About the course

How is the course delivered?

This course is delivered online, which gives you flexibility in your study hours and allows you to complete the course at your own pace, perfect for balancing work and family commitments. After enrolment, you will receive your login credentials for access to our learning platform. This is where you will find all your instructions, learning resources and assessments.

We know that the TAE is not easy and that it’s not a matter of “if” but “when” you will need a guiding hand. That’s why you will have unlimited access to your trainer and can schedule a phone or video calls when you need support. Our trainers are available from 9 am to 5 pm QLD time, Monday to Friday.

Our service promises to you:

• Any assessments you submit will be marked within four business days. That is our service standard guarantee to you.
• All emails are responded to within 8 business hours.
• If we miss your call, we’ll call you back within 4 business hours.

If you are not sure why quality support is important, you may be interested in our article ‘Why Student Support Matters“.

IT Requirements

As this program is delivered online, it is essential that students are aware of the IT requirements of the program prior to enrolling to ensure that we’re the right fit.

To enrol for this program, you must be able to answer YES to the following questions;

• Do you have access to a computer?
• Does your computer have – a broadband internet connection – Laptop or PC – a video camera, either built into your device or a separate webcam – a microphone, either built into your device or in the webcam?
• Do you have the ability to open web pages, view videos on youtube, download & extract zip folders, open and download pdf documents, and open, edit, save & upload documents created in Word?

If your answer is NO to any of the above questions, please contact us on 1300 141 994 so that we can provide the best advice for your circumstance.

How long does it take?

The enrolment duration for this course is 3 months.

Experience tells us that the following three factors affect the time it takes a student:

1. Experience – if you have experience in training/assessing, then you will likely not need as long as people without experience.
2. Dedication – if you have a good reason to do the course, and can hold yourself accountable, then you will likely not need as long as people who are less committed.
3. Other commitments – if you have a busy life with many competing professional and personal demands, then you will likely need longer than those people with fewer demands.

While it differs for different people, we find that successful students usually dedicate 10- 15 hours per week to their studies. That said, some of our students take less time, while others take more. It is up to you.

Successful Study Habits

We have a video on Successful Study Habits that will support you in progressing through the course in a timely manner. Here is what we know to be true, based on our experience with thousands of students:

• Talk to us! If you’re stuck on a problem at home or feel overwhelmed, don’t sit and stew, or worse, procrastinate! Connect with us in whatever way suits you, be it phone, chat, email, Google Meet or Zoom, and we’ll help you reach a solution so you can get on with your studies.
• Schedule it in! Set aside “chunks’ of time to allow you to really sink your teeth (and brain) into the learning process and allow yourself to get “in the zone”. You can set your own pace, structuring your learning and your assessments to suit your lifestyle.
• And lastly, take your course one step at a time…consistency is important, but if the unexpected happens, we can help you find solutions, like course deferral.

What if I need to take a break from study?

The flexibility of our online approach means that if you need to take a break from studying, we’ve got that covered too.

We offer the option to defer (pause) your studies. Whilst you are deferred, your enrolment is inactive, and we pause your enrolment duration. Then, when you are reactivated from deferment, you pick up exactly where you left off and carry on.

Here are the important details;

• You can defer a maximum of two times. The first deferment is free. The second deferment incurs a $45 fee.
• Payment plans continue on deferment, and your payments must be up to date before we can defer you.
• You won’t have access to your trainer or learning platform whilst you are deferred.
• If you have at least 6 weeks remaining in your enrolment, you can defer for up to 3 months. After that, you can defer for twice the amount of time remaining in your enrolment (for example, if you have 1 week left in your enrolment, you can defer for 2 weeks.)

The most important thing is to contact us if your enrolment isn’t working out as you had planned so that we can offer you the best support options as and when you need them.

Do you have flexible payment options?

We offer the following payment options.

• Upon application, you are required to pay a deposit of fees, this will include a non-refundable application fee of $150.
• You can choose between an upfront payment or a flexible payment plan
• Upfront payment: Course Fee $600, and a deposit of $1500 today with the balance due in 60 days.
• Flexible payment: Course Fee $650 We offer flexible payments, the initial amount you will pay upon application is calculated based on your course fee and the type of payment plan you choose.
• We offer weekly, fortnightly or monthly ongoing payment options
• You may wonder why the flexible payment option is more than the upfront.  Like any payment plan, this allows for admin fees to be met.

You may be eligible for government funding.

If you are over 40, you may be eligible to receive 50% of your course fees from the government’s Skills Checkpoint for Older Workers (SCOW) program. Another funding option is the Mid Career Checkpoint which offers funds of up to $3,000 to students who return to the workforce.

More information is available HERE.

Can I get a refund if I change my mind?

Upon Application

• If you are found not to be suitable for entry into any of our programs, we will refund all monies paid.
• If you choose not to continue with the enrolment interview or application, we will refund monies paid, excluding the $150 application fee.

After Enrolment

• Fortress has a 7-day cooling-off period.
• This 7-day cooling-off period starts from the activation of your learner portal.  For example, if your learner portal is activated on March 1st, the 7-day cooling-off period ends on March 8th
• If you choose to withdraw within the 7 days cooling off period, then a full refund of fees paid(excluding the application fee of $150) applies.
• If you choose to withdraw at any time after the 7-day cooling-off period ends, no refund is applicable, and the full balance of course fees will be due.

Please refer to our Refund Policy here for additional information.