PSF Statement of VET Tuition Assurance 2020

Protection of your Student Fees:

Pre-Paid Students Only (excludes instalments and Smart and Skilled Students)

 

Tuition assurance protects students in the event a course offered by an RTO ceases to be provided, after it starts but before it is completed. Affected students are offered a replacement course with another provider and where this is not possible, the students’ fees for the portion of the course not completed are refunded less $1,500.

 

This policy applies to Pearsons students that pay the Student Fees  PRE-PAID or UPFRONT ONLY. Students that pay via Instalments are not affected as the amount they prepay at any one time does not exceed $1,500.

 

1. Pearsons School of Floristry ABN: 60 093 843 406 must comply with the VET Tuition Assurance requirements. This is to protect students in the event we cease to provide a VET course of study in which a student is enrolled.

 

2. These requirements are covered under Schedule 1A to the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (the Act) and chapter 3 of the VET Guidelines 2015 (the VET Guidelines). The meaning of ‘ceasing to provide a VET course of study’ is set out in the VET Guidelines which are available on the Com Law website.

 

3. In the event we cease to provide a VET course of study in which a student is enrolled, the student is entitled to a choice of:

 

1. an offer of a place in a similar VET course of study with a second provider without any requirement to pay the second provider any tuition fee for any replacement VET units (this is known as the ‘VET Course Assurance Option’)

OR

 

500. a refund of the unused portion of the students’ prepaid fees in excess of $1500 i.e. if you have completed 2/3’s of the training you would be due a refund for the classes not attended less 1,500.

 

4. A student may choose either:

 

1. a) the VET Course Assurance Option
2. b) the VET Tuition Fee Repayment Option

 

These options are explained below.

 

 

The VET Course Assurance Option

 

5. Under the VET course assurance option, a student will be offered a place in a similar VET course of study by the TAS Administrator. If the student accepts this option, the TAS Administrator will make all necessary arrangements to ensure the student is able to enrol with the second provider in a similar VET course of study. This offered VET course will lead to the same or a comparable qualification without any requirement on the part of the student to pay the second provider any tuition fee for any replacement VET units (that is, units that the student had commenced but not completed because the VET course ceased to be offered). A student will receive full credit from the second provider for any VET units of study successfully completed with the first provider.

 

6. The second provider nominated by the TAS Administrator may have different tuition fees to the fees the student would have paid for VET units of study that were part of the VET course of study we ceased to provide but which the student had not yet started studying.

 

7. A student is not obliged to enrol in a VET course of study with a second provider offered by the TAS Administrator under the VET Course Assurance Option. However, if the student enrols with any other VET provider there is no obligation on that VET provider to offer full credit transfer for the VET units of study completed with the first provider or to offer replacement VET unit/s free of charge.

 

 

The VET Tuition Fee Repayment Option

 

8. Under the VET Tuition Fee Repayment Option, the TAS Administrator undertakes to pay the student the total of any up-front payments already paid by the student for any VET units of study the student has commenced but not completed because the VET course ceased to be offered.

 

 

Publication

The method this Statement of VET Tuition Assurance will be made public to students will be on our website at www.pearsonschool.com.au. Students will be advised where the Statement of VET Tuition Assurance may be obtained as part of our enrolment information.

 

What happens if Pearsons School of Floristry ceases to provide a course after it starts but before it is completed?

 

Pearsons School of Floristry P/L will:

 

9. Notify affected students in writing and within 2 business days that the approved course is no longer available.
10. Hold a meeting with the students and the tuition assurance scheme operator for the course at the location where the course was primarily delivered. This will be held within 7 days of notifying the students.
11. Update its website to reflect that the course is no longer being delivered and to give students information about the tuition assurance arrangements.
12. As soon as practicable after receiving notice our appointed representative will work with affected students to identify a replacement course and arrange for students to be placed with replacement providers.
13. Replacement courses must meet the following requirements:
    1. the course must lead to the same or comparable qualification as the original course;
    2. the mode of delivery of the replacement course must be the same as or, with the student’s consent, similar to the mode of delivery for the original course;
    3. the location of the replacement course must be reasonable, having regard to the costs of, and the time required for a student’s travel; and
    4. the student will not incur additional fees that are unreasonable and will be able to attend the replacement course without unreasonable impacts on the student’s prior commitments.

 

14. Affected students will be offered a replacement course and may seek a review about whether the course offered to them meets the requirements for replacement courses.

 

15. A student who accepts the replacement course offered will not be required to pay the replacement provider for the replacement components of the replacement course. However, the fees payable for the remainder of the replacement course may be different from the fees payable for the original course.

 

16. A student who accepts the replacement course offered will also receive course credits for parts of the original course successfully completed by the student, as evidenced by:
    1. a copy of a statement of attainment or
    2. a copy of an authenticated VET transcript issued by the Student Identifiers registrar.

 

17. Each affected student will have a period of six (6) months in which to accept the replacement course offer.

 

18. If an affected student enrols in a course that is not a replacement course, the student may be required to pay additional tuition fees, and might not receive the course credits the student would have received if the student had enrolled in a replacement course.

 

19. Where there is no suitable replacement course for a student, the student fees for the portion of the course not completed are refunded less $1,500.

 

20. For tuition fees paid up-front greater than $1500, Pearsons School of Floristry P/L has in place tuition assurance through a BANK GUARANTEE held in trust by

                        EDNEY RYAN Pty Ltd               Level 2/357 Military Rd, Mosman NSW 2088

                        02 9908 9888                          Contact:           Evelyn Christian

 

21. For tuition fees paid up-front below $1500, students should be aware that there is no formal protection in place and students will be responsible to seek a refund for these fees directly from Pearsons School of Floristry P/L

 

22. If the provider is under external administration, this may require the student submitting a proof of debt with the external administrator.

 

23. It is suggested best practice for students to retain assessments, records of competencies or statements of attainment that they receive from their education provider.