2017 User Choice Program Application
To apply for User Choice 2017 Program subsidies, this application must be completed and emailed to [email protected] When submitting an application, please do so only as a Word document (PDF format will not be accepted). Applicants must ensure that all information included in this application is accurate. Once this application has been assessed by Skills Tasmania, Department of State Growth and deemed successful, it will become a Schedule to the RTO’s Skills Tasmania Agreement and will form a legally binding agreement. On approval, Skills Tasmania will record the number of training places and amount of training subsidy that has been allocated on the Signing page of this application (last page of this document) and will return the application to the RTO for acceptance and signing. If assistance is required to complete this application, contact the Skills Tasmania User Choice manager on 03 6165 6060 or email [email protected] Applicant details
RTO registration number (as listed on training.gov.au ABN:
RTO legal name:
Trading name:
Contact name:
Contact position:
Contact e-mail:
Contact phone number:
Mobile number
RTO address:
Date of approval as a Skills Tasmania Endorsed RTO and the scope of endorsement (ie full or specialist)
Skills Tasmania office use Endorsed Scoped Score Number check Assessment doc no only d
Page 1 of 10 RTO eligibility requirements
The following requirements determine a RTO's eligibility to apply for subsidies through the 2017 User Choice Program. 1 Registration as an RTO RTOs must be registered in accordance with the requirements of the NVR Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 to deliver the qualification/s applied for. 2 Scope of Registration RTOs must only submit applications for training subsidies where the qualification(s) is included on their scope of registration for delivery in Tasmania at the time of lodging the application. 3 Availability of qualification as a subsidised apprenticeship or traineeship An RTO can only apply for subsidies where the qualification has been approved as a subsidised apprenticeship or traineeship and appears on the Skills Tasmania approved apprenticeships and traineeships list: http://laureldw.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/default.aspx NB: the availability of a qualification as an apprenticeship or traineeship does not automatically grant the provision of a User Choice subsidy for that qualification. 4 Skills Tasmania Endorsed RTO Status RTOs must be approved as a Skills Tasmania Endorsed RTO at the time of submitting an application. The scope of the endorsement must cover the qualifications for which the RTO has applied. For more details go to http://www.skills.tas.gov.au/providers/rtos/endorsedrtosystem . RTOs not already endorsed can apply for endorsement using the application on the Skills Tasmania website: http://tinyurl.com/ERTOapp. NB: the endorsement process will take a minimum of three weeks from receipt by Skills Tasmania to notifying the RTO of the outcome.
Application conditions
1. To be considered for a User Choice subsidy the RTO must fully complete and appropriately lodge a User Choice Grants Program application with Skills Tasmania. The ‘Declaration of RTO status to meet Buy Local Criteria’ section of the application must also be completed. The information provided in the application must be accurate and verifiable by the Department.
2. RTOs must be a Skills Tasmania Endorsed RTO at the time of applying for User Choice subsidies.
3. RTOs may only apply for subsidies for qualification/s that are on their scope of registration at http://training.gov.au/
Page 2 of 10 4. RTOs may only apply for subsidies for qualifications that are available as an apprenticeship or traineeship, are approved for User Choice subsidies and are published on the Tasmanian Apprenticeships/Traineeships List at http://laureldw.stategrowth.tas.gov.au/default.aspx
5. User Choice subsidies are allocated to RTOs per training place. That means the amount of subsidies requested by a RTO will be the number of training places multiplied by the published price of that qualification 6. RTOs may apply for subsidies at any time throughout the calendar year to deliver training for apprentices and trainees who commence training in a qualification in 2017. 7. RTOs must ensure that all apprentices and trainees who receive a subsidised training place are eligible for that subsidy. 8. RTOs must only apply for a number of places that either match previous User Choice take-up or a number that can be supported by an employer or employers in writing. Applications for large numbers that cannot be verified by previous take-up or by a clear, written commitment by an employer/employers will not be approved. 9. An RTO may apply for 'open market' or 'employer specific' training places. An ‘open market’ application may be made when the RTO is operating or seeking to operate with a range of employers and learners. An 'employer specific’ application may be made by a RTO who has established a relationship with a particular employer or employers. ‘Employer specific’ applications must be accompanied by evidence in writing from the employer or employers indicating the commitment of the employer to using the services of the RTO for their apprentices and/or trainees and the evidence must include the proposed/forecasted number of apprentices and/or trainees employed/to be employed by the employer who will require a User Choice-subsidised training place in 2017. 10. Skills Tasmania reserves the right to require additional information or evidence to support the assessment of any User Choice Grants Program application.
11. The RTO accepts that Skills Tasmania reserves the right to negotiate and/or pay: (1..1) a reduced subsidy amount where delivery of training is to multiple apprentices or trainees in the same organisation for the same qualification. This includes enterprise RTOs. (1..2) the level of subsidy for apprenticeships or traineeships. (1..3) the number of training places requested by a RTO. 12. The RTO, by its application, expressly authorises the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) to release information to Skills Tasmania, Department of State Growth, regarding the RTO’s registration status, including the results of any audits and subsequent sanctions that may have been applied. Subsidy conditions
1. If successful for a User Choice grant, the RTO will need to ensure that their 2015-2017 Skills Tasmania Agreement has been signed and activated.
Page 3 of 10 2. The RTO must provide the learner with training and/or assessment services for all core and elective units and must meet all other requirements of the relevant training package, as well as all obligations deemed necessary by Skills Tasmania to deliver quality training outcomes.
3 Training and assessment activity for User Choice subsidised apprentices and/or trainees must commence between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017.
4. The RTO must meet all reporting obligations, including the appropriate and timely lodging of Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard (AVETMISS) data.
5. The RTO must only apply for additional places when the initial allocation for a qualification has been exhausted.
6 The RTO must notify Skills Tasmania of any removal/planned removal of a User Choice subsidised qualification from their scope of registration.
7 The RTO must have a system/method which allows the RTO to identify which User Choice subsidised places have been allocated to apprentices or trainees and how many places remain for allocation.
8 The RTO accepts that a low allocation take-up rate may result in reduced future training subsidy allocations from Skills Tasmania and will be recorded against the RTO’s Skills Tasmania RTO Endorsement status. 9 If an RTO is approved for a User Choice agreement and has used all of an initial allocation for a qualification, further places may be negotiated through either of two processes depending on whether the place required is for a new worker or an existing worker.
10 The rate of subsidy, as well as any costs incurred by the employer, must be communicated to the employer by the RTO at or before enrolment of the apprentice or trainee.
11 Payments will not be paid for units reported through AVETMISS data that indicates that training and/or assessment services were commenced prior to the commencement date of an RTO’s User Choice agreement.
12 Subsidy payments will only be made where a User Choice agreement is in place between the RTO and Skills Tasmania and the apprentice or trainee meets all User Choice eligibility requirements, has a registered training contract and compliant AVETMISS data has reported activity for the apprentice/trainee.
13 Subsidy payments will not be made if the date of training or assessment is after the date of cancellation of the associated apprentice or trainee training contract.
14 The RTO is required to submit an application to Skills Tasmania to add a replacement qualification to a current User Choice agreement, regardless of the equivalence or non- equivalence of the qualification.
Page 4 of 10 Open market
This section should only be completed if you are applying for a place/s to use with a range of employers. If you require 10 or more places for a single employer you must complete the Employer specific table. Amoun t of No of Qualification Title of Subsidised Apprenticeship or subsidy places Qualification Code Traineeship sought required (Refer Apprenticeships/Traineeships List)* per *2 place ($)*1
NOTE: *1Qualifications subsidised under User Choice are marked as such on the list of apprenticeships and traineeships at http://laureldw.education.tas.gov.au/default.aspx Click on the relevant qualification for full details relating to that qualification including the Subsidy amount. *2 If you are applying for significantly more places than have been recorded in your previous User Choice activity, you must provide evidence from the relevant employers of the reason for the forecasted increase. The written support must contain the number of places required by the employer.
Page 5 of 10 Employer specific*1
Note: Skills Tasmania may require the employer to provide a financial contribution to the training and assessment costs where 10 or more places are provided to a single employer for the same qualification. Only complete this table for qualifications where you are applying for 10 or more places for a single employer. Qualification Amount of No of places National subsidised Qualification Title Employer name required for the Code payment sought employer per place*2
*1 You must attach evidence from the employer/s that they require training and assessment services from your RTO for their apprentices/trainees.
* 2This amount may be accepted by Skills Tasmania or it may be subject to further negotiation.
Page 6 of 10 Assessment Criteria
All applications will be assessed against the Assessment Criteria. If you are applying to deliver multiple qualifications, you must ensure that each criterion is met for each qualification if the training and assessment methods differ. Criterion 1: The Endorsed RTO must demonstrate how it will provide both training and assessment services to apprentices and trainees using methods that have been identified to meet the needs of both the learner/s and the employer. You will need to: outline how the needs of the parties are identified and how those needs are addressed by the training and assessment methods chosen. clearly distinguish between the training and assessment services and outline what resources are engaged to provide training.
Criterion 2: The Endorsed RTO must demonstrate that it has existing relationships with Tasmanian industry/employers in relation to the qualifications applied for, and that each Tasmanian industry/employer/s is satisfied with the training and assessment services provided by the RTO. You will need to: list the names of the employers currently receiving training services from you for their apprenticeship and traineeship training, where that training is the same as the qualification subsidy you are applying for provide evidence of the employer's satisfaction with the services provided by your organisation in relation to the apprenticeship and traineeship qualifications you are applying for. This evidence must be in writing from the industry/employer/s.
Criterion 3: The Endorsed RTO must demonstrate the strategies it uses to identify the support needs of each learner and describe how that support is/will be provided to Tasmanian apprentices and/or trainees. You will need to: outline the mechanisms in place to identify the support required by each learner and the processes used to provide that support, particularly for those learners who require support for literacy and numeracy, learning
Page 7 of 10 difficulties or disability issues.
Criterion 4: The Endorsed RTO must demonstrate that it has strategies in place for ensuring and maintaining industry currency for trainers and assessors delivering the qualifications applied for. You will need to: provide evidence that your RTO ensures that trainers and assessors possess and maintain industry currency.
Criterion 5: How will your successful application support new job growth for apprentices and trainees?
Declaration of RTO status to meet Buy Local Criteria
All questions must be completed
Where is your head office located? Provide street address details. Does your organisation have a permanent presence in Tasmania? If yes, provide street address
Page 8 of 10 details How many people do you employ?(include contractors & sub-contractors)? What percentage of your employees (including contractors & sub-contractors) are Tasmanian residents? What percentage of the products and services you purchase to help with the provision of training are obtained from local suppliers? Estimate the total value of this arrangement and the profit that may be retained in Tasmania as a result of the training being provided.
I attest that the information provided is a true and accurate at the time of making this grant application.
...... Name, Position and RTO
...... Signature Date Signing page Declaration I state that: I have read the Program guidelines and am able to meet the RTO eligibility ☐ requirements and the application and subsidy conditions, should my application be successful Information provided in this application is true and correct to the best of my ☐ knowledge
Page 9 of 10 I will notify Skills Tasmania of any changes that may affect this application ☐ I understand that this is an application and that I am not guaranteed funding ☐ My RTO will ensure that any apprentice or trainee who receives User Choice ☐ subsidised training meets all eligibility requirements Name: Position: Date:
PLEASE NOTE: This page will be completed by Skills Tasmania if the RTO is granted a User Choice agreement. The authorised RTO representative must sign this page and return it to Skills Tasmania to indicate acceptance of the number of places and the prices approved. TRIM ID Agreement ID
User Choice schedule User Choice schedule end commencement date date RTO Name Name of authorised officer
PCID Qualification Qualification Title Subsidy No of Code amount ($) places
Department of State Growth, Skills Tasmania authorisation
Chrissie Berryman, General Manager, Skills Tasmania Date RTO authorisation
(Name, title and signature) Date
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