Student Handbook

Tec Skill Pty Ltd, trading as Open Education Academy, is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO 45055). A full list of our qualifications is available on the national register at www.training.gov.au.

Our trainers and assessors are qualified and experienced. We provide a flexible online learning environment with tailored training and assessment options to meet individual needs. This handbook outlines your rights and responsibilities as a student. If you have a question that is not answered here, please contact us directly.

Open Education Academy collects only the information needed to deliver and administer your program. We take reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure, in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (as amended).

By law, we may share your student file with:

• Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) as part of an audit
• National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)
• USI Office
• Other government departments (e.g. Department of Employment, Small Business and Training)

No other disclosure will occur without your written consent, except as required by law.

Students may nominate a third party to access their enrolment and training details by completing a consent form and returning it to admin@openeducationacademy.com.

Our full Privacy Policy is published on the Open Education Academy website.

All Open Education Academy training is delivered online. We are committed to a safe learning environment and will provide WHS information to students and staff for any on-site activity if it occurs.

Where training is partially delivered through an employer, the employer is responsible for the safety of the workplace, including instructors, trainers, and management.

Open Education Academy is committed to fair and equitable treatment of all students and staff, in line with the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 and the Fair Work Act 2009.

Discrimination means treating someone unfairly because of factors unrelated to their ability — including race, colour, gender, age, disability, marital or family status, pregnancy, religion, or political opinion.

Harassment is unwelcome behaviour based on an assumption of power, and can be verbal, written, or physical. All students and staff are expected to recognise and respect the limits set by others.

If you believe you are experiencing harassment or discrimination, please refer the matter to the CEO or management team.

Each student must provide a valid USI when enrolling in a nationally recognised program. If you do not have one, you can authorise Open Education Academy to obtain it on your behalf. For more information visit www.usi.gov.au or contact the USI office on 1300 857 536.

The USI portal holds a secure record of your recognised training and qualifications across all Australian providers. Where a student is exempt from holding a USI, results will not appear on any authenticated VET transcript. Evidence of the exemption must be provided before enrolment.

In accordance with Section 11 of the Student Identifiers Act 2014 (Cth), any personal information collected solely to apply for a USI on your behalf will be securely destroyed as soon as practicable, unless retention is required by law.

Important — Open Education Academy cannot issue formal certification without a verified USI. Offshore students residing permanently overseas cannot access USI records, and Open Education Academy cannot enrol international students who hold a student visa.

Under the Data Provision Requirements 2012, Open Education Academy must collect personal information about you and disclose it to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER).

Your information may be used or disclosed for statistical, administrative, regulatory, and research purposes to:

• Commonwealth and State or Territory government departments and authorised agencies
• NCVER

NCVER may use this information to populate authenticated VET transcripts, conduct research and surveys, pre-populate enrolment forms, and support VET policy, planning, and program administration. You may be invited to take part in a student survey and may opt out when contacted.

NCVER handles personal information in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the National VET Data Policy. Full details: https://www.ncver.edu.au/privacy.

Important — Open Education Academy submits its AVETMISS data annually to NCVER.

Qualifications delivered by Open Education Academy are subject to entry requirements. Eligibility is discussed and confirmed at the time of enrolment. Acceptable evidence typically includes:

• Identity documents (e.g. driver's licence or passport)
• Evidence of residency (where applicable)
• Statement of Attainment
• Record of Results
• Official USI transcript

Open Education Academy does not require an LLN test prior to enrolment. Students are responsible for advising us if they require learning support at any point before or during their program. On request, we will provide an LLN assessment, and where specific needs are identified the relevant trainer will arrange suitable support strategies, including reasonable adjustments. Where support needs exceed our staff's expertise, we will refer the student to external support agencies.

In addition to LLN, our online learning platform requires sufficient foundation digital skills. As a minimum, each prospective student must have:

• English reading and writing skills
• Basic computer and keyboard typing skills
• Basic competency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Basic digital skills to find, use, share, and create content across computers, smartphones, and tablets
• The ability to conduct online research and access external information sources

All programs are delivered online. Each student is given unique login credentials to access learning content and assessments through the online learning system. Assessment submissions and assessor feedback are managed entirely within the system.

A qualified trainer and assessor delivers each program.

Each student must complete an enrolment form, which captures mandatory AVETMISS data. Prospective students must read and acknowledge the candidate declaration before enrolment.

Program duration

At the start of the program, each student is provided with their program start and end dates. Once the end date has lapsed and no extension has been arranged, the student's training record will be closed and access to training and assessment services, support, and resources will end. To confirm your end date, contact the office by phone or email.

Defer a program

A student may defer their program due to extenuating circumstances outside their control (e.g. long-term illness or family matters). Requests must be emailed to admin@openeducationacademy.com.

Program transfer

A student wishing to transfer to another Open Education Academy program must submit a request to admin@openeducationacademy.com within the first three months of enrolment. Management will review the request. Where the new program is priced higher, the student is responsible for the fee difference.

Program withdrawal

A student may withdraw from a program by emailing their request to Open Education Academy.

Online units

Online units are released one at a time after completion of the previous unit to support sequential learning, unless an alternative arrangement is made. Release is aligned with received course fees.

Workplace resources

For training partially delivered in the workplace, agreements will be established with the employer to provide access to the facilities and equipment required for training and assessment.

Each student receives three opportunities to submit an assessment for marking. Each submission will be deemed either Competent or Not Yet Competent.

• Not Yet Competent: gaps in the submission. The assessor will provide feedback to guide the re-attempt.
• Competent: the assessment requirements for the unit have been met.

The assessor has up to 20 business days to mark a submission.

Important — During peak periods, public holidays (national and Queensland), staff absences, unforeseen lockdowns, or business closure periods, students may experience delays in receipt of results.

Methods of assessment

Open Education Academy delivers formal assessment only. Students complete the formal learning and formal assessments outlined in their program.

Reasonable adjustment

Reasonable adjustment is a change to the assessment process or tool to ensure equitable access, without altering the unit's learning outcomes or breaching training package requirements. All reasonable adjustments are discussed between the student and assessor and documented.

Open Education Academy does not tolerate deliberate plagiarism, which is treated as serious academic misconduct. Plagiarism includes:

• Word-for-word copying of sentences or paragraphs, or presenting substantial extracts from books, articles, or other published material without indicating their origin
• Submitting another student's work in whole or part and claiming it as your own
• Submitting work written by someone else on your behalf, including AI-generated content

A first offence results in a written final warning from management. A second offence results in termination from the program without refund.

Open Education Academy does not deliver RPL.

Students seeking an RPL pathway for a nationally recognised qualification can be referred to Techskill Academy, also operated by Tec Skill Pty Ltd (RTO 45055), which delivers RPL assessment for eligible qualifications. A referral or assessment fee may apply and will be disclosed before any referral is actioned. Contact the student support team to discuss your eligibility and options.

Open Education Academy will apply credit to students who have previously completed units of competency, evidenced by a Statement of Attainment, Record of Results, or USI transcript. Credit can only be applied where the unit has an equivalent status on the national register (www.training.gov.au) and complies with the packaging rules of the qualification. Fees apply — refer to the Credit Transfer Fee under Fee Information.

Students are encouraged to raise concerns informally with a member of the student support team in the first instance. Where this does not resolve the matter, a formal complaint can be submitted by email to admin@openeducationacademy.com or by completing the complaint form.

All formal complaints are reviewed by management. A written outcome, including the rationale for the decision, will be issued within 10 business days of receipt. If the student is satisfied, agreed actions are implemented and the complaint is closed. If not, the student may appeal the decision (see Appeal Policy).

Students may raise concerns relating to their studies or assessments with any member of the Open Education Academy team. Formal appeals are reviewed by management, who will issue a written outcome — including the rationale — within 20 business days of receiving the appeal. If the student is satisfied, agreed actions are implemented and the appeal is closed. To submit a formal appeal, email admin@openeducationacademy.com.

At enrolment, students identify whether they or a third party will pay the fees. The responsible party will be invoiced. Payment can be made in full, through a payment plan, or via a finance option. Open Education Academy accepts payment by credit card, bank transfer, or invoice.

Corporate discounts are available for group enrolments and corporate clients — contact the team for current pricing. All fees are accurate at the time of publication and are subject to change at the discretion of the CEO.

Certificates and Statements of Attainment will not be released until all outstanding course fees are paid.

Program fees

Contact the team for the current pricing of programs. Fees are levied on all courses; details are discussed with the prospective student and confirmed via email or through the enrolment process.

Extension fees

Students who require additional time to complete their program must submit an extension request on or before their program end date. Requests must be submitted to admin@openeducationacademy.com.

• $150 per month (no GST)
• Available in monthly blocks only
• One or multiple months may be purchased in advance, subject to approval
• Must be requested on or before the program end date

Re-enrolment

Where a program has expired and no extension has been applied for, the student will be required to re-enrol and pay the full current price for the course, unless otherwise negotiated.

Credit transfer fee

Where a student is seeking credit transfer from units of competency previously attained at another recognised institution (e.g. TAFE or another RTO) and is pursuing a full certificate with Open Education Academy, an admin fee applies. The fee is charged once per credit transfer request, based on the number of units submitted:

Students must provide a valid Statement of Attainment, USI transcript, or Record of Results for verification. Fees are non-refundable once verification has commenced. This fee applies only to eligible units and does not apply to credit transfers when moving between programs within an existing Open Education Academy enrolment.

Missed payments and overdue fees

Where a student fails to make payment, or a direct debit payment fails, for more than 20 business days beyond the scheduled date, Open Education Academy reserves the right to revoke access to the student portal and/or place the enrolment on hold until overdue fees are paid. Unpaid fees may be referred to collections.

Prepayment of course fees

Students may choose the payment option best suited to them, including upfront payment, payment plans, or finance. Any prepayment amount exceeding $1,500 is covered by assurance protection offered by Tec Skill Pty Ltd T/A Open Education Academy. If the arrangement is terminated or services cannot be delivered, the student is entitled to a refund of any prepaid amount exceeding $1,500 (in line with the Return Fees Policy) or will be offered a replacement course. This does not apply to courses negotiated as a commercial transaction.

Online payment system (Stripe)

Online payments may incur processing fees disclosed by the payment provider. Students should familiarise themselves with these fees.

Direct debit

Students using direct debit must agree to the payment agreement.

• Direct debit can be set up against a Mastercard, Visa, or AMEX card
• If funds are insufficient on the scheduled date, the system will retry the next business day
• If direct debit fails, the student's enrolment and system access may be suspended. The student must contact Open Education Academy immediately.

Our goal is to help you finish what you start. When you enrol, you are investing in your future, and we are here to support you. By signing your enrolment form, you commit to completing your program and using the resources available to you.

If your circumstances change, we do not offer cancellations or refunds for personal change, but we do offer flexible options:

• Pause your course — take a break and return when ready
• Extension — get more time to complete your course (fees may apply)
• Transfer — move to another course that better fits your goals
• Sell or gift your course — you own it; transfer it if needed (fees may apply)

To discuss options, contact admin@openeducationacademy.com. Requests are reviewed by an Executive Manager.

Where a matter proceeds further, Open Education Academy's reparation policy entitles us to recover any costs incurred — including legal fees, staff time, and administrative expenses. These costs will be formally invoiced and are recoverable debts.

Nothing in this policy limits any right you have under the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)), including consumer guarantees that cannot be excluded.

Open Education Academy will transition all currently enrolled students to a replacement training product within 12 months of the superseding date published on www.training.gov.au, unless otherwise directed by ASQA. Students will be advised in writing of any transition arrangements and will be given every opportunity to complete the transition.

In the unlikely event that Open Education Academy cannot deliver the agreed training and assessment, we will, in the first instance, make every effort to place the student in a comparable course with another registered training provider. Where this is not possible, the student will receive a refund equivalent to fees paid for undelivered units, and a Statement of Attainment will be issued for any units already deemed competent.

Open Education Academy issues all AQF certification documents (including electronic certificates and statements of attainment) within 30 calendar days of the student's final assessment being deemed competent, provided all course fees have been paid. Certification is only issued where the student has met the requirements of the training product as specified in the training package or accredited course.

Open Education Academy stays in regular contact with students to support program progress. Follow-up includes phone calls, SMS, and email. Students are encouraged to contact us whenever assistance is required.

• Phone: 1300 459 157
• Email: admin@openeducationacademy.com

Important — During peak periods, public holidays (national and Queensland), staff absences, unforeseen lockdowns, or business closure periods, students may experience delays — including with the enrolment process, response times, call-backs, internal administration, and assessment results.