Smart and Skilled Fees, Charges and Refunds Policy

SFL30115 Certificate III in Floristry 
Valid from July 2024 

NSW Smart & Skilled Program: Student Fees 

Pearsons School of Floristry will charge the designated student fees as mandated under the Smart and Skills Program. The amount individual students have to pay varies according to entitlement to concessions and if the student has previously completed a qualification since leaving school.  

Student eligibility and the student fees to be paid will be confirmed on completion of the Notification of Enrolment Process and are calculated using the RTO Calculator. Prior to this the Student can access Training Services NSW to check their eligibility and estimate their Student Fee.  

Pearsons School of Floristry fee arrangements for Smart & Skilled subsidised students are in line with the  

Smart and Skilled Fee Administration Policy and include: 

  • Pearsons School of Floristry charges the relevant fee set by the NSW Government fees for subsidised students in accordance with the Smart and Skilled Fee Administration Policy, this fee is calculated by use of the Smart and Skilled Provider Calculator. 
  • Pearsons School of Floristry uses the Smart and Skilled Provider Calculator to confirm an individual’s personal and program eligibility for a qualification. 
  • Pearsons School of Floristry charges the student the relevant fee set by the NSW Government as validated by the Smart and Skilled provider Calculator. 
  • Pearsons School of Floristry charges an ADDITIONAL FEE for your TOOLS ($50 tool kit fee). 
  • Students are also required to complete THREE ASSIGNMENTS where they need to purchase their own materials. Please budget $200 in total. 

Due Date for Payments 

Student Fees are payable in TWO INSTALMENTS. Smart and Skilled Terms and Conditions of Enrolment for details of current payment Plan. 

Student Information 

Pearsons School of Floristry will make the following fee information available prior to enrolment: 

  • All student fees payable to Pearsons School of Floristry, clearly describing all costs involved with the course, calculated using the provider calculator 
  • How and when fees must be paid 
  • How to request a refund 
  • Refund Information 
  • The cost for repeat assessments 
  • Any information about third party arrangements for training and assessment or recruitment 
  • Pearsons School of Floristry Guarantee of completion 
  • Fee Protection Information 
  • Incidental Expenses 
  • Information regarding RPL or Credit Transfer 
  • The process for collecting unpaid fees 

Fee Protection 

If you have pre-paid your student fees you are protected by Pearsons School of Floristry in the rare event that we are no longer able to deliver SFL30115 Certificate III in Floristry.  

Refund Arrangements 

Withdrawal without Penalty Cut-off Date is 20 days PRIOR to COMMENCING any training. 

Full refund of course services fees paid. 

Withdrawal after Withdrawal without Penalty Cutoff Date (less than 20 days PRIOR to COMMENCING any training 

No refund is made 

 

Refunds Due to Non-Provision of Services 

Course fees are to be refunded in full if Pearsons School of Floristry is unable to commence the course service as agreed due to a lack of minimum student numbers or unforeseen circumstances. 

Where Pearsons School of Floristry or a third-party representative is unable to complete the course services due to unforeseen circumstances or closure, any course services fees are refunded on a pro-rata basis, with comparison of the course fees paid against the units of competency where services have been delivered. 

Where there is an instance of Pearsons School of Floristry default due to unforeseen circumstances, Pearsons School of Floristry will endeavour to arrange for another course, or part of a course, to be provided to students at no (extra) cost to the student as an alternative to a refund. Where the student agrees to this arrangement, Pearsons School of Floristry will not refund fees paid. 

Refund Arrangements 

Recognition of Prior Learning and/or Credit Transfer has been granted. 

Pro-rata refund paid based on a calculation of the number of units that have received RPL or CT results and the fees paid to date. 

Pearsons School of Floristry is unable to commence the course for which the original enrolment and payment has been made. 

Full refund including any deposits or alternative placement in a course, as per the clients’ preference. 

Pearsons School of Floristry is unable to continue to deliver the course as agreed. 

Partial refund or alternative placement in a course, as per the clients’ preference. No admin fee will be charged. 

 

Administration Costs 

There are additional costs to re-print and resend documentation: 

  • Re-print of SFL30115 Certificate III in Floristry certificates and Statements of Attainment: $30.00 
  • Bounced cheque or declined credit card payment cost $50.00  

Notifications and Guarantee 

Pearsons School of Floristry notifies clients as soon as practical after any change occurs that may affect the course services being provided. This includes changes of significant impact including: 

  • Any new third party arrangements Pearsons School of Floristry puts in place, for the delivery of services to those specific clients 
  • A change in ownership of an RTO entity should that occur. 

Pearsons School of Floristry guarantees that no additional charges will be imposed during the period covered in the fee information for the course except where additional services may be requested by the student such as those itemized above. 

Smart and Skilled Fee Information  

Fee Categories 

The student fee categories are: 

  • Standard Student—First Qualification 
  • Standard Student—Subsequent Qualification 
  • Concession 
  • Exemptions and fee-free scholarships for eligible cohorts 

Standard Student Fees 

  • The Standard Student fee applies to a student who is not doing an apprenticeship or traineeship or who does not qualify for a concession f3ee or one of the fee-free categories. 
  • The student is required to declare any qualifications to assess eligibility for a First or Subsequent Qualification Standard Student Fee 
  • Smart and Skilled data and data from the Unique Student Identifier (USI) may also be used as evidence of a previous post-school qualification achieved by the student to assess the appropriate Standard Student fee. 

Standard Student - First Qualification fee 

  • Applies to a student who does not already hold a post-school qualification from any tertiary sector. Qualifications include vocational and higher education qualifications achieved in Australia or overseas at any time previously. 
  • The First Qualification fee also applies to a student who is 15  -17 years old  at commencement of training regardless of any previous qualification. 

Standard Student—Subsequent Qualification Fee 

  • Applies to a student who already holds a previous post-school qualification from any tertiary sector. This category includes vocational and higher education qualifications achieved in Australia or overseas at any time previously. 
  • Qualifications achieved overseas that are not formally recognized in Australia are considered to be a previous post-school qualification. 
  • The Subsequent Qualification fee is the higher of the two Standard Student fees because a student undertaking a second or subsequent post-school qualification has already benefited from training. 
  • Where a student completes a Smart and Skilled qualification and enrols in another Smart and Skilled qualification (except an apprenticeship or traineeship), the student will be charged the Subsequent Qualification fee for the subsequent qualification. 
  • Note: There is no limit to the number of previous post-school qualifications a student can hold. 

Qualifications not deemed to be post-school qualifications 

The following qualifications are not deemed to be post-school qualifications, and as a result, a student who holds only these post-school qualifications will pay the First Qualification Fee: 

  • Qualifications achieved while at school as part of a student's secondary education 
  • Qualifications achieved prior to turning 17 
  • Certificate I qualifications 
  • Certificate IV in Tertiary Preparation 
  • Smart and Skilled foundation skills qualifications 
  • Any other qualification (up to and including Certificate III) that is aimed at developing foundation skills as identified in the Draft National Foundation Skills Framework (core skills or competencies that underpin workforce participation, productivity, and social inclusion), including: 
  • English language, literacy, numeracy and digital (LLND) – listening, speaking, reading, writing, numeracy (the use of mathematical ideas) and digital literacy 
  • Employability skills, such as initiative and innovation, planning and organizing, problem solving and teamwork. 

Concession fees 

  • A concession fee is a discounted fee for a student who meets the criteria outlines below. A concession fee is a flat fee based on the qualification level. 
  • A student who receives a specified Commonwealth Government benefit or allowance, is eligible for a concession fee for a qualification up to and including Certificate IV. The student must be in receipt of the specified benefit or allowance at the time of enrolment to be eligible. 
  • The concession fee is also available to a student who is a dependant of a person receiving a specified Commonwealth Government benefit or allowance. To be eligible for the concession the student must be a dependant of a person receiving the benefit or allowance at the time of enrolment. 
  • There are no concessions for a student enrolling in a Diploma or Advanced Diploma. 

Exemptions and fee-free scholarships for eligible student cohorts 

A student who falls into one of the following categories will qualify for fee-free training: 

  • An Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person 
  • A student with a disability 
  • A dependent child, spouse or partner of a recipient of a Disability Support Pension 
  • A refugee or asylum seeker (and eligible partners) – for training up to and including Certificate IV 
  • A recipient of a Fee-Free Scholarship – for training up to and including Certificate IV who meet the criteria set out below 

Determining the applicable student fee 

Validation of student eligibility and fee 

The Provider must use the Provider Calculator to confirm the student’s Smart and Skilled eligibility for a qualification and the student fee (or no fee) to be charged. 

The Provider cannot charge a student fee other than what is calculated by the NSW Government through the Provider Calculator. This means the Provider cannot discount the fee, charge a higher fee or exempt a student from paying the fee. 

Circumstances may arise where the fee quoted by the NSW Government must be adjusted (such as where the student obtains CT or RPL after enrolment or after commencement). See Credit transfer (CT) and recognition of prior learning (RPL) for more information. 

Evidence of Eligibility 

A student must declare that the information they provide with regards to eligibility for some fee types is true, accurate, complete and not misleading. A student may be required to provide evidence to support their eligibility for the Smart and Skilled fee type. 

The Provider must maintain acceptable evidence. 

All evidence must be able to be verified by the provider. At the Department’s discretion, the Department may request that the Provider produce records of verification that confirm sighting and a description of the evidence. The record must: 

  • be dated and signed by the person who sighted the evidence and is authorized by the Provider 
  • capture the name of the signatory and their job title 
  • contain a description of the type of evidence sighted (e.g. “Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) White Card that names Jane Doe”. “letter from Centrelink confirming John Smith is a recipient of a Commonwealth Government benefit” etc) 
  • capture either the issue date or expiry date of the evidence sighted (if applicable) 

The description is not required to capture sensitive information from the document (e.g. the Centrelink  

Reference Number (CRN) or Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) White Care number). 

Note: For each enrolment, the Provider is expected to check that the student is eligible for the relevant fee category at the time of enrolment. 

Where the evidence, provided by the student, is a copy of the original, the copy must be an ‘original copy’ certified by a person who is on the list of approved witnesses who can verify documents. A list of approved witnesses is available at the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department website at: 

www.ag.gov.au/Publications/Pages/Statutorydeclarationsignatorylist.aspx. 

Eligibility evidence is retained on each student’s course file. 

Proof of eligibility for First or Subsequent Qualification Fee 

  • A student is required to declare any post-school qualifications to assess eligibility for a First or Subsequent Qualification Standard Student fee. 

Proof of Eligibility for a Concession Fee 

The recipient of a Specified Commonwealth benefit or allowance must provide the following proof of eligibility for a concession: 

  • A letter from the Department of Human Services (Centrelink) confirming receipt of the benefit. The letter should clearly show the Centrelink Reference Number (CRN); or 
  • A current concession card that shows the CRN; or 
  • A current Centrelink income statement that clearly shows the benefit or allowance category and the CRN; or 
  • Any other evidence that clearly shows the CRN and the benefit or allowance category; or 
  • For people applying for Austudy or Newstart allowance, an approval letter from Centrelink that shows the CRN and indicates that commencement date of their benefit is within two weeks of their enrolment or two weeks within the date of the first-class attendance or participation in training. 

An individual who is seeking a concession as a dependent child, spouse or partner of someone who is receiving a specified Commonwealth benefit or allowance must provide documentary evidence that Centrelink recognises the individual as the dependant. The evidence should clearly show the CRN of the benefit or welfare recipient. 

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Students 

Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students prove their status and eligibility for a fee exemption through descent, self-identification and community identification. Students will need to declare their status and be able to provide documentary evidence of community identification, if required. 

Students with a Disability 

A student who seeks a fee exemption based on disability needs to provide: 

  • A letter from Centrelink confirming receipt of the Disability Support Pension. The letter should clearly show the Centrelink Reference Number (CRN); or 
  • A current Disability Pensioner Concession Card that shows the CRN; or 
  • A current Centrelink income statement for the Disability Support Pension, which clearly shows that income is for the disability pension and shows the CRN; or 
  • Any other evidence that clearly shows the CRN and confirms receipt of the Disability Support Pension; or 
  • Documentary evidence of support needs due to the student’s disability. This evidence must be a letter or statement from: 
  • A medical practitioner; or 
  • An appropriate government agency such as Veteran’s Affairs or a TAFE NSW teacher consultant (for students with a disability), a school counsellor or special education coordinator, Centrelink, a Disability Service RTO, or a Job Capacity Assessor; or 
  • A specialist allied health professional (including a rehabilitation counsellor, psychologist, speech pathologist, or occupational therapist). 

An individual who is seeking an exemption as a dependant child, spouse or partner of someone who is receiving a Commonwealth Disability pension must provide documentary evidence that Centrelink recognises the individual as a dependant. The evidence should clearly show the CRN of the Disability Pension Recipient. 

Fee Free Scholarships 

To be eligible for a Fee-Free Scholarship, students must: 

  • meet the Smart and Skilled personal and program eligibility rules 
  • be wanting to study a Smart and Skilled subsidised Certificate I, Certificate II, Certificate III or Certificate IV level qualification on the NSW Skills List, including those qualifications that support apprenticeships and traineeships. 
  • be either a Commonwealth Welfare recipient or the dependent of a Commonwealth Welfare recipient. 

Students with a disability or dependents of disability support pension recipients may be eligible for a Fee-Free Scholarship for their second qualification in a calendar year. 

Individuals aged between 15-30 years and living in social housing and meet the criteria above are entitled to a fee exemption. 

Social Housing is defined as: 

  • public housing or community housing (owned and managed by the NSW Government or managed by a community housing provider) 
  • Aboriginal housing (owned and/or managed by the Aboriginal Housing Office (AHO) and Aboriginal Community Housing Providers) 
  • clients receiving crisis accommodation/supported accommodation (Specialist Homelessness Services) 
  • clients receiving private rental assistance funded by Family and Community Services (for example: private rental subsidy, rental bond loans, tenancy guarantees) 

Credit Transfer (CT) and recognition of prior learning (RPL) 

Where an eligible student is granted credit transfer (CT) or recognition of prior learning (RPL) for one or more units of competency (UoC), the qualification price will be adjusted and a new student fee determined. The qualification price is based on both fixed and variable costs and adjustments will be made to both of these cost components. 

Credit transfer (CT) 

The Provider must comply with the Australian Skills quality Authority (ASQA) guidelines in connection with granting credit transfer. 

CT means that a student gains credit in the qualification they are undertaking because they have previously completed UoCs or modules in another qualification or formal learning. Being granted CT for UoC or module means the student does not have to undertake the UoC/module again. It reduces the amount of learning to be undertaken and may reduce the student fee. 

Providers must inform a student of CT opportunities and advise them to check their academic transcripts for any previous qualifications achieved to identify any potential opportunities for CT. 

Providers can also advise a student to visit the Unique Student Identifier (USI) Registry at https://portal.usi.gov.au/student/ to check if any information is stored by the Registry on previous training they have undertaken, to help identify any previously achieved UoC/modules that can be granted CT. This information should be given to the Provider and may entitle the student to a reduced fee. 

The Provider must grant CT for any UoC/modules already achieved, where the evidence to support this is provided. 

Where CT is granted, student fees are calculated as follows: 

  • The fixed cost of the qualification will be reduced by the proportion of UoCs given CT. 
  • The variable cost will be reduced by the total cost of each UoC granted CT. 

Once the adjusted qualification price is calculated the new student fee will be determined at the same percentage of the price as the original student fee for that course. 

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) 

The Provider must ensure that its Recognition Process aligns with the NSW Recognition Framework as published from time to time. 

RPL involves a student demonstrating they already have the skills and experience to complete the qualification (in whole or in part) without needing to attend classes or participate in learning. 

Providers must inform the student of RPL opportunities and the process for applying. 

Where RPL is granted, students fees as calculated as follows: 

  • The fixed cost of the qualification will be reduced by 50% of the proportion of UoC’s granted RPL 
  • The variable cost will be reduced by 50% of the total cost of each UoC granted RPL 

Once the adjusted qualification price is calculated the new student fee will be determined at the same percentage of the price as the original student fee for that course. 

Fee Concessions and Exemptions 

Fee Exemption 

For students who are eligible for a Fee Exemption, the amount of the Fee is $0. Students who qualify for a fee exemption are: 

  • Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people; and 
  • People with a disability (that is people who meet the disability fee exemption criteria, including the dependent child, spouse or partner of a recipient of a Disability Support Pension). 

Frequency of Exemption 

  • Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and disabled students will be exempt from fees for any Smart and Skilled enrolments for which they are eligible. 
  • Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and disabled students must meet the Smart and Skilled personal and program eligibility criteria. 

Concession Fees 

  • A student who receives a specified Commonwealth benefit or allowance is eligible for a concession fee for a qualification up to and including Certificate IV. A student who is receiving a specified benefit or allowance at the time of enrolment is eligible for a concession. 
  • The concession fee is also available to a student who is a dependant of a person receiving a specified Commonwealth benefit or allowance. To be eligible for the concession, the person who the student is a dependant of must be receiving the benefit or allowance at the time of enrolment. 

Specified Commonwealth Benefits and Allowances for Concession Fees 

  • Age Pension 
  • Austudy 
  • Carer Payment 
  • Disability Support Pension 
  • Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment 
  • Farm Household Allowance 
  • Family Tax Benefit Part A (maximum rate) 
  • Parenting Payment (Single) 
  • Newstart Allowance (see below) 
  • Special Benefit 
  • Sickness Allowance 
  • Veterans’ Children Education Scheme 
  • Veterans’ Affairs Pensions 
  • Widow B Pension 
  • Widow Allowance 
  • Youth Allowance; and 
  • Wife Pension. 

Note: 

  • A NSW Apprentice on a Newstart Allowance is not eligible for a concession fee. 
  • A NSW New Entrant Trainee on a Newstart Allowance is not eligible for a concession fee. 
  • Where a student is eligible for a concession and has been awarded RPL and/or CT, if the adjusted Standard Student fee (First or Subsequent) is lower than the concession fee, the student will pay the relevant Standard Student fee. 
  • There are no concessions for students enrolling in Diplomas and Advanced Diplomas. 

Eligibility for a fee exemption or concession is assessed at enrolment and cannot be adjusted after enrolment.  

Fee Records 

All course services fees, relevant invoices and receipts for each student course enrolment are recorded and maintained in: 

Job Ready (Student Management System) and the Accounting system 

These systems act as the official accounts receivables system for Pearsons School of Floristry and are maintained as the official and auditable records for all fees, charges and refunds. 

Recovery of Outstanding Student Fees 

Pearsons School of Floristry collects all fees to be paid by the student before they commence training. 

Pearsons School of Floristry retains student fees that it collects. 

If it should occur that a student had not made full payment before completing training, Pearsons School of Floristry has a robust process for the recovery of outstanding fees from a student. The failure by a student to pay a fee owing is considered to be a breach of discipline and can lead to penalties being imposed on the student under disciplinary arrangements. 

One of the penalties that may be considered is the delay in release of results or testamur(s) as relevant to the student until all fees are recovered. For significant student debts, formal debt collection actions may also be undertaken.