21/03/2017
We have an important and unfortunate announcement for all students.
While we will be continuing to provide training and support for our certificate programs, we are not able to offer further training for our diploma students who have been studying with financial assistance from the former VET FEE-HELP scheme. Unfortunately, last night we were notified by the Department of Education, that we are unable to train our students effective immediately (21 March 2017).
Despite our best efforts to ensure minimal disruption to our diploma students, this sudden decision means we must cease training immediately. We have been instructed that ACPET will be communicating options to our students moving forward and working to provide alternative providers to conclude current courses through.
While many training providers chose to liquidate their companies, when the Government introduced sudden changes, with large cashflow implications to our industry, Smart City Vocational College, has been striving to undertake a very difficult restructuring process. We did this as we felt it would be the best outcome for our valued staff and students. Our strongest desire has been that our current students can complete their studies with our current dedicated trainers. Unfortunately, this goal has been taken out of our hands, so all we can do is take this opportunity to truly thank both trainer and student for their dedication and loyalty extended through a difficult time.
We sincerely wish you all the best with your studies and future careers.
Announcement for Employers and Industry partners.
It is important to us, that any future employers of our 5000+ graduates understand that the reason we are unable to train our valued students has nothing to do with the quality of our courses or training, or any compliance issue or poor practice, rather only due to not being given the chance to renew our tuition insurance with ACPET. Like other providers we were seen as a high risk. Our assumption on that risk evaluation, is due to being a smaller family run business, rather than a company backed by a larger, or foreign investors with deeper pockets.
We maintain our courses are of the highest standard and would strongly recommend our students for employment. Our courses are flexible and practical, but also require high levels of self-motivation and self-management to complete. We believe students who progressed through our diploma courses will demonstrate the same tenacity in the workplace.
Our current tuition insurance was valid until 31 March 2017. We felt confident that before 31 March we would have been able to secure long term insurance, or at least, demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Secretary of the Department, that Smart City Vocational College has in place arrangements in accordance with the provisions of the Higher Education Support (VET) Guideline 2015 and that these arrangements are sufficient to cover all students enrolled as VET students in VET units of study with us. We would have provided this evidence had we been given the chance to do so before having our funding licence removed, on 21 March 2017.
This huge disappointment aside, we look forward to continuing our industry relationships and working with our valued partners with our current traineeship programs and future programs.
Sincerely,
Jim Spong
Director of Smart City Vocational College
