Student services: General information

RTO compliance with legislation

Training organisations have an obligation to comply with relevant Commonwealth, state or territory legislation and regulatory requirements.

Training organisations must ensure that staff and clients are fully informed of legislative and regulatory requirements that affect their duties or participation in vocational education and training. See Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) Website

Academic appeal
A candidate must lodge an appeal, where practicable, within 30 days of receiving the assessment result. Where appropriate the candidate should first approach the assessor concerned.  Where the outcome is not satisfactory to the candidate, the RTO Manager should be contacted in writing (mail/email), setting out:

The circumstances surrounding the issue

• Who was involved
• Why an appeal is being lodged
• Any evidence including dates and documentation
• The name of any witnesses who could support the case

Management will consider the appeal and the candidate will be notified in writing of the outcome and the reason for the decision.  Action will be taken for each substantiated complaint.  If the candidate is not satisfied with the outcome, the appeal will be referred to an independent person, who is agreed to by both parties, and the candidate will have an opportunity to formally present their case. 

Access to records
We maintain a record of training for every learner.  If a learner does not have an up-to-date copy of their training record they can request one from the trainer or administration.  

Once a learner has successfully completed nationally recognised training certification is issued and sent to candidates within 21 days of completion.  In the event that a learner needs a replacement statement of attainment or qualification after they have completed training, they must submit a written request to administration.

Child Protection
WE use the NSW government “working with children” website to check our personnel to take all steps to keep kids safe. Where CMDA may deliver courses to underage persons, only trainers that have been registered and or checked via this site are used. If we cannot source a trainer with the relevant check, CMAA will ensure a teacher or other registered person is delegated to attend the course.

Complaints
A learner/client must lodge a complaint, where practicable, within 30 days of the issue arising.  A written email response will be provided within 21 working days.  A complaint should first be lodged with a Training Course Administrator.  Where the outcome is not satisfactory to the client, the RTO Manager should be contacted in writing (mail/email), setting out:

 The circumstances surrounding the issue

• Who was involved
• Why a complaint/appeal is being lodged
• Any evidence including dates and documentation
• The name of any witnesses who could support the case

Management will consider the complaint and the learner/client will be notified in writing of the outcome. The organisation will act on each substantiated complaint.  If the learner/client is not satisfied with the outcome, the appeal will be referred to an independent person, who is agreed to by both parties, and the learner/client will have an opportunity to formally present their case.

Credit transfer
We recognise qualifications and Statements of Attainment issued by other Registered Training Organisations.  A certified copy of a Diploma, Certificate (and associated Statement of Result) or Statement of Attainment must be submitted to the RPL Administrator.

We shall also assess a previously completed course or subject to see if it provides equivalent learning or competency outcomes to those required within the learner’s current program.  The Credit Transfer application form is available from the RPL administrator.

Disciplinary procedures
The learner is expected to participate in the learning program, be respectful of others, adhere to WHS requirements and show consideration for all regardless of race, colour, religion, gender or physical disability.  In the event that these are grounds for disciplinary intervention then this will be handled in the first instance by the trainer, and if necessary by the RTO Manager.  A record of interview may be put in the training file.

Employability skills
Employability Skills are embedded in training and assessment.  Information on the Employability Skills relevant to your qualification can be obtained by visiting this website and keying in the national code for the qualification: http://employabilityskills.training.com.au/

Fees and charges
Tuition fees, and any associated charges for a program, are stated on the website in the course menu.

Language, literacy and numeracy (LLN)
If you are not sure of the level of your skills, please call a CMDA RTO Administrator who can send you some information and work with you to ascertain if your reading and numbers skills are suitable for the course you are contemplating attending. We have procedures that support and recognise the learning needs of individuals and will revise learning and assessment strategies to match individual needs and address literacy or numeracy issues, where possible, so that learners can successfully achieve the outcomes required in the unit of study. We may also refer a learner to the Reading Writing Hotline at 1300 6555 06 at www.readingwritinghotline.edu.au for language, literacy and/or numeracy support.

If you would like us to contact you about LLN when you register and pay foryour course, please tick the box at the bottom of the terms and conditions onthe registration  page  which states: “please tick this box if you would like to speak to CMDA staff todiscuss any queries you may have with regard to possible Language Literacy andNumeracy, Student Support, or accessibility requirements”.

What is the Reading Writing Hotline?

The Reading Writing Hotline is funded by the Australian Government Departmentof Industry Innovation Science Research and Tertiary Education. The project ismanaged by TAFE NSW - Access and General Education Curriculum Centre and isAustralia's national telephone adult literacy and numeracy referral service.For the price of a local call from anywhere in Australia, the Hotline canprovide you with advice as well as a referral to one of 1200 providers ofcourses in adult literacy and numeracy.

What happens when you call the Hotline?

You will speak to an experienced adult literacy teacher who will advise you onways you can access classes in your local area to improve reading, writing,spelling and maths skills. The information you give about yourself isconfidential and will not be given to anyone else.

When can I call the Hotline?

You can call the Hotline at any time.

If a teacher is unavailable to take your call:
•your name and number will be taken by the hotline paging service
•your call will be returned.

Learner feedback
To assist with continuous improvement processes, we will send each learner an email containing a hyperlink to an online course survey at the end of each course. Please assist us by completing this short survey. If there are any complaints which a learner wishes to raise in the survey, the RTO Manager will contact them to resolve the issue as per the complaints policy.

Learning and assessment arrangements
We work to provide an excellent learning experience and will provide flexible arrangements for learning and assessment wherever possible.  If a learner believes that they will require special consideration with either learning or assessment they may speak with the trainer or contact a Training Course Administrator.

Legislative compliance
We comply with all legislative requirements relevant to training delivery and assessment in the vocational sector and also the national/state health and safety, workplace harassment, anti-discrimination and privacy legislation.  Any legislative or regulatory requirements that are relevant to a program will be made known to the learner prior to, or during, the first session.

Reasonable adjustment
We are committed to providing training and assessment services that reflect fair and reasonable opportunity, and consideration for all regardless of race, colour, religion, gender or physical disability.  Trainers and assessors apply the principle of reasonable adjustment where it is relevant and appropriate. If a learner/client has a concern or query about an issue they should speak with the trainer in the first instance or the RTO manager if it is more appropriate.

Recognition of prior learning
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is an assessment process that assesses an individual’s non-formal and informal learning to determine the extent to which they have achieved the required competency outcomes.  It involves collecting evidence and making judgements on whether competence has been achieved.  RPL is available to all learners. The RPL Application form is available from the RPL Administrator.

Selection and induction
Programs offered publicly are open to all learners, subject to any pre-requisites or special enrolment conditions that apply to a specific program, and application must be made by completion of the enrolment form.  Learners will be made aware of the contents of the program, any special conditions and the assessment requirements prior to, or during, the first session.

1. We must be advised of cancellation, course transfer requests in writing or by email.
2. All monies, less a $25 administration fee, will be refunded if cancellation occurs more than 7 days prior to the commencement of the course.
3. No refund will be made available for any cancellations of registration within 7 days prior to course commencement regardless of booking date.
4. Transfer of course registration more than seven days prior to course commencement will be free of charge.
5. Transfer of course registration within seven days prior to course commencement will be subject to an administration fee of 50% of full course fee, unless a medical certificate or statutory declaration is provided (within two weeks of the original course commencement). A complete refund or transfer to the next available course is made available in this case.
6. If the registered learner is unable to attend, a substituted individual may attend in their place, as long as written notification is provided on the day of commencement.
7. In the case of online learning, training and assessment is deemed to have commenced once the learner has been issued a username and login and these have been used to access the online material.

Anti-discrimination
CMDA is committed to the principles of equal opportunity in employment of staff and an environment free of harassment and discrimination for employees, contractors and visitors. Discrimination means treating someone unfairly or less favourably than another person or group because of a characteristic specified under anti-discrimination or human rights legislation.

Policy Scope
This policy applies to all employees, contractors and visitors of CMDA.

Definitions
'Discrimination' refers to a situation where an individual feels they are discriminated against and are treated less favourably than another person. If the basis for the less favourable treatment is prohibited on the grounds of discrimination under the relevant State or Federal law, unlawful discrimination might have occurred. Anti-discrimination laws forbid certain discriminatory conduct on a number of grounds (such as sex, race, and disability) in a number of areas (such as employment, education and the provision of services).

'Direct discrimination' occurs when a person is treated less favourably on the grounds of a personal characteristic, such as sex, parental status, race, age or disability.

'Indirect discrimination' occurs when a policy or procedure which appears to treat everyone equally has the effect of disadvantaging certain groups and the requirement is not reasonable. Indirect discrimination occurs when a neutral, or seemingly harmless, policy, rule or practice has a discriminatory effect against a certain group of people.

'Racial discrimination' is a form of behaviour which disadvantages people because of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin, or disadvantages any relative or associate of these people.

'Sex discrimination' is a form of behaviour that disadvantages people because of their gender. Treating a woman less favourably because she is pregnant, or because she might get pregnant, is a form of sex discrimination, as is treating someone less favourably (a man or a woman) because of their marital status.

'Disability discrimination' is a form of behaviour that disadvantages people because of their actual or perceived disabilities or disadvantages those related or associated with a person with disability. The types of disabilities covered under legislation include physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological or learning disabilities. It also includes physical disfigurement and the presence in the body of a disease-causing organism.

Privacy and personal information
When you enrol at CMDA, the collection, storage, use and disclosure of any personal information you provide is protected under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998. Any health information you provided is protected under the Health Records and Information Privacy Act2002.

 Any information we ask you to provide will only be that which is necessary for the purposes of your course enrolment, learning and study records. Information provided will be held securely and disposed of securely when no longer needed. You may access your personal information and request amendments by contacting your campus of enrolment.