RESOURCES
Fortress Learning is committed to ensuring that its marketing and advertising complies with AQF requirements.
Fortress Learning supplies accurate, relevant and up-to-date information to prospective students and contractors prior to completing written agreements.
Fortress Learning reviews all information regularly through its version control policy to ensure accuracy and relevance.
Prior to enrolment, Fortress Learning supplies students with information about:
TAE Training Package Update December 16, 2022
As you may be aware, the TAE Training Package has recently been updated, and the following Qualifications and all associated skillsets and single Units of Competency have now been superseded:
Fortress Learning will not be accepting any extension or deferment requests for the following TAE Training products after the following dates:
Fortress Learning will not be issuing any TAE Certificates/Diplomas or Statements of Attainment after Dec 1st 2024 (full Qualifications only) and after Dec 1st 2023 (TAE skillsets and single units only), so it is essential that all units from your course are completed and awarded prior to the relevant and applicable dates.
The following process applies to enrolment and selection.
Step 1 – Contact Fortress Learning
Phone: 1300 141 994Email: admin@fortresslearning.com.auAddress: PO Box 1096, Maroochydore QLD 4558
Step 2 – Suitability Assessment
We encourage all prospective students to speak with us before enrolment. This process is valuable in discussing the program requirements (including resources to be provided by the student), reviewing the learners’ existing skills and knowledge and identifying any possible obstacles or barriers, as well as getting to know the students.
Students are required to complete the Suitability Assessment prior to enrolling. Students are unable to enrol without completing the Suitability Assessment.
If a student proceeds to enrol without contacting Fortress Learning, they will undertake the Suitability Assessment as part of the pre-enrolment process. If they answer “no” to any of the questions, they are redirected to a Contact Us Page and are invited to provide us with contact details so that can discuss their suitability for entry into the relevant course.
For students who we deem suitable, Fortress Learning will then advise on the enrolment process, including LLN and direct them to the most suitable course for their needs.
Students who are not deemed suitable will be provided with reasons and advice on steps that they can take to improve their suitability for our programs.
Step 3 – Enrol
Step 4 – Personal Learning Plan Developed
If applicable and not done prior to enrolment, Fortress Learning will negotiate with you a Personal Learning Plan or course outline and schedule that reflects course requirements and your personal circumstances. This will become a ‘living document’ that may change should your circumstances change.
Step 5 – Orientation
You will receive a welcome email from your trainer with an invitation to book an orientation session. During the orientation session, your trainer will show you how to access your Learner Portal which is where you will find all of your learning resources and assessment documents. We encourage you to have your orientation session within your 30-day cooling-off period so that you can ensure the course is the right fit for you.
Step 6 – Start Learning
You start your training program. Our team will assist you in your learning journey.
At all levels of operation, Fortress Learning is committed to the principles of access and equity. Equity is about justice and fair dealing, not necessarily about treating all people the same way. Access ensures that any disadvantaged persons or groups in our community will have the provision of training services. Fortress Learning Trainers and Assessors will ensure that all course participants have sufficient resources provided to assist them in successfully completing course requirements. Some examples of this might be:
Please note that as we are a private, not government-funded, training provider, access to external specialist support services are limited. We can, however, provide advice to students on how to access external support services.
Disability Support
In keeping with the principles of accessibility and equity, and in accordance with their responsibilities as defined under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Fortress Learning is committed to ensuring that all students are supported in achieving their goals. Where barriers exist for students in relation to access, participation and learning outcomes, Fortress Learning will work with the student to ensure fair and equitable access and outcomes are achieved.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders
Fortress Learning is committed to ensuring that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are also given sufficient support to meet their learning needs.
Disability Supplementary Information Notice
The purpose of the Disability supplement is to provide additional information to assist you with answering the disability question on the Enrolment Form.
Disability in the contexts provided below does not include short-term disabling health conditions such as a fractured leg, influenza, or corrected physical conditions such as impaired vision managed by wearing glasses or lenses.
‘11 — Hearing/deaf’
Hearing impairment is used to refer to a person who has acquired mild, moderate, severe or profound hearing loss after learning to speak, communicates orally and maximises residual hearing with the assistance of amplification. A person who is deaf has a severe or profound hearing loss from, at, or near birth and mainly relies upon vision to communicate, whether through lip reading, gestures, cued speech, fingerspelling and/or sign language.
‘12 — Physical’
A physical disability affects the mobility or dexterity of a person and may include a total or partial loss of a part of the body. A physical disability may have existed since birth or maybe the result of an accident, illness, or injury suffered later in life; for example, amputation, arthritis, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, paraplegia, quadriplegia or post-polio syndrome.
‘13 — Intellectual’
In general, the term ‘intellectual disability is used to refer to low general intellectual functioning and difficulties in adaptive behaviour, both of which conditions were manifested before the person reached the age of 18. It may result from infection before or after birth, trauma during birth, or illness.
‘14 — Learning’
A general term that refers to a heterogeneous group of disorders manifested by significant difficulties in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical abilities. These disorders are intrinsic to the individual, presumed to be due to central nervous system dysfunction, and may occur across the life span. Problems in self-regulatory behaviours, social perception, and social interaction may exist with learning disabilities but do not by themselves constitute a learning disability.
‘15 — Mental illness’
Mental illness refers to a cluster of psychological and physiological symptoms that cause a person suffering or distress and which represent a departure from a person’s usual pattern and level of functioning.
‘16 — Acquired brain impairment’
Acquired brain impairment is an injury to the brain that results in deterioration in cognitive, physical, emotional or independent functioning. Acquired brain impairment can occur as a result of trauma, hypoxia, infection, tumour, accidents, violence, substance abuse, degenerative neurological diseases or stroke. These impairments may be either temporary or permanent and cause partial or total disability or psychosocial maladjustment.
‘17 — Vision’
This covers a partial loss of sight causing difficulties in seeing, up to and including blindness. This may be present from birth or acquired as a result of disease, illness or injury.
‘18 — Medical condition’
A medical condition is a temporary or permanent condition that may be hereditary, genetically acquired or of unknown origin. The condition may not be obvious or readily identifiable, yet may be mildly or severely debilitating and result in fluctuating levels of wellness and sickness, and/or periods of hospitalisation; for example, HIV/AIDS, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, asthma or diabetes.
‘19 — Other’
A disability, impairment or long-term condition which is not suitably described by one or several disability types in combination. Autism spectrum disorders are reported under this category.
The induction process will include a Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) Conversation (if applicable) with the National Training Manager.
This is optional and opportunity is given on the Enrolment Form for students to choose to complete this or not.
It is recommended students do complete this if they are in any way unsure that their core skills in reading, writing, learning, oral communication and numeracy meet the required ACSF levels as outlined in the Suitability Self Assessment Checklist as this will assist Trainers to better meet the individual needs of each student.
The Enrolment Form also offers an opportunity for students to identify any other particular needs they might have. Please discuss any concerns with your trainer.
Fortress Learning is committed to providing fair and equitable access to learning for all students and this will be monitored throughout the course.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) takes into account previous studies you may have completed as well as life and work experiences. If these experiences are relevant, you may be granted RPL for some of the units that make up your course. This allows for fairer access to studies by ensuring you are not required to duplicate the learning you have already achieved.
Using the RPL procedure is not necessarily an easy way to get a qualification. It is not a matter of time served, or amount of experience, but the specific and relevant learning that is assessed according to the prescribed competency standards. Students need to be committed to supporting their case by locating and providing suitable evidence and documentation.
All applicants for RPL are encouraged to discuss this with their trainer prior to commencing the formal application process.
Steps for an evidence-based RPL assessment:
Following the development of your Personal Learning Plan, Fortress Learning will provide you with the resources you will need to collect evidence of your current skills and experience.
Verifying with a Workplace or Third Party Observers
Some of the assessments in our TAE courses will require workplace or third-party observation
Fortress Learning will provide students with the Observation checklists and Third Party Report Templates to provide to Third Party Observers
In cases where RPL or workplace observation is significant, Fortress Learning may also request multiple observers / third parties be used and Fortress Learning will also verify with the Workplace Observer/Third Party to ensure authenticity.
It is very important that when completing any practical skill assessment via observation in the workplace or through completion of third-party reports that Third Party/Workplace Observers:
If the above does not occur, the Observation checklist/Third Party Report will be returned as not satisfactory and you will be required to resubmit based on the feedback provided.
Credit Transfer
Student Responsibilities for Assessment
Fortress Learning will not be held responsible for items of assessment that are submitted in any form until we actually receive them. For this reason, all students are responsible for retaining a copy of all materials and items that are submitted.
Submitted items will be retained by Fortress Learning for a period of 6 months following graduation, after which time they will be destroyed. Original items submitted in Hard Copy are not returned; as above, students are advised to retain copies of all materials submitted.
Students approaching the end of their enrolment period, and who wish to receive feedback on completed assessment items, are advised to submit assessment not less than 4 business days prior to the final enrolment date (see below).
Assessing Students Whose Enrolment Period has Concluded
Fortress Learning students are able to submit assessment items up until midnight of the last date of their Enrolment Period. However, submissions that are submitted within 4 business days of the expiry date are subject to the following process:
Fortress Learning students are able to submit assessment items up until midnight of the last date of their Enrolment Period. However, submissions that are reviewed following expiry will be subject to a pre-review of the portfolio’s completeness.
During the pre-review, we will seek to identify any omissions or errors, which by themselves would deem it not possible for the Rule of Evidence: Sufficiency to be satisfied, and thus preventing a successful outcome to be awarded for that/those unit/s of competency.
Where there are no such omissions, the submission is assessed and feedback provided as per usual. Where such omissions do exist, no further assessment will occur; feedback will be provided to the candidate that the portfolio was incomplete, thus deeming the outcome Competency Not Achieved or RPL Not Granted.
Further assessment, and associated feedback of a more detailed nature, will be provided only following the student signing up for a time extension.
A key principle of the Standards for Registered Training Organisations is national recognition (formerly known as mutual recognition), which means that all states, territories and registered training organisations will recognise qualifications and statements of attainment issued by other registered training organisations across Australia.
This means that valid and current Statements of Attainment and/or Certificates issued by another RTO demonstrating competency in individual units of competency relevant to Fortress Learning courses will negate the need for the unit/s to be repeated with Fortress Learning.
For all Qualifications/Statements of Attainment submitted by a student requesting Credit Transfer, Fortress Learning will authenticate the Equivalent Qualification using one of the following methods of validation:
Student Responsibilities for Assessment
Fortress Learning will not be held responsible for items of assessment that are submitted in any form until we actually receive them. For this reason, all students are responsible for retaining a copy of all materials and items that are submitted.
In the event that an application for Credit Transfer is for units that have been attained since 2015 but which do not show on a student’s USI registry, it is essential that we are able to confirm the authenticity of the certificate with the issuing RTO. Where the issuing RTO has ceased operations since the date of issue, it is up to the student to liaise with ASQA to seek confirmation of the units being completed. Fortress Learning cannot guarantee that Credit Transfers will be awarded for unit/s that are unable to be confirmed via the USI registry or with the issuing RTO.
Students approaching the end of their enrolment period, and who wish to receive feedback on completed assessment items, are advised to submit assessment not less than 4 business days prior to the final enrolment date (see below).
Assessing Students Whose Enrolment Period has Concluded
Fortress Learning students are able to submit assessment items up until midnight of the last date of their Enrolment Period. However, submissions that are submitted within 4 business days of the expiry date are subject to the following process:
Fortress Learning students are able to submit assessment items up until midnight of the last date of their Enrolment Period. However, submissions that are reviewed following expiry will be subject to a pre-review of the portfolio’s completeness. During the pre-review, we will seek to identify any omissions or errors, which by themselves would deem it not possible for the Rule of Evidence: Sufficiency to be satisfied, and thus preventing a successful outcome to be awarded for that/those unit/s of competency. Where there are no such omissions, the submission is assessed and feedback provided as per usual. Where such omissions do exist, no further assessment will occur; feedback will be provided to the candidate that the portfolio was incomplete, thus deeming the outcome Competency Not Achieved or RPL Not Granted. Further assessment, and associated feedback of a more detailed nature, will be provided only following the student signing up for a time extension.
ASQA can be contacted regarding records here: https://www.asqa.gov.au/students/student-record
From the moment a student enrols, Fortress Learning must put in place the resources needed to support that student through the program of study in which they have enrolled. As such, our costs and your fees are incurred regardless of the extent of student engagement.
Should a student wish to withdraw after our 30-day cooling-off period the balance of course fees is required to be paid in full no matter how far they advanced in their program. Students wishing to extend their enrolment duration beyond that in which they enrolled will be required to pay for that extension of time.
Fortress Learning has a range of flexible payment options as described below and per the individual course page.
We invite you to contact us directly to discuss any financial hardship or request for delayed/alternate payment options.
For further information, call Fortress Learning on 1300 141 994.
We offer flexible payment options for most of our courses. Details of those options are outlined on the relevant course detail page. Payment options are available for fortnightly direct debits from credit cards or bank accounts (on request). The cancellation of direct debit arrangements will trigger the remaining balance to become due.
All course fees include a $150 enrolment application fee which is part of the deposit paid upon application. This is a non-refundable fee unless Fortress Learning’s suitability assessment reveals non-compatibility with the IT requirements or that the student cannot meet the practical requirements. In these cases, the enrolment fee and any other monies paid will be refunded in full.
If a student does not attend, reschedule or cancel their enrolment interview, the $150 application fee is non-refundable and the student will need to complete another application to continue with their enrolment.
The fees payable are for services as stated. Where service is requested that is not a standard component of a program in which a student has enrolled, it will be subject to additional fees. For example, if a student needs one on one trainer support they will be able to purchase one on one time with the trainer as outlined in the course detail pages.
A cooling-off period of 30 days applies for students enrolling in online programs (not applicable for face-to-face or Zoom programs). If within 30 days of enrolling, a student decides to withdraw from their program of study prior to submitting any items for review (with the exception of the Personal Learning Plan Survey), then no fee (except the enrolment application fee) will be charged, and the participant is entitled to a full refund of any monies paid less enrolment application fee.
People availing themselves of the Cooling Off period will not receive any credentials for any units completed prior to withdrawal. The cooling-off period will be calculated from the date that your learner portal is activated.
Should a student wish to withdraw after our 30-day cooling-off period, the balance of course fees is required to be paid in full no matter how far they advanced in their program.
Fortress Learning is committed to working within a fair and transparent framework for the charging of fees, the provision of protection for fees paid in advance and the refund of payments where appropriate.
Students may request Withdrawal at any time during their period of enrolment. Should a student wish to withdraw after our 30-day cooling-off period, the balance of course fees is required to be paid in full no matter how far they advanced in their program.
Participants in Fortress Learning training programs can ask for a refund in the event of the following:
To withdraw, a student must fill out a Fortress Learning Withdrawal Form which is available from the Learner Portal, or from the RTO on request. Once signed, submit to Fortress Learning. Because eligibility for a refund during our 30-day cooling-off period is determined based on the date of the business day on which the completed Withdrawal Form is received we encourage prompt completion and submission of the Form.
Fortress Learning will contact the student upon receipt of the withdrawal form to advise of any outstanding issues, such as completed units, or outstanding fees, and also any refunds payable within the 30-day cooling-off period.
Where a refund is payable, it will be paid within 21 days of receiving the completed Withdrawal Form.
Due to the additional expenses and required number of participants associated with running face-to-face and Zoom programs, the following fees apply to withdrawal:
Upon request of the Withdrawal Form and upon receipt of a Statutory Declaration, a Statement of Attainment listing all units successfully completed will be issued provided any outstanding full course fees are paid.
Classroom training is reliant on minimum numbers being met for the course to proceed. Whilst every endeavour will be made to conduct all advertised courses, Fortress reserves the right to change or cancel timetables, class locations, course offerings, trainers and other such details or circumstances beyond our control that affect enrolments. Every effort will be made to advise course participants of any changes promptly. Participants automatically receive a refund in this instance if they don’t wish to transfer to another date.
Paid extensions are available. These fees are subject to change without notice.
There is no guarantee that an extension request will be approved.
It is not possible to extend enrolment in a program:
It may not possible to extend enrolment in a program:
For any students extending after a period of expiry, the full balance of course fees will be payable plus the extension fee for the extension timeframe requested.
Please contact us if you have any questions or need to speak with a Trainer.
Extension fees are available from the individual Courses/Fees page and are subject to change from time to time.
Transferring from a face-to-face/Zoom program to a standard online program is not possible for students.
For online programs, where a student wishes to transfer from one program (Program A) to another (Program B), the fees are calculated as follows:
Program B Fee – Program A Fee + Transfer Admin Fee ($150) + $150 per unit completed (or for which any assessment has been reviewed) which cannot directly contribute to Program B. When transferring from a program where the fee is more than the new program refunds will not be applied.
Where a student (Student A) wishes to transfer their enrolment to another student (Student B), Student A must first Withdraw and then any Refund payable may be allocated upon their request to Student B, less a $150 administration fee. Transfers of this kind are not permissible during a period of Extension.
In all situations, the duration of Program B is reduced by the time that has passed since enrolling in Program A.
Deferment is not available for any programs that involve a face-to-face component.
Deferment may only be available for the Zoom Programs if ALL Zoom Blocks have been completed. Where deferment will lead to the enrolment period going past an intended end date of the program, students will be required to discuss this with their zoom trainers.
There is no guarantee that a deferment request will be approved.
It is not possible to defer enrolment in a program that has been closed to new enrolments in the time since you commenced. It is not possible to defer enrolment where the deferment will push the end date more than 6 months past the initial enrolment end date. In this situation, students must either extend or re-enrol, provided either is still possible.
In the event that the program in which you enrolled is still accepting new enrolments, you may seek to defer your program as follows.
The following process will apply if payments are not received by the due date of the invoice of the payment plan schedule.
Note that all administrative and recovery fees for dishonoured or overdue payments will be payable by the student.
Credentials will not be awarded until a student’s complete fees are paid for the entire program in which they enrolled.
A fee of $60 applies to the issuance of a hard copy of Credentials and/or Statements of Attainment. Proof of identity may be required.
Course fees include the issue of a single electronic credential for each Training Product in which they are enrolled. A fee of $60 applies to issuing additional credentials, other than for the full product in which they are enrolled. Examples:
Course duration is calculated as the number of calendar months commencing from the date of course commencement. For calculation purposes, one month equals 30 days.
In event of extension following the expiry of the enrolment period, the extension period is calculated from the date of the recommencement date.
Fortress Learning is committed to establishing, maintaining and enforcing a safe system that focuses on:
Fortress Learning is aware of its responsibilities under ASQA to provide adequate protection for the health, safety and welfare of students attending face-to-face training sessions. This includes adequate and appropriate support services in terms of academic mentoring and coaching services.
Fortress Learning is also aware of its obligations towards students with a recognizable disability as defined under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. They will work with such students to customise their services, including making reasonable adjustments to the provision of assessment services in order to facilitate their successful participation in education, training and employment opportunities.
In striving to have a skilled, competent and caring workforce, unsatisfactory student performance and/or conduct will be addressed in a professional manner to ensure a fair and consistent process in line with natural justice.
Within the framework, Fortress Learning is committed to ensuring that inappropriate behaviour that may impair the integrity of the learning processes or the well being of individuals is appropriately managed.
Fortress Learning students have a right to:
Fortress Learning Students have responsibilities to:
Where Fortress Learning identifies that plagiarism, collusion or cheating (all defined further down) in assessment activities may have occurred among a group of 2 or more students, either concurrently or over a period of time:
Where a student breaches these guidelines or where a single incident is a serious breach of discipline, the following steps will be taken by Fortress Learning staff:
Where student behaviour constitutes an attempt to threaten or otherwise coerce staff such as in relation to the integrity of assessment decisions, Fortress Learning reserves the right to immediately cancel that student’s enrolment, with any refund to be calculated in line with the Withdrawal Policy or at the Manager’s discretion.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else's ideas, words, or work as one's own, without giving proper credit or attribution. It involves the unauthorised use or reproduction of someone else's intellectual property, such as text, ideas, images, or creative works, without acknowledging the original source. Plagiarism is considered a breach of Fortress Learning's academic and ethical standards, as it undermines the principles of honesty, integrity, and the proper attribution of intellectual contributions.
Cheating
Cheating in assessment refers to the act of dishonestly gaining an unfair advantage in academic evaluations or examinations. It involves actions such as using unauthorised materials, getting assistance from others without permission, plagiarising someone else's work, or engaging in any form of deception to achieve a higher score or better results than one's actual knowledge or abilities would merit. Cheating undermines the integrity of the assessment process, diminishes the value of academic achievements, and violates the principles of fairness and authenticity.
Collusion
Assessment collusion occurs when two or more individuals collaborate inappropriately on an assessment or assignment. This collaboration goes beyond acceptable levels of cooperation and involves a coordinated effort to produce work together in a manner that is not allowed by the assessment guidelines. Collusion may include sharing answers, jointly producing work meant to be done independently, or engaging in any form of unauthorised collaboration that compromises the individual assessment process. Like cheating, assessment collusion undermines the authenticity, fairness and integrity of the evaluation system.
Use of AI Tools
Fortress Learning acknowledges and encourages the prevalent use of AI tools, including ChatGPT and Google Gemini (formerly Google Bard), in knowledge assessment activities and some assignments. We support the utilisation of AI as a research tool for all students. However, copying and pasting directly from AI tools is strictly prohibited and will be considered plagiarism.
When incorporating AI tools, students are required to cite their use of AI and, if requested, provide AI transcripts that demonstrate the content was not simply copied and pasted. This is to ensure academic integrity and originality in the assessment process.
Fortress Learning is committed to dealing with complaints and appeals in a timely and constructive way. Complaints and Appeals include, but are not restricted to, matters of concern to a student or staff member relating to training delivery and assessment including the quality of the training, student support, learning materials, discrimination and sexual harrassment.
Natural Justice is concerned with ensuring procedural fairness:
If you are wishing to make a complaint or an appeal concerning any aspect of a Fortress Learning course, or a course provided by a Third Party Partner of Fortress Learning, the student should refer to the following process:
Complaints
Attempt to informally resolve the issue with appropriate Fortress Learning staff.
If unsuccessful they should lodge a formal complaint in writing and using the Complaints & Appeals Form that is available on request. It should be submitted to:
The Manager
Fortress Learning
PO Box 1096
Maroochydore QLD 4558
Or via email to: complaints@fortresslearning.com.au
Fortress Learning will seek to resolve all appeals and complaints within 60 days of its receipt, and where a longer period is likely to be required, Fortress Learning will advise in writing the reasons for this.
No changes to an enrolment status are permitted to occur while a Complaint is being addressed. This includes graduation, extensions and deferments.
Making a complaint to ASQA
ASQA provides information about making a complaint on this page: https://asqaconnect.asqa.gov.au/
If you are not satisfied with the quality of service or training being provided by a registered training organisation (RTO), there are ways for you to make a complaint.
Anyone can lodge a complaint: students, training organisation personnel, employers, parents, industry personnel, or any other member of the community.
If you are a local/domestic student of an ASQA RTO and you intend to make a complaint, you must first follow your RTO’s internal complaints and appeals procedures.
If, after following your RTO’s internal procedures, you still believe the RTO is breaching or has breached its legal requirements, you can submit a complaint to ASQA by completing the online complaints process available from here: https://www.asqa.gov.au/
Appeals
Students have the right to make an appeal against the academic decisions made by Fortress Learning.
Appeals should be made within ten (10) working days of the original decision having been made.
An appeal against an assessment decision can be made on the following grounds:
Fortress Learning aims to create a working environment that is free from harassment and where all members of staff are treated with dignity, courtesy and respect. Workplace bullying and harassment can be seen as the repeated, less favourable treatment of a person by another that may be considered unreasonable and inappropriate workplace practice. This relates to actions by both staff and students. For example:
Students with complaints concerning bullying and/or harassment should refer to the steps outlined in the Complaints/Appeals Policy.
If these attempts to settle the grievance are unsuccessful then the student can refer the matter to the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland on their statewide number 1300 130 670 or via TTY on 1300 130 670.
Where student behaviour is deemed to be offensive, either to another student or to staff, then Fortress Learning reserves the right to immediately cancel that student’s enrolment, with any refund to be calculated in line with the Withdrawal Policy or at the Manager’s discretion. Offensive behaviour includes such things as shouting, use of aggressive language or body language, making threats and use of threatening gestures and language, and swearing. Where such behaviour persists or is considered sufficiently serious, the involvement of the Police will be considered.
Fortress Learning is committed to providing a safe caring environment where all employees have a right to work free from discrimination, harassment and bullying. Discrimination may be defined as unfair or prejudicial treatment of individuals or groups of individuals based on personal attributes, characteristics, idiosyncrasies or associations. Sexual harassment can be regarded as any form of unwelcome sexual attention that is offensive, intimidating or humiliating.
Racial harassment is defined by harassment on the basis of race, which can vary from relatively minor abuse to actual physical violence.
Students with complaints concerning Discrimination should refer to the steps outlined in the Grievance Policy.
If these attempts to settle the grievance are unsuccessful then the student can refer the matter to the Anti-Discrimination Commission Queensland on their statewide number 1300 130 670 or via TTY on 1300 130 670.
As a registered training organisation, Fortress Learning is obliged to maintain effective administrative and records management systems. This involves the retention of student records. All staff must be scrupulous in using student information only for the purposes for which it was gathered. The following is based on the Company Privacy Policy, which is available on request.
Students must have access to their own training records at all times. Should it be deemed necessary, information about student records can only be divulged to a third party with the written consent of the student.
Students are able to access their records via Fortress Learning’s Learning Portal. Once a student graduates they are able to access their records by emailing enrolments@fortresslearning.com.au. Student submissions are destroyed 6 months following graduation and/or expiry.
If you have concerns about personal information held by Fortress Learning, you should contact the RTO Manager on
1300 141 994 or in writing to Manager, Fortress Learning, PO Box 1096, Maroochydore, QLD, 4558 – marked Private & Confidential.
If you still feel that your concerns have not been resolved, your complaint can be sent directly to the Commonwealth Privacy Commissioner, GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001Phone:
1300 363 992 or TTY 1800 620 241
Email: privacy@privacy.gov.au.
Phone calls
Fortress Learning records all phone calls. This is for the purpose of monitoring service standards, and to enable training of staff. Recordings are not shared with any third party.
Authenticating evidence
Where a student submits for assessment by recognition records of study completed previously, Fortress Learning may contact the issuing organisation to authenticate these records. Similarly, where a student submits for assessment by recognition of any third party statements, Fortress Learning may contact the author to authenticate those statements.
Any information provided by a student as part of their assessment within their program of study will only ever be used by Fortress Learning for the purposes of that student’s program of study.
Disclosure of Information to National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER) and other parties
Why we collect your personal information
As a registered training organisation (RTO), we collect your personal information so we can process and manage your enrolment in a vocational education and training (VET) course with us.
Enrolment will not proceed if personal information is not collected through the enrolment process.
How we use your personal information
We use your personal information to enable us to deliver VET courses to you, and otherwise, as needed, to comply with our obligations as an RTO.
How we disclose your personal information
We are required by law (under the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 (Cth) (NVETR Act)) to disclose the personal information we collect about you to the National VET Data Collection kept by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research Ltd (NCVER). The NCVER is responsible for collecting, managing, analysing and communicating research and statistics about the Australian VET sector.
We are also authorised by law (under the NVETR Act) to disclose your personal information to the relevant state or territory training authority.
How the NCVER and other bodies handle your personal information
The NCVER will collect, hold, use and disclose your personal information in accordance with the law, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act) and the NVETR Act. Your personal information may be used and disclosed by NCVER for purposes that include populating authenticated VET transcripts; administration of VET; facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage; and understanding the VET market.
The NCVER is authorised to disclose information to the Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE), Commonwealth authorities, State and Territory authorities (other than registered training organisations) that deal with matters relating to VET and VET regulators for the purposes of those bodies, including to enable:
The NCVER may also disclose personal information to persons engaged by NCVER to conduct research on NCVER’s behalf.
The NCVER does not intend to disclose your personal information to any overseas recipients.
For more information about how the NCVER will handle your personal information please refer to the NCVER’s Privacy Policy at https://www.ncver.edu.au/privacy
If you would like to seek access to or correct your information, in the first instance, please contact Fortress Learning using the contact details listed below.
DESE is authorised by law, including the Privacy Act and the NVETR Act, to collect, use and disclose your personal information to fulfil specified functions and activities. For more information about how the DESE will handle your personal information, please refer to the DESE VET Privacy Notice at https://www.dese.gov.au/national-vet-data/vet-privacy-notice
Surveys
You may receive a student survey which may be run by a government department or an NCVER employee, agent, third-party contractor or another authorised agency. Please note you may opt-out of the survey at the time of being contacted.
Contact information
At any time, you may contact Fortress Learning to:
Phone: 1300 141 994
Email: admin@fortresslearning.com.au
Address: PO Box 1096, Maroochydore, QLD, 4558
Fortress Learning is committed to the principle of continuous improvement. This is articulated in the Continuous Improvement Plan that is available on request. This Plan aims to support and strengthen compliance with Standards for NVR Registered Training Organisations in a way that reflects the growth of Fortress Learning, encourages innovation and measures and monitors outcomes.
Fortress Learning will ensure that all forms and documents used in the delivery of qualifications under their scope will be accurate and up to date. As significant changes or amendments are made to documents then old versions will be recalled and new ones circulated.
At least once a year a complete review of all documents will occur.
Fortress Learning has a systematic way of ensuring that assessments undertaken are fair and reasonable and consistent with industry best practices. This is articulated in the Validation Strategy that is available upon request. Forms detailing validation processes are also available on request.
Risk management is the systematic, positive identification of threats to resources and the development of appropriate strategies which minimize risk.
Fortress Learning has a systematic way of ensuring that all risks associated with the delivery and assessment of qualifications within its scope are minimized. Their Risk Management Action Plan is available on request.
Fortress Learning is committed to issuing qualifications and statements of attainment that are within its scope of registration.
A Statutory Declaration attesting to authenticity will be required from a student prior to awarding official certification for one or more units/qualifications.
Certificates will be issued in a timely manner and in accordance with the 30 calendar day period stipulated by Clause 3.3 of The Standards for Registered Training Organisations.
We issue soft copies of certificates that contain unique QR codes for authenticity and verification purposes. Hard copy certificates can be requested for a fee of $60.
Under no circumstances will a certificate of graduation be issued prior to full payment of any fees due.
Computer Requirements
Fortress Learning is aware that there are many versions of computer softwares and operating systems in use. Our assessment materials are developed using MS Word on a Windows platform. Effectively engaging with our online programs will require access to:
and the ability to:
Fortress Learning wishes all prospective students to make an informed decision prior to enrolling.
Mac Users
We are unable to attest to the reliability of our platform for Mac Users.
While the majority of people using Mac computers and applications are able to engage with the program without issues, it is the case that some Mac users do experience difficulties with some aspects of downloading, saving, converting and uploading files.
Mac Users who decide to enrol are encouraged to test all aspects of our online portals within the first week of their enrolment so that they can avail themselves of the 30-day Cooling Off Period if so required.
Other Resource Requirements
Each program will require resources that are provided by the student. These are itemised in the Suitability Self-Assessment Checklist that students must review, and acknowledge reading prior to enrolling.
Office Hours
Fortress Learning is open 9 am – 5 pm, Australian Eastern Standard Time, each business day. We are closed on Queensland Public Holidays.
Non-Contact Periods
Our staff will not be available for four periods during the year. During this time, we are involved in professional and business development activities, and it is also during this period that most of our staff will take their leave.
The dates are usually during the school holidays (April, July, September, December) and will be published in the Learner Portal and on our website HERE.