Important Student Documents

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Policies and Procedures

Fees and Payment Policy

P.5.01 Fees and Payments Policy v1.2 (April 2021)

PURPOSE
The purpose of this policy is to provide a consistent approach to the handling of payments from students which meets the ASQA Standards for Registered College Organisations 2015 (“the Standards”) and, where applicable, state funding contracts.

SCOPE
This policy applies to fees, charges and fee protection applicable to the provision of training including clients undertaking training under a Government Funded Training Contract or Fee-for-Service (FFS) arrangement. This policy applies to the payments of fees paid for the delivery of courses to students. Equinox College does not accept prepaid fees in excess of the threshold prepaid fee amount as per the Standards, being $1500.00. This policy aligns to the policy issued by third-party RTO, Skills Generation RTO 41008, for funded courses.

DEFINITIONS

Tuition fee – The Tuition Fee for the Delivery of the College.
Materials fee – A charge to cover the cost of manuals or other materials required by the Student for a specific course.
Enrolment fee – A charge to cover the Enrolment of a student.

PRINCIPLES
Equinox College is committed to the fair and transparent application of fees and charges. Students are provided with details of all fees and charges prior to enrolment.

2.1 SETTING FEES AND CHARGES – FEE-FOR-SERVICE

2.1.1. Equinox College will review fees in a 12-month cycle.
2.1.2. Equinox College reserves the right to adjust fees without notice.

2.2 SETTING FEES AND CHARGES – FUNDED PLACES

2.2.1. Equinox College will charge fees per funding policy as determined by government funding bodies.
2.2.2. Where required, Equinox College will review and set fees based on market rates and conditions.
2.2.3. Equinox College reserves the right to adjust fees without notice, where state governments change the scheduled hourly rate any time during the Term of the Contract within a calendar year.

2.3 COURSE FEE INCLUSIONS

2.3.1. Unless specified otherwise, course fees include the cost of all compulsory training and assessment materials, including textbooks.
2.3.2. Course fees also include the issuance of one (1) copy of the relevant certificate to a student upon completion or withdrawal from their course. This includes Qualification Testamur’s, Statement of Attainment, Record of Results and Statement of Attendance, and any other as required by government or other accrediting bodies.
2.3.3. Where a replacement certificate is required above this allowance, this is normally at cost to the student and is charged at $55.00 plus GST.

2.4 INFORMATION ABOUT FEES AND CHARGES

2.4.1 Equinox College apply the following fee protection measure:

Equinox College will not collect pre-paid fee payment of more than $1,500.00 from each individual learner prior to the commencement of an accredited training program. Following course commencement Equinox College may require payment of additional fees in advance from the Learner, but only such that at any given time, the total amount required to be paid which is attributable to training services yet to be delivered does not exceed $1,500.00.

Learner fees are also protected by Equinox College’s fair and reasonable refund policy which is outlined to clients prior to enrolment. All refund information is to be made available to clients prior to enrolment through:

Website
Equinox College Student Handbook
Student Contribution Agreement

The fees, charges and refund policy are available by contacting Equinox College directly through admin@equinoxsg.com.au or via our website.

2.4.2 Where possible fees are to be confirmed prior to enrolment and the commencement of training:

If the total invoice amount is $1,500.00 or under, then it is to be invoiced as a lump sum on one invoice at enrolment.
If the total invoice amount is $1,501.00 and above, then it is to be invoiced in three (3) instalments of 33% each. The First Invoice would be raised at enrolment, the Second Invoice would be raised after 50% course completion, and the Third Invoice after 75% course completion.

2.4.4 The information provided to each client will include:

the total amount of all fees including course fees, administration fees, and materials;
payment terms, including the timing and fees to be paid and any non- refunding deposit and administration fees;
any fees and charges for additional services; and
details of refund arrangements. (information available on our Refund Policy Tab)

2.5 TERMS AND METHODS OF PAYMENT

Equinox College accepts the following methods of payment:

Direct Deposit or Bank transfer
Credit card
EFTPOS
Direct Debit arrangement

Payment terms are fourteen (14) days of receipt of the Invoice unless specified otherwise in the Agreement.

2.6 FULL OR PART FEE CONCESSION / EXEMPTION
A full or part-fee exemption/concession is applied in accordance with each State/Territories’ funding guidelines. Fee exemption/concessions vary in each State/Territory. Fees are calculated in accordance with individual State/Territory Government Contract guidelines. Concession or exemption of fees is subject to evidence requirements.

2.7 RPL (RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING) FEES

See RPL section in relevant course page

2.8 CREDIT TRANSFER
No fee payable.

2.9 LATE PAYMENT

2.9.1 Where a client is more than fourteen (14) days overdue with payments, Equinox College reserves the right to suspend all services until payment is made to bring fees up-to-date.
2.9.2 Equinox College may make alternative payment arrangements for clients experiencing genuine difficulty in paying their fees. Clients must advise Equinox College, in writing to initiate this option.
2.9.3 For long term, outstanding amounts, Equinox College may utilise the services of a debt recovery agency to ensure the collection of outstanding fees.

2.10 INCIDENTAL FEES

2.10.1 Where the student does not meet assessment deadlines and timelines are excessive, Equinox College will invoice the Client to cover the cost of re-assessment.
2.10.2 Where the Student does not meet the requirements of Vocational Placement, or does attend scheduled shifts, Equinox College will invoice the Client to cover the cost of extra facilitation, as outlined in the Student Handbook.

Procedure

1. Enrolment

Student enquires regarding course. Fees transparently quoted to student
Student completes Enrolment Form
Confirmation provided of funding type / eligibility

2. Invoice issued

Invoice raised according to policy above and forwarded to student

3. Payment Receipted

Once payment is made, payment recorded in Xero and Wisenet
Receipt issued to payer

Please refer to Student Handbook for further information

Refund Policy

Refund Policy v1.5

P.8.04 Privacy Policy V2.0 (Feb 2021)

Policy Statement

Exell Training Pty Ltd, trading as EQUINOX COLLEGE is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who interact with any aspect of its business and will handle personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). In providing products and services, EQUINOX COLLEGE will be transparent about how and why information is collected and used. Where appropriate individuals will be provided with the opportunity to specify the ways information is collected or used.

Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to the collection, storage, use and disclosure of personal information by EQUINOX COLLEGE. It also sets out information about how EQUINOX COLLEGE may give access to personal information.

Procedure

EQUINOX COLLEGE Students
When enrolling into a course of study, EQUINOX COLLEGE will collect personal information such as name, address, contact details, date of birth, citizenship, educational history and prior academic results, work history (if required as a basis of admission), emergency contact details and details of parents or guardians (for students under 18 years of age at the time of enrolment). In accordance with the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (cth).
Additional information may be collected during a course of study and dealings with EQUINOX COLLEGE.

EQUINOX COLLEGE may collect other personal information which may identify racial or ethnic origins (including proficiency in languages other than English), information about health or disability (where this is relevant to accommodating specific needs) and membership of professional or industry associations (where required as a basis of admission or for credit transfer/recognition of prior learning).

EQUINOX COLLEGE may collect government related identifiers, including: copies of photo identification, Confirmation of Enrolment (COE) number, student concession number and Unique Student Identifier number (USI), which may be necessary to verify a person’s identity, apply for national probity checks or to confirm eligibility for enrolment. This requirement will be outlined on the course enrolment form.

EQUINOX COLLEGE may collect personal information because it is required to do so by laws that require EQUINOX COLLEGE to report to Commonwealth, State and Territory government agencies for planning, evaluative, administrative and funding purposes.

EQUINOX COLLEGE may collect personal information from other educational institutions where necessary to verify qualifications and course credits for enrolment and assessment purposes:

from organisations where a work integrated learning placement, internship or practical component is completed as part of an EQUINOX COLLEGE course
from an employer if a course of study is being supported or incorporated into employment
from education agents
from other educational institutions or organisations that work in partnership or affiliation with EQUINOX COLLEGE to provide, promote, accredit or recognise courses of study
from third parties for the purpose of direct marketing of services

Communications with EQUINOX COLLEGE may be monitored (including emails, telephone) for security and dispute resolution purposes, where it is lawful to do so.

EQUINOX COLLEGE Employees, contractors and staff
When making an enquiry about or applying for a position with EQUINOX COLLEGE, the following information may be collected: name, home address, educational and work history and contact details (including telephone, fax and personal email address).

Information may be collected from third parties such as referees. When providing contact details of referees, consent is being given to EQUINOX COLLEGE to collect personal information from the named referees.

When EQUINOX COLLEGE is proposing to offer an employment position, additional personal information may be collected, such as date of birth, tax file number, emergency contact details, ABN (if relevant), bank account, superannuation information, visa, passport and licence details (if relevant), qualification information, awards, publications, copies of transcripts and details relating to working with children and police checks. For unsuccessful candidates, resumés may be maintained on file for future opportunities, only when a candidate has provided permission to do so.

During employment with EQUINOX COLLEGE other personal information may be collected, including records of work performance, medical certificates, nationality, membership of a professional or industry association, trade union membership, overseas health cover and information concerning any disputes relating to employment.

Visitors to EQUINOX COLLEGE websites
EQUINOX COLLEGE uses cookies and measurement tools on its websites, as do third parties such as analytics, advertising or advertisement serving partners who may monitor unidentifiable statistics relating to website access and usage. EQUINOX COLLEGE uses and discloses the unidentifiable information collected through the use of cookies and measurement tools in accordance with this Privacy Policy. This includes using the information to report statistics, analyse trends, diagnose problems and improve the quality of EQUINOX COLLEGE’s products and services.

EQUINOX COLLEGE may combine our cookies and information (collected through the cookies and measurement tools) on EQUINOX COLLEGE websites with other information (including information collected by third parties using their own cookies and measurement tools) to provide better or more relevant services and information.
If an individual does not want information collected through the use of cookies and/or measurement tools, they may be able to delete or reject cookies and/or some of the measurement software features through their browser or the settings section of their mobile or tablet device. Disabling these features may cause some of the functions on EQUINOX COLLEGE websites to work less effectively.

EQUINOX COLLEGE provides links to external websites, as well as to third party websites that allow interaction and sharing of content including social media buttons such as Facebook share, Twitter and Google+. These linked sites, applications and widgets are not under EQUINOX COLLEGE’s control and EQUINOX COLLEGE does not accept responsibility for the conduct of companies linked to EQUINOX COLLEGE’s websites, or their collection of information through these third-party applications or widgets. Before disclosing information on any other website or using these applications or widgets users are advised to examine the terms and conditions of using that website and the relevant third party’s data collection practices and privacy policy.
The Internet is not always a secure method of transmitting information. While EQUINOX COLLEGE takes reasonable steps to ensure all information it receives is maintained securely, EQUINOX COLLEGE cannot ensure that communications conducted via the Internet will be secure.

Security of Information
EQUINOX COLLEGE collects and holds personal information in paper-based and electronic records and systems. Personal information may be collected in paper-based documents and converted to electronic form for storage (with the paper-based document either being archived or securely destroyed).

EQUINOX COLLEGE uses physical security, password protection and other measures to ensure that all personal information is protected from misuse, interference and loss; and from unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

Use and disclosure of personal information
EQUINOX COLLEGE uses and discloses personal information for the purposes disclosed at the time of collection, or otherwise as set out in this Policy. Personal information will not be used or disclosed for any other purposes unless consent has been given or EQUINOX COLLEGE is authorised or required to do so by law.

Personal information will generally only be used or disclosed as follows:

To provide the products, services or information requested from EQUINOX COLLEGE (including enrolment, assessment and issuing certificates of completion and testamurs).
Personal information may also be disclosed to third parties (where applicable) to assist EQUINOX COLLEGE with functions such as recruitment of students, work integrated learning placements or providing overseas student health cover
To register and administer events, promotions or competitions
To verify personal information details upon request from third parties, such as identity, completion of courses, a request from a potential employer verifying a qualification and further enrolment into another institution
To comply with EQUINOX COLLEGE’s legal and regulatory obligations, including disclosure and reporting to Commonwealth, State and Territory government agencies for planning, evaluative, administrative and funding purposes.

This may include:

disclosure and reporting to Commonwealth and State government agencies (including State Training Authorities) for the purpose of administrating entitlements to financial assistance under Commonwealth and State government programs for supporting students, such as FEE-HELP and VET Student Loan
disclosure to government agencies responsible for administrating and regulating education and training providers in Australia, such as Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA), Department of Education, Training and Small Business (DESBT)
disclosure to government agencies with responsibility for administering immigration and student visa arrangements (including disclosure of suspected breaches of student visa conditions).
For students under 18, information regarding attendance, progress and general well-being may be provided in order to keep parent(s) and/or guardian(s) adequately informed
To assist EQUINOX COLLEGE to make its sites, service and products more accessible and valuable to students
To perform various administrative or management functions including administering billing and debt recovery; training of staff and contractors and managing their work performance and career progression, quality assurance and evaluation; maintenance and testing of information technology systems; obtaining advice from consultants and professional advisers; management of legal liabilities and claims (including liaising with legal representatives and insurers).

Direct Marketing
EQUINOX COLLEGE uses and discloses the personal information it collects for direct marketing purposes. Individuals may contact EQUINOX COLLEGE to request not to receive direct marketing communications. Direct marketing may include providing individuals with information regarding products, services and new developments. If an individual does not wish to receive marketing material, please note EQUINOX COLLEGE will still contact them in relation to the ongoing relationship. For example, EQUINOX COLLEGE will still send individuals invoices and information that are relevant to their course of study.

Access and Correction of Personal Information
For current and former students, simple enquiries regarding personal information (such as confirming current contact details or confirming results) must be sent to the Administration team. For current and former staff, email the Operations Manager.

To request access to other personal information, please contact EQUINOX COLLEGE’s designated Privacy Officer at directors@equinoxsg.com.au. In limited circumstances, access to personal information may be declined in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles.

EQUINOX COLLEGE endeavours to keep all personal information accurate, up-to-date and complete; however, if information held by EQUINOX COLLEGE is considered to be inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, a request can be made for a correction of the information. Staff or students may also request that their personal information be deleted in certain circumstances. Please contact EQUINOX COLLEGE’s designated Privacy Officer directors@equinoxsg.com.au. After receiving such a request, EQUINOX COLLEGE will take reasonable steps to correct and/or delete the information.

EQUINOX COLLEGE may, however, refuse a request to access, correct or delete personal information in certain circumstances as provided by legislative and regulatory requirements. In such instances, EQUINOX COLLEGE will provide a reason for the decision.

Removal of Identification Documents from our Records

At the completion of a students training, and once a credential has bee issued, EQUINOX COLLEGE will remove all personal identification documents from all its servers and records.

Enquiries and Complaints
All privacy enquiries should be directed in writing to the Privacy Officer using the Request for Access to Personal Information form. EQUINOX COLLEGE will respond to a request for access to personal information within 30 calendar days.

The contact details for EQUINOX COLLEGE are:

Privacy Officer
EXELL TRAINING PTY LTD

PO Box 474

Caboolture, QLD 4510

www.equinoxcollege.com.au
directors@equinoxsg.com.au

Complaints
Students may lodge a complaint under the Student Complaints Policy for actions undertaken under the Privacy Policy and related procedures while staff may do so under the relevant grievance policy.

If EQUINOX COLLEGE’s response to a complaint is unsatisfactory or it is believed that EQUINOX COLLEGE may have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or the Privacy Act, a complaint can be made to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner can be contacted by telephone on 1300 363 992. Full contact details for the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner can be found online at www.oaic.gov.au.

Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) Policy

Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) Policy (Feb2024)

Policy Statement

EQUINOX COLLEGE offers Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to all students on enrolment and ensures that the process is structured to minimise time and cost to students. EQUINOX COLLEGE will provide information and support to help students gather the relevant evidence to support their claim for recognition of the competencies they have acquired. The procedure ensures that there will be written verification of the outcome and that proper records are kept in the student file. Scope

This policy is applicable to all students in all vocational courses offered by EQUINOX COLLEGE.

The current policy is relevant to the following parties:

Definitions

Currency …current unless otherwise stated in the assessment requirements is evidence being within the last 2 years for critical skills or licencing purposes and up to 5 years if there haven’t been changes to the skills or knowledge base and or legislation changes that would affect the competency being assessed.
Recognition of Current Competencies …applies if a student has previously successfully completed the requirements of a unit of competency and is now required to be reassessed to ensure competence is maintained. This is relevant for units of competency where licensing or ticket information is included in the skills area i.e. first aid or CPR.
Recognition of Prior Learning
…is the acknowledgement of past and current skills and knowledge that have been gained through formal or informal training, work, or life experiences into formal competencies. The RPL assessment is carried competencies as described by the relevant training package or accredited course.

Policy

1. Students who believe they already have the skills and knowledge required by some or all of the units in a qualification may seek to have their existing competency recognised through a formal RPL process. The RPL process involves the student gathering evidence from life, work and both formal and/or informal study experiences and matching it against the specific learning outcomes of individual units of competency. An EQUINOX COLLEGE Assessor will be appointed to assist the student with this process.
2. Where the qualified Assessor determines that the evidence is sufficient to demonstrate current competency against the unit requirements the student will be awarded the unit. In many cases this will mean the student can complete all or part of a qualification without needing to attend training – although training may be required where there are gaps in the students’ knowledge and/or skills.
3. The student will need to provide evidence to demonstrate that they are currently competent against the endorsed industry competency standards (see also the currency definition current being within the last 2-5 years, 2 years for critical skills or licencing purposes or unless stated otherwise in the unit assessment requirements or changes to skills or knowledge base or legislation). The onus is on the student to provide sufficient evidence to satisfy the requirements of current competency.

Evidence could include, but not limited to:

Subject Outlines from previous study
Resume (Personal)
Position Description that can be verified
References from former employers that can be contacted
Testimonials from clients
Work samples
Relevant life experience,
Relevant work experience

4. When assessing prior learning, EQUINOX COLLEGE shall at all times ensure that the evidence supplied by the student meets the

Rules of Evidence:

Validity – The assessor is assured that the learner 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 student’s competency.
Authenticity – The assessor is assured that the evidence presented for assessment is the students 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.

5. EQUINOX COLLEGE shall at all times ensure that the Assessor completing assessment for prior learning (RPL) must have completed a TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment OR equivalent assessment units, and:

Have the relevant vocational competencies at the level they are assessing
Have a current trainer matrix and have the qualification listed
Have completed additional in-house training on how to use the RPL kits

Procedure

1. EQUINOX COLLEGE will recognise and assess a candidate’s skills and knowledge (often gained over many years of work) with formal competencies as outlined in the Training Package and Standards for Registered Training Organisations.
2. Student indicates during enrolment or the Pre-Training Review process that they would like to apply for RPL use the EQUINOX COLLEGE RPL Discovery Call and Discovery Call Checklist to assist to make a decision whether RPL is a suitable assessment method for the student.
3. The Candidate is informed that the RPL enrolment period is for a maximum of three (3) months. If the three months lapses and the learner has not requested an enrolment extension via email, the candidates enrolment will automatically expire and a Statement of Attainment will be issued for units already assessment, subject to the full course fee being paid in full.
4. Enrolment process is finalised and student is informed about the fee to be paid.
5. Student meets with RPL Assessor to discuss the RPL process and is provided with an RPL kit for relevant qualification. Discussion about the types of evidence required will occur during this meeting, records of the meeting will be kept by the RPL assessor.
6. During the RPL process the applicant will complete the relevant information in the RPL kit and contact the RPL Assessor as required to clarify and ensure evidence satisfies the competency.
7. The RPL Assessors will assess the evidence against competency requirements as per the training package and determine whether RPL is granted or whether further evidence is required. Practical tasks or gap training may be scheduled.
8. If RPL is granted. All students must sign a record of RPL Declaration and a copy will be placed in the student’s file. RPL outcome is entered onto a Training Plan by the RPL Assessors and the outcome.
9. Students are able to re-submit evidence twice, meaning a student is allowed three submissions.
10. All paperwork is submitted to Administration. The paperwork is audited and the RPL outcome is entered into Student Management System against the student. Qualification or Statement of Attainment issued
11. Students who are dissatisfied with the outcome of an application for RPL should access EQUINOX COLLEGE P.6.01 Complaints, Appeals and Feedback Policy

Enrolment Privacy Policy

Why we collect your personal information

– As a registered training organisation (RTO), we collect your personal information so we can process and manage your enrolment in a vocational education and training (VET) course with us. Any unwillingness to provide us with the requested information may result in us not being able to finalized your enrolment.

How we use your personal information

– We use your personal information to enable us to deliver VET courses to you, and otherwise, as needed, to comply with our obligations as an RTO.

How we disclose your personal information

– We are required by law (under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth) (NVETR Act)) to disclose the personal information we collect about you to the National VET Data Collection kept by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER). The NCVER is responsible for collecting, managing, analysing and communicating research and statistics about the Australian VET sector. We are also authorised by law (under the NVETR Act) to disclose your personal information to the relevant state or territory training authority.

How the NCVER and other bodies handle your personal information

– The NCVER will collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with the law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the NVETR Act. Your personal information may be used and disclosed by NCVER for purposes that include populating authenticated VET transcripts; administration of VET; facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage; and understanding the VET market.

The NCVER is authorised to disclose information to the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE), Commonwealth authorities, State and Territory authorities (other than registered training organisations) that deal with matters relating to VET and VET regulators for the purposes of those bodies, including to enable:

administration of VET, including program administration, regulation, monitoring and evaluation • facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage
understanding how the VET market operates, for policy, workforce planning and consumer information.

The NCVER may also disclose personal information to persons engaged by NCVER to conduct research on NCVER’s behalf. The NCVER does not intend to disclose your personal information to any overseas recipients.

For more information about how the NCVER will handle your personal information please refer to the NCVER’s Privacy Policy at www.ncver.edu.au/privacy.

If you would like to seek access to or correct your information, in the first instance, please contact your RTO using the contact details listed below. DESE is authorised by law, including the Privacy Act and the NVETR Act, to collect, use and disclose your personal information to fulfil specified functions and activities. For more information about how the DESE will handle your personal information, please refer to the DESE VET Privacy Notice at https://www.dese.gov.au/national-vet-data/vet-privacy-notice.

Surveys

– You may receive a student survey which may be run by a government department or an NCVER employee, agent, third-party contractor or another authorised agency. Please note you may opt out of the survey at the time of being contacted. Contact information –

At any time, you may contact Equinox College to:

request access to your personal information
correct your personal information • make a complaint about how your personal information has been handled
ask a question about this Privacy Notice

Student Handbook

Student Handbook 2021

Complaints, Appeals and Feedback Policy

P.6.01 – Complaints, Appeals and Feedback Policy V1.0 (1 Mar 2021)

Policy Statement

EQUINOX COLLEGE is committed to ensuring all staff and participants are provided with the best possible environment in which to work and study. Despite all efforts of EQUINOX COLLEGE to provide satisfactory services to its students, complaints may occasionally arise that require formal resolution. The following procedures provide participants the opportunity to have any issues relating to a substantiated complaint or appeal resolved and resolutions reached that attempt to satisfy all parties involved. This complaints and appeals process will be at no cost to the participant.

Scope

This Policy relates to all employees, students or contractors of EQUINOX COLLEGE.
This policy is implemented to make all staff and participants aware of their right to appeal and/or make a complaint against any decision or fact that has affected their study experience at EQUINOX COLLEGE.
DEFINITION – Complaint means any act or commission that a customer or potential customer of EQUINOX COLLEGE believes to be unfair or discriminatory and relates to any EQUINOX COLLEGE activity. It can include complaints related to academic or non-academic matters. Appeal means a request to review a decision that has been previously made.

Procedure

Stage 1 – Informal Complaint Process

Complaint is made to an EQUINOX COLLEGE staff member
Complaint is recorded and emailed to the Training Manager
Complaint is recorded in the Complaint Register
Training Manager contacts complainant within 3 working days of receiving complaint
If the matter is resolved, written acknowledgement is sought from all parties (preferably by email)
If the matter is unresolved, an internal investigation of the complaint is initiated by the relevant manager
The outcome of the investigation will either be a resolution of the complaint or initiation of formal complaint process
The complainant (and staff member if relevant) are provided with a written statement of the outcome which outlines the details of the decision. The written statement will be provided within 10 working days by the Operations Manager

Stage 2 – Formal Complaint Process

Written complaint is submitted to the Training Manager
The Training Manager will acknowledge the complaint within 3 working days of receipt
The Training Manager (or independent staff member) investigates the complaint and liaises with all parties involved
The complainant and staff member are provided with a written statement of outcome which outlines the details of the decision. The written statement will be provided within 5 working days by the Operations Manager
If the matter is resolved, written acknowledgement is sought from all parties
If the matter is unresolved it will be referred to the Director of Training
The complainant is provided with a written statement of the outcome which outlines the details of the decision. The written statement will be provided within 7 working days by the Director of Training
If required to attend a formal meeting/mediation session, the complainant may be accompanied at the meeting by a representative.

Stage 3 – Appeals Process

If a stakeholder remains unsatisfied with the outcome of their complaint, a written statement detailing their appeal is to be lodged with the Director of Training.

The Director of Training will delegate the appeal to the Operations Manager for review of the original outcome and the grounds for the appeal. They will consult as necessary to investigate the appeal;
The Operations Manager will contact the appellant within 10 working days to discuss the outcome of the complaint and identify the desired outcome;
The desired outcome will be discussed with relevant stakeholders and a solution agreed to;
The Operations Manager will advise the appellant in writing within 10 working days of the outcome of their appeal;
If an agreed solution cannot be reached the appellant may escalate the appeal to the Managing Director
The appellant is provided with a written statement of outcome which outlines the details of the decision. The written statement is provided within 15 working days by the Managing Director.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the complaint at the end of the internal process, you may wish to have the matter dealt with through an external dispute resolution process.

Assessment Appeals

If you receive an outcome from an assessment and have been advised of a final result of “Not Yet Competent” but you believe that:
• You genuinely do have the required degree of competency; and
• You have provided reasonable proof of this to EQUINOX COLLEGE

You may query or appeal the result. This process ensures that all students are fully satisfied with the fairness and accuracy of EQUINOX COLLEGE’s assessment processes.

In order to Appeal an Assessment decision, please follow the process below:

Discuss the matter with the Training Manager
If you are not satisfied with the outcome of this discussion, you may request the matter to be referred to the Operations Manager.
The student must document the reason for requesting an appeal of the assessment, ensuring that sufficient details about the circumstances surrounding the appeal are included. The student is to provide a concise reason why the feel the ‘Not Yet Competent’ result is not appropriate.
The Operations Manager will review the assessment and consult as necessary to investigate the appeal.
The Operations Manager will advise the student of the appeal review and if any further actions are necessary.
The Operations Manager will advise the student if their appeal is upheld or not and this decision will be final.

Complaints to the Regulator
If the complainant wishes to make an official complaint to the regulator, they can complete the Complaint about a training organisation operating under ASQA’s jurisdiction form provided by the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) on their website.
http://www.asqa.gov.au/complaints/making-a-complaint.html

Recordkeeping
All EQUINOX COLLEGE staff associated with investigating and resolving a complaint or appeal are required to keep file notes of any related discussions or actions. Such file notes are to be marked ‘strictly confidential’ and be held in a secure restricted place. All official correspondence with the complainant/appellant will be retained in the same place.

Notes should be kept to a minimum stating only facts and relevant details as described by the parties. Dates and times of interactions should also be recorded.

All details relating to complaints and appeals will be recorded in the Complaints and Appeals Register.
Any actions arising from the Complaints and Appeals Register will be used to inform the Continuous Improvement Committee and further enhance EQUINOX COLLEGE’s systems and operations.