What is Vet Fee Help and How Can I Check if I am Eligible For Vet Fee Help?
VET FEE‑HELP is available to assist eligible students studying higher level vocational education and training (VET) qualifications to pay their tuition fees. Higher level VET qualifications are at the diploma level and above.
So how do you apply for Vet Fee Help? Well you can state by finding a adult education provider that already has met the governments criteria for Vet Fee Help. Vet Fee Help means vocational education and training you can qualify for it when studying for a diploma level and above.
So how do you know who to go to as an educational provider as in recent times many educational providers have come under the spot light for abuse and bad behaviour of this government based educational funding incentive. To list all the companies like Evoca who were recently featured on A Current Affair as per story below; Make no mistake not all vocational education and training centres are cons our recent research has come across and emerging provider Do You Even Study.
These guys are dedicated to doing the right thing when it comes to helping people achieve their diploma goals and dreams from the start to the finish. So if your wanting a diploma backed career in one of the following areas, these are your go to institute as and online university that will set you straight with Vet Fee Help right from the beginning, the will not sugar coat you with fancy iPad tablets or laptops they will get you in the right course for the best careers in a Business diploma, childcare diploma, Fitness diploma, Management diploma, Beauty diploma, Community services diploma, Youth Work diploma, Work health and safety diploma by providing you with the best best courses and online study to secure the right diploma of business.
Remember Do You Even Study have no association with dodgy operators like Evocca College and UNIQUE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE PTY LTD who where recently reviewed for their bad conduct and dodgy practises of ripping off Aussie battlers. Then there Mr Singh Amarjit Singh is a flamboyant businessman who loves the finer things in life. Problem is, Mr Singh is the director of a company accused of taking Australian taxpayers for a very expensive ride.
Amarjit Singh is a flamboyant businessman who loves the finer things in life.
Problem is, Mr Singh is the director of a company accused of taking Australian taxpayers for a very expensive ride.
The company, Unique International College, is now being chased by authorities for more than $50 million.
Unique International College says it will vigorously defend the ACCC claims.
Statement from Unique International College:
UNIQUE INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE PTY LTD (ACN 120 557 851) (“Unique”) was yesterday made aware of the Federal Court proceeding brought against it by AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION (“ACCC”). Unique intends to vigorously defend the claims made against it in Court by ACCC. The place for Unique to do that is in Court.
Other than to say that it has at all times sought to comply with the relevant Regulations and Standards which apply to private education providers in the interest of providing its students with quality education and the best training outcomes, it is not appropriate for Unique to make any further comment while this matter is before the Court.
They’re the private colleges using dodgy practices that leave Aussie battlers in debt, leaving the taxpayer to fork out the difference.
The government is finally cracking down on their underhanded tactics, but just who is bankrolling these cash colleges?
Evocca, Careers Australia and Aspire all responded to A Current Affair’s request for comment.
You can read their statements below.
1. Has Evocca College received Government VET-fee money for students who have never completed courses?
The Evocca teaching model is based on doing everything we can to support students and ensure that they remain as engaged as possible, with a robust system in place for the ongoing management of students, including regular one-to-one catch ups with tutors, to ensure that these objectives are achieved.
Unfortunately, and despite our best endeavours, we (as any other organisation involved in the education sector) cannot guarantee that 100% of students who enrol in our courses will graduate, and that some may incur a debt under the VET FEE HELP system.
We point out that Evocca’s courses are structured as having either three or four clusters with a student only incurring the cost of each cluster once they pass a census date which is 20% of the way through each cluster. This provides each student with multiple exit points without having to incur the full cost of the course.
Evocca also has a dedicated team who are tasked with reaching out to those who become disengaged with their studies and where, despite our best efforts to get them back on track, we will cancel their enrolment to avoid them incurring further debt and have many thousands of documented cases to back this up.
2. What do you say about The Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) investigating Evocca College?
Despite media comment, we have had no advice from ASQA of an investigation. We welcome any scrutiny from regulatory bodies and have fully complied with ASQA audits in the past.
3. Former staff say they had students who were illiterate, spoke poor English, some were even intellectually disabled – do College recruiters target people who don’t have the skills to finish courses? Do College recruiters target places like Centrelink etc. in lower socio-economic areas?
There are two parts to this assertion/question:
Firstly, in regards to any assertion to the effect that Evocca College recruiters target people who are illiterate or intellectually disabled, this claim is untrue and would amount to a false and misleading claim.
Evocca utilizes a thorough pre-enrolment test which must be satisfactorily completed prior to admission by any candidate.
This process seeks to ensure that any potential student is fully aware of:
– the cost of the course;
– how the VET FEE HELP system works;
– the study requirements of the course, and, importantly, has adequate Language Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) capabilities to complete the course.
It is due to these self-imposed standards of closely vetting any potential student that, although we receive many thousands of enquiries annually, only 14% of these result in enrolments.
Secondly, for any assertion that College recruiters target places like Centrelink in lower socio-economic areas, this is also untrue and would likewise amount to a false and misleading claim:
Evocca or its agents certainly do not approach Centrelink offices, nor do they cold call or door knock. We are aware that such practices exist by others and you will see from our Senate Inquiry submission (attached) that we are recommending that such practices are not permitted.
In contrast, the truth is that a large proportion of Evocca enrolments actually come from student and staff referrals.
We do have displays in shopping centres, but these are for the purpose of information only no student is enrolled or signed up at the information booths.
As outlined above, any potential student must first satisfactorily undergo a pre-enrolment test prior to being enrolled.
4. Why offer iPads and/or computers as enticements?
Similar to many other reputable universities, RTOs and schools, Evocca loans iPads and computers to students for educational purposes. They are a necessary 21st century tool to support students to undertake their studies. The loan assists many students who do not have the immediate ability to purchase their own devices on an upfront/outright basis.
They are provided on loan pursuant to a scheme that has been approved by the Federal Department of Education and is in full accordance with current VET FEE HELP policy.
You also ask a number of (irrelevant) questions about religion, to which I give the same response we supplied to the ABC, and as per the letter from Clayton Utz attached:
(a) Evocca is a College comprised of persons from a diverse range of backgrounds, belief systems and cultures. It is an inclusive organisation that does not discriminate against any on the basis of their religious beliefs.
(b) Evocca does not enquire of its management, staff or students what their religious persuasion (if any) might be.
(c) Evocca does not remit its profits to any religious or political organisation.
(d) No Evocca or company profits are repatriated to the United States.
(e) Evocca does not receive any tax concessions as a result of anyone’s religious or political beliefs or associations.
Further, for your information and as background to the story which you are proposing to put to air, we have forwarded to you a copy of the submission that Evocca College recently made to the current Senate Inquiry into the VET FEE HELP sector, and in which we look forward to participating, as I believe that this demonstrates that we are engaged in trying to improve regulation of the sector and create a robust and sustainable industry.
Robert Gordon
Managing Director
Evocca College
Careers Australia response
The student in question was informed on no fewer than three occasions about the importance of the cut-off date for course withdrawals. This occurred
: 1) When he completed the on-line application for VET FEE-HELP;
2) In the standard welcome email sent to all new students by Careers Australia; and
3) In a personal welcome phone call made on 21 May, 2015.
The welcome email and phone call also remind students of the costs of the course.
Careers Australia emphatically rejects the claim that potential students are pressured or enticed into courses. Potential students who are referred through third-party agents must go through a five-stage enrolment process managed by Careers Australia. At no stage in that process did any person promise this student an iPad or pressure him to enrol.
Ultimately, at the end of this process, the student self-enrolled through our website. Given that he remained enrolled in the course and completed studies up to the census date, he has accrued a fee amount under the VET FEE-HELP scheme. This scheme is not managed by Careers Australia, and it is now unlawful for us to refund these fees.
Careers Australia has completion rates and employment rates equal to or better than the national average across the vast majority of our training areas. Our ownership and management structure are a matter of public record.
Statement: Aspire College another reputable Vet Fee Help college says;
As part of our study programs, Aspire College offers significant support to many students who otherwise may have been marginalised from mainstream social and economic life and we take pride in our track record in this regard.
Lukas’ academic levels were well within the range necessary to complete the Diploma of Management and until the A Current Affair interview he was progressing satisfactorily with the course requirements.
In addition Lukas has never filed a complaint in relation to the College or the course with Aspire College or education Regulators.
After the A Current Affair engagement with this family, two senior Aspire staff members met with Lukas and his mother to confirm the course previously charted with Lukas to complete his studies. Unfortunately subsequent to this and for reasons not known to us, Lukas has decided to suspend his studies.
Aspire College hopes that the ACA story does not deter students, who have the capacity for success despite personal challenges or who may have otherwise been marginalised, from pursuing advancement through education.