Victorian TAFE Teachers Reclassification Readiness Program (RRP)

This program includes:

• TAE50116 Diploma of Vocational Education & Training
• TAE50216 Diploma of Training Design & Development (optional)
• Studies in adult learning methodology
• Studies in teaching in a Vocational Education environment
• Studies in Applied Research (linked to the Boyer framework of scholarship)
• 200-hour teaching practicum

We structure the above into 3 components:

Component 1:  TAE Diploma:  either the single Dip VET or dual Dip VET/TDD program

Component 2:  TAERES501 – Apply research to training & assessment practice

Component 3:  Professional Activity – 200 hours

Depending on what you have already done, you may need to do all or only some Components.  The fee you end up paying, and the duration required, will depend on your particular situation.

Because no two people are the same, making you jump through the same hoops as everyone else just doesn’t make sense. Experience tells us that students seeking to complete this program will have lots of questions.  Because our program is so highly geared toward each individual student, it is critical that we get to know each other from the very beginning.

That’s why our process begins with a conversation, which you can make happen by calling us on 1300 141 994 or clicking Enquire Now below.

It’s not a sales pitch; just us having a conversation so we can both discover if we are a good fit and explore how it will all look.

Or, if you prefer, you can get started by completing the PLP Survey below.

PLP SURVEY ENQUIRE NOW

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. On enrolment, you will receive your login credentials and instant 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 phone or video calls when you need support. Our trainers are available 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.

Is this approved by VTA?

Yes.  The Victorian TAFE Association Qualifications Committee has approved the program as a legitimate means to address the requirements of the Victorian Staff Teaching Agreement.  The approval is shown here;

How do I document everything?

A requirement of reclassification is that the 200 hours of Professional Activity be “fully documented”.  This is a simple little phrase that means a whole lot of record keeping.  Experience tells us that effectively documenting your activities along the way is going to be key to avoiding headaches (and heartaches!) at the other end.  We provide a range of templates that have been specifically developed to capture the required information, as well as a bespoke web app, 200 Hours.

Introducing the “200Hours” Web App

To assist with your record keeping, we have developed our own online application to enable you to:

• Record your activities and how long they took. The items for evidence include:
  • Item 1. My teaching practice was observed by another teacher. You must be observed for not less than 50 hours by someone who holds a Diploma or higher-level adult education qualification AND has at least 5 years of relevant experience.  
  • Item 2. I observed the teaching practice of another teacher. You must observe not less than 50 hours of teaching by others.   
  • Item 3. I participated in other professional activities. You must participate in not less than 50 hours of activities such as meetings, course development, student interviews or industry engagement. 
  • Item 4. I participated in teaching-related activities. You must participate in not less than 50 hours of other teaching-related activities which may involve further directly supervised teaching practice or further teaching observations or participation in other professional teaching activities.
• Add evidence for each activity
• See how you are tracking with the time required
• Export a PDF report that lists a summary of all your activity, as well as an itemised list of each record
• Upon completion, of the 200 hours across the 4 different Item areas, you will complete a short quiz to let your Trainer know your evidence is ready for review. Your Trainer will then review your portfolio and provide you with feedback and the next steps.

RPL or Coursework? Probably both.

If you have experience at the coalface of training and assessment in an RTO, then our program is designed for you.

You can expect that there will be many parts of many units that align with many things that you have done in your work.  We will tease out those things, and work out for you the best combination of assessment that reflects both what you have done before and what you will be doing while you are enrolled with us; our goal is to meet the Rules of Evidence, not limit ourselves to traditional definitions.

We do that when you get started, through what we call the Personal Learning Plan process.  That plan will tell you how to approach each unit, in which order and over what time frame to help you succeed in your preferred length of time. You can access our Personal Learning Plan Survey by clicking the button at the top of this page.

Then, we begin.

And as we move forwards, we will together adjust the plan however we need to in response to new information and changed circumstances.

For many of our students, the process is viewed more as one of structured professional reflection rather than mindless hoop-jumping.  And from that reflection comes a personal confidence in your own professional competence.

Given the specific and robust requirement that we verify that you have met all aspects of the Reclassification Criteria, it is not likely (although not impossible) that you will gain RPL for the practical 200 hour component of the Practicum, nor for TAERES501.

Is it all or nothing? Single or Dual Diploma?

You can undertake this program with a view to attaining either just the Dip VET or both the Dip VET and Dip TDD.  This is something we will factor into developing your own Personal Learning Plan.

We understand that life is uncertain, and that 18 months is a long time so it is something that can also change along the way.

If an opportunity comes up and you need to have at least one qualification sooner rather than later, then we can probably find a way to make that happen for you, and you can then continue to complete the rest of the Program.  Likewise, if life throws you some curve balls and you need to cut back from the Dual to Single Diploma program, then there are ways we can do that as well.

These are just two examples of situations we commonly encounter with our students.  There are many others.

The key thing is to keep things nice and tight – if we know what is going on, we are better able to offer guidance.

Practical Requirements and People You Will Need Access To

Although your program and the units it includes will be unique to you, again, it’s useful to look at the units within the TAE50116 Diploma of Vocational Education & Training  to get a big picture view. We will determine the units you will complete as part of the Personal Learning Plan process and at this point, a chat with a trainer can clarify the human and physical resource requirements that you will need for your specific program.

In order to complete the practical assessment requirements of the TAE50116 Diploma of Vocational Education and Training, you must;

• Have the ability to conduct 50 assessments for 20 candidates (for TAEASS501)
• Have access to learners to which to deliver 100 hours of training
• Have the ability to form a group of three peers to review assessments and discuss facilitation practice
• Have the ability to deliver training to 5 vocational learners (for TAELLN501)
• Have the ability to lead peers in extending LLN practice (for TAELLN501)
• Have access to sufficient organisational personnel for a variety of Diploma tasks

You must have access to a suitably qualified TAE observer. It is essential that your observer is qualified at a Cert IV level as a minimum (holding as minimum qualifications the TAE40110, TAELLN411 and TAEASS502, or equivalent units), but it is desirable that they are TAE qualified at a Diploma level.

If your program includes TAERES501, in order to complete the practical assessment requirements of TAERES501, you must;

• Have access to an organisation on which to base your research
• Have the ability to collect data related to your research

A Third Party Report will need to be completed by an observer who is TAE qualified at an AQF Level 5 or higher.

You may also possibly need ethics approval from your organisation.

What are the entry requirements?

We do not want anyone to commence this program unless they have a good chance of success.  As a minimum you will:

• Possess a personal commitment to professional reflection, an openness to the tasks that will be required of you, a commitment to working with us to achieve them and a willingness to accept responsibility for your success or otherwise.
• Possess TAE40116 Certificate IV in Training & Assessment, or TAE40110 + TAEASS502 + TAELLN411 (or their equivalent predecessors).
• Be currently employed within an Australian Registered Training Organisation and be in a position/role that enables you to:
• Plan for delivery and assessment of accredited units of competency, and then implement those plans.
• Access peers and other colleagues with whom you can collaborate through a range of reflective activities including, but not limited to: qualified teachers or educators to observe your delivery of training (See note below), other colleagues whose delivery you can observe, colleagues with whom you can observe each other’s assessment, discussing issues related to both facilitation and assessment practice, consider current research and its implications for professional practice, support learners with identified needs.
• Conduct applied research related to, at the least, your own training & assessment practice.

Note:

Your own delivery must be observed by an appropriately qualified person.  This means that they will possess, at a minimum:

• Diploma or higher level qualification in adult learning
• Minimum 5 years relevant experience

Each supervisor will be required to confirm the authenticity of their observations, and provide us with evidence of their qualifications and experience.

If you do not have direct access to a suitably qualified Observer, we are able to view recordings of your delivery.  This is an additional service that incurs additional costs. It’s something we can talk about if you think you might need it.

What will it cost me? Do you have flexible payment options?

The fee will ultimately depend on what you need to do as part of your particular program.  We start with a base fee and duration, and then reduce that for every unit you can receive via Credit Transfer.  You can exit with the single Dip VET or both Dip VET and Dip TDD.  We can model some different options with you as part of the pre-enrolment process if required.

Maximum Fee:

• Full Victorian Tafe Teachers Reclassification Readiness Programm with the Single Diploma $4,000 for 18 months enrolment period
• Full Victorian Tafe Teachers Reclassification Readiness Programm with the Dual Diploma $4,000 for 18 months enrolment period
• RES 501 (You already hold the diploma and can show 200 hours) $1,000 for 9 months enrolment period
• 200 Hours App (you already hold the diploma with the RES501) $1,000 for 8 months enrolment period
• RES 501 plus 200 Hours App (you already hold the diploma) $1,300 for 9 months enrolment period

The fee is reduced by $300 for each unit awarded via Credit Transfer. Credit Transfer rebates are applied to the final course payment.

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 $4,000, and a deposit of $1500 today with the balance due in 60 days.
• Flexible payment: Course Fee $4,650 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 be wondering 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.

Mature-age students may be able to access a funding co-contribution of 75%, or up to $2,200, towards training. Eligibility for the Incentive is subject to successfully completing a Skills Checkpoint assessment and Career Plan that identifies suitable training opportunities, which you will need to discuss with a Skills Checkpoint Career Advisor. Please also note that each applicant, or their employer, must co-contribute and fund the balance of the training course costs after the government contribution is applied, which at most can be 75% of training costs, up to the value of $2200 GST inclusive.

More information is available HERE.

Can I get a refund if I change my mind?

Upon Application

• If you are found to not 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

Is this Course a good fit for you?

We want to make sure that you are the right fit for us and we are the right fit for you. Here are a few things for you to consider:

• Fortress Learning is not a “tick and flick” RTO. If you want the fastest and easiest way, we probably won’t be a good fit.
• We made the decision a long time ago to focus on quality and not quantity. As a result, our qualifications have a very good reputation in the industry.
• Employers know that a Fortress Learning qualification is more than just a piece of paper; it has substance.
• Our students finish their training with knowledge, competence and confidence.

Suitability Assessment

All our enrolments will have a Suitability Assessment to complete before you can enrol. The Suitability Assessment will address the technical requirements of the program, required IT skills and also make sure you have access to the human and physical resources you need for the practical requirements.

This ensures that you are placed in the right course for you and that there are no nasty surprises after you have paid and started your course.