
Trade Skills Australia has developed a fair and equitable process for determining refunds and payment options.
The ‘Agreement Date’ is defined as the date the terms and conditions that were agreed upon at the time the
candidate submitted their enrolment information along with their evidence for RPL.
Failed Assessment
A candidate can fail the assessment if the assessor cannot authenticate the submitted evidence. No refunds will
be given for such cases.
This refund policy does not remove your right to take further action under Australia’s consumer protection laws.
Special Consideration
Trade Skills Australia understands that some candidates may experience prolonged difficulties in providing
documents for evidence. The RTO will accommodate unlimited submission of evidences provided the assessor
can authenticate the submitted proof and will only require the candidate to pay the final 50% of the course fee
upon completion of the RPL assessment and prior the issuance of the certification documentation.
Superseded courses
If a RPL certification offered by Trade Skills Australia gets superseded, all candidates enrolled there will be given
an option to complete the previous version or move to the updated one. If a candidate chooses to move to the
updated certification, the RTO will first assess if additional evidence of competency and fees are required to
accommodate the changes. Changes could include, but not limited to:
• Additional hours;
• Additional equipment;
• Additional assessment;
Trade Skills Australia will inform the affected candidates of the changes.
Exceptions
In the unlikely event that Trade Skills Australia is unable to deliver your RPL/SOA in full, however in the event
that this occurs:
• you will be offered a refund for the part of your course that has not been assessed
• The refund will be paid to you within two weeks of the date on which the course ceased being provided
• Alternatively, you may be offered enrolment in a suitable alternative course at GCA at no additional
cost to you. You have the right to choose whether you would prefer refund for the part of your course
that has not been assessed or to accept a place in another course.
Privacy Policy
Trade Skills Australia will follow the Australian Privacy Principles in the management of all candidates and staff
information, however allowing access as to all information as required by relevant National and State Training
Authorities for the purpose of monitoring and/or auditing Trade Skills Australia’s operations as an RTO.
Under the Data Provision Requirements 2012, Trade Skills Australia is required to collect personal information
about you and to disclose that personal information to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research
Ltd (NCVER).
Your personal information (including the personal information contained on this enrolment form), may be used
or disclosed by Trade Skills Australia for statistical, administrative, regulatory and research purposes. Trade
Skills Australia may disclose your personal information for these purposes to:
• Commonwealth and State or Territory government departments and authorised agencies; and
• NCVER.
Personal information that has been disclosed to NCVER may be used or disclosed by NCVER for the following
purposes:
• populating authenticated VET transcripts;
• facilitating statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage;
• pre-populating RTO candidate enrolment forms;
Trade Skills Australia is committed to providing a safe and healthy learning and work environment. The safety
of our candidates and staff is of primary importance in all activities and operations of our organisation. We are
committed to implementing, maintaining and continuously improving work health and safety in all of our
facilities and operations.
Trade Skills Australia encourages all persons to regard accident prevention and safety as a collective and
individual responsibility.
Trade Skills Australia recognises its responsibility under the Workplace Health and Safety and related
regulations. The CEO has responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of staff, candidates, contractors and
visitors. This includes:
1. provide and maintain safe plant, equipment and systems of work.
2. provide, monitor and maintain systems for safe use, handling, storage and transportation of plant,
equipment and substances.
3. maintain the workplace in a safe and healthy condition.
4. provide adequate facilities to protect the welfare of all employees.
5. provide information, training and supervision for all staff and contractors, helping them to integrate
WHS into their work areas and roles.
6. provide information, where relevant, to candidates, allowing them to learn in a safe manner.
7. check WHS system compliance via ongoing auditing.
8. integrate continuous improvement into WHS performance.