NSW Government and Subsidised Training

Smart and Skilled is a New South Wales (NSW) government funding incentive for those trying to gain new skills needed to find a job or advance their careers.

As a prospective student, course costs are an important factor when deciding what to study and where. Smart and Skilled provides eligible students with an entitlement to government subsidised training on qualifications up to and including Diploma level.

Choosing to study through the Smart & Skilled program also means you are guaranteed to receive quality training under the Smart & Skilled guidelines.

For students, this is assuring because your chosen provider is obliged to deliver the course accordingly and at a very high level of quality and compliance.

For further information go to:  Smart and Skilled NSW

VET Student Loans

Booroongen Djugun College is an approved course provider for VET Student Loans. This means we offer students important support in financing their studies.  Booroongen Djugun College students can access the VET Student Loans loan scheme for approved courses, provided they satisfy all eligibility criteria.

Eligibility is determined upon set criteria, determined by the Commonwealth Government. To be an eligible, students must meet ALL of these criteria as outlined in the VET Student Loan Student Information Booklet as follows:

• be an Australian citizen, or a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder who meets the long-term residency requirements, or a permanent humanitarian visa holder.
• not have exceeded the FEE HELP limit.
• be enrolled with an approved course provider in an approved qualification.
• be studying the approved qualification primarily at a campus in Australia.
• meet the Tax File Number (TFN)   requirements.
• have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) or are otherwise exempt.
• have read the VET Student Loans information booklet.
• have provided the required documents to Booroongen Djugun College and submitted the loan application form by the first census day no less than two business days after enrolling.

Academic Suitability

Before a student can access a VET Student Loan, Booroongen Djugun College must also determine if they have the ability to undertake the qualification. To be assessed as academically suitable, students must either:

• provide a Australian Year 12 Certificate, or
• provide evidence of successful completion of an Australian Qualifications Framework Certificate IV or higher qualification (where the language of instruction is English), or
• display competence at Exit Level 3 in the Australian Core Skills Framework in both reading and numeracy through an approved Language, Literacy and Numeracy indicator.

In addition, Booroongen Djugun College must reasonably believe the student will be able to successfully complete the qualification.

Please note: VET student loans will not be approved for students who do not meet eligibility requirement.

For further information, documents and policies for VET Student Loans, please click here

What is the Census Date:

The Census day is last day you can withdraw from your course or part of course without having to pay tuition fees for the course or part of the course.

The census date for a course, or a part of a course, is the last day you can:

• complete the eCAF to apply for a VET Student Loan for your course, or
• withdraw your enrolment without incurring a debt for the course or part of

the course.

Every part of a course (unit or subject) has its own census dates, so that you incur debts as you progress through your course, not for the whole course at the beginning. Every course must have at least 3 census dates spread reasonably evenly throughout your course. Census dates are published below.

Booroongen Djugun College will send you VSL Statement of Covered Fees and VSL Fee Notice before the census date so that you have all the information you need to make your study and payment decisions.

You may cancel your enrolment in the course or part of the course by following the VET Student Loans Withdrawal Policy and Procedure located on the Documents page

If you decide to withdraw before the census date for a course or part of a course, you will not incur a VET student loan debt for the course or part of the course and will receive a refund for any tuition fees already paid for the course or part of the course.

Census Dates

The following are the census dates for approved courses.

CHC52015 Diploma of Community Services

Austudy

Provides financial help if you are aged 25 or over and studying an approved full-time course at our approved colleges. Read More

Abstudy

Abstudy is a living allowance for Indigenous secondary or tertiary students, for which local ACBC students may be eligible. Read More

Youth Allowance

You may be eligible for Youth Allowance if you are 16 to 24 years of age (or 15 years if considered independent) and studying full-time at our approved colleges. Read More

Student Learning And Support Services

Prior to, or at the enrolment stage, College staff identify areas where individual learners may need additional support (eg. Language, literacy, and numeracy; physical capabilities; assistive technology; mentoring and tutoring services; financial advice; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander support) and to identify whether learners’ physical attributes may influence their ability to complete the training and assessment.

Student counselling and support procedure QA-CCS-01 is in place for students requiring additional support, advice or assistance while training. Booroongen Djugun College is committed to providing students requiring additional support, advice or assistance while training.  To achieve this and to ensure quality delivery of training and education, we provide:

• Student Vocational Counselling to improve and extend training outcomes.

• Additional support and services include:
  • Education and career counselling
  • Assistance when applying for Recognition
  • Information for credit transfer
  • Articulation/education and training pathway

• Counselling and Personal Services are available to all students and staff and may take the form of advice or referral to other services. Personal counselling services include but are not limited to:
  • Complaint /conflict resolution
  • Stress management
  • Access and equity issues
  • Financial and welfare support
  • Lifeline – 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au
  • Relationships Australia – 1300 364 277 or relationships.org.au
  • MensLine Australia – 1300 78 99 78 or org.au
  • Kids Helpline (aged 5 – 25) – 1800 551 800 or com.au

• Mental health websites
  • beyondblue.org.au (focus on depression and anxiety)
  • https://www.nmsupport.org.au/accessing-support/find-a-service/mindhealthconnect (issues surrounding mental health)
  • headspace.org.au (mental and health wellbeing support)
  • reachout.com (online youth mental health service)

• Community Services Guide

• Post Program and Exit Services includes providing advice with job seeking, resume and interview skills, and mentoring. Students are advised of the BDC’s Volunteer Training Program towards the completion of their qualification or course.

• Students considered ‘at risk’ will be counselled as appropriate and/or referred to qualified counsellors. Students are encouraged to make contact with a member of College staff who can assist and refer them to the appropriate support services.

Resources

On-line delivery/distance delivery:

• Computer network for accessing on-line units.
• If not employed in industry, access to vocational placement worksites for practical experience that meet the resource requirements listed below, as well as access to workplace mentors and supervisor

Face to face delivery:

• Training room appropriate to the number of participants
• White board and /or Flip Chart
• Overhead projector or Laptop and Data Projector
• Booroongen Djugun College policy, procedures, work instructions
• Student Handbook
• Current legislation, regulations and codes of practice, including Equal Opportunity legislation, Work Health and Safety legislation, Industrial Relations legislation
• Universal declaration of human rights
• Funding framework guidelines, including not-for-profit, government funding
• Access to at least one service organisation that can provide experiences relating to the units of competency chosen within the training plan for the minimum work placement hours required for the purpose of workplace assessment
• Access to a work environment that provide the following (or if they cannot be provided in an actual workplace, simulation can take place):
• presence of situations that allow interaction with other people
• interactions with clients and co-workers from a range of diverse backgrounds
• typical workplace reporting processes
• use of presentation media
• modelling of industry operating conditions, including: use of real or simulated organisation for which the student develops policies and procedures, and integration of problem solving activities
• Access to a range of clients including a range of people from culturally diverse backgrounds
• Access to:
• administrative equipment
• documentation and resources commonly used within a service setting (including legislation, organisational policies and procedures
• Codes of Conduct
• individualised plans and equipment or resources outlined in the plan
• crisis intervention plans and emergency interventions, including Risk Minimisation strategies
• policies and procedures for responding to service and crisis situations
• data collection tools and reporting documents
• organisational mission statement
• job description/staff routines
• Access to an organisational work health and safety program, including reporting documentation and templates, including Risk Assessment documentation and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when relevant to the workplace
• Access and integration with a range of key stakeholders involved in the services sector, including clients, managers and staff
• Access to equipment and resources normally used in a various service settings, including a range of manual handling equipment, communication aids/systems, etc. relevant to the workplace
• Digital media
• Information relating to peak bodies, network groups and web based network services