Code of Practice

FCTA Code of Practice

In at all times maintaining the continued quality and compliance of its services, FCTA will ensure it and all staff:

Equal access

1.     Never in any way purport or imply any group of people may or will be unable to complete a Course based on their gender identity, sexual orientation, intersex status, race, marital or domestic partnership status, identity of spouse or domestic partner, pregnancy, association with a child, caring responsibilities, religious appearance or dress, or a disability 

Anti-discrimination

2.     Never consider the personal characteristic information of a student in any judgement it makes, except where course eligibility criteria or reasonable adjustment applies    

3.     Attempt wherever possible to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the personal responsibilities of all students including but not limited to, caring / family responsibilities, religious responsibilities, pregnancy, disability or injury   

4.     Closely monitor student behaviour to prevent or respond to instances of discrimination, harassment and victimisation

5.     Promote and provide a safe and inclusive learning environment for all persons

Marketing and advertising

6.     Ensure no marketing material contains any misleading or non-factual statements regarding course delivery

7.     Ensure no marketing material infers or implies completion, employment or award outcomes are guaranteed
 

8.     Maintain full responsibility of any marketing material produced by a third-party on its behalf

Enrolment

9.     Promote informed decision making by ensuring all students are provided with all relevant course information prior to course commencement  

Support services

10.   Provide time and opportunity for all students to access specialist support services to address learning or personal issues

Safe learning environment

11.   At all times provide and maintain a safe learning environment for all persons, free from the risks of physical and emotional harm

12.   Provide learning facilities fitted with basic safety fixtures and amenities

13.   Regularly inspect and ensure all safety fixtures, amenities, learning resources and site and personal safety equipment it provides are maintained in safe working order

14.   Provide relevant safety training to all staff and students

15.   At all times allow staff and students not to commence or complete any activity they feel is unsafe or at a location they feel is unsafe 

16.   Wherever possible, limit high risk tasks carried out by staff or students

17.   Ensure all staff hold relevant licences or accreditations where needed, including Working With Children Checks (WWCC) and Responding to Risks of Abuse, Harm and Neglect – Education and Care (RRHAN-EC)

18.   At all times provide opportunities for all persons to report unsafe or risky practices

19.   Maintain a system to respond to all serious injuries or illnesses, dangerous or unlawful incidents promptly, in a uniform manner and in line with its legal obligations

Quality training and assessment  

20.   Design and develop courses sufficiently capable of achieving student outcomes as advertised

21.   Explicitly seek input from students and industry in the design of all courses 

22.   At all times provide opportunities for all persons to provide feedback on all aspects of FCTA’s training and assessment practices

23.   Periodically evaluate and respond to feedback about its training and assessment practices of all courses

24.   Periodically review its on training and assessment practices for all courses

25.   Ensure all trainers are suitably qualified to provide adult education to students in their field of expertise

26.   Ensure all staff participate in and complete periodic professional development

Flexible delivery

27.   Wherever possible allow students to complete coursework at times suitable to them

28.   Wherever possible allow students to complete coursework on-site or with their employer

29.   Wherever possible modify coursework to accommodate the personal needs of all students, including but not limited to learning, intellectual and physical disabilities or injuries

30.   Wherever possible modify coursework in response to the existing skills or qualifications of all students 

Fees

31.   Make publicly available fees intended to be charged for each course

32.   Only charge fees for services provided by FCTA or on its behalf

33.   Pass on in full all fee subsidies, concessions, discounts or exemptions available to students    
 

 Withdrawals / cancellations

34.   Accept all reasonable requests to withdraw from a course without challenge

35.   Wherever possible exhaust all available options before cancelling a scheduled course

Refunds

36.   Allow students withdrawing from a course to receive a refund on fees paid 

37.   Allow students of cancelled courses to receive a full refund on fees paid  

38.   Maintain and make publicly available a system to calculate and provide refunds in a uniform manner

Awards

39.   Issue awards to all students where earned

40.   Issue replacement awards for inaccurate or poor-quality awards or awards lost in transit and, at its discretion, for lost or misplaced awards

41.   Maintain a system to issue awards in a uniform manner

Student work records  

42.   Securely store all records of student work

43.   Allow students to access their own student work records upon request

Personal records

44.   Securely store all personal records

45.   Allow students to access their own personal records upon request

Privacy

46.   Solicit and collect from students only as much personal information as is necessary to provide its services

47.   Refrain from collecting or dispose of any personal information of no reasonable use to it
 

48.   Maintain a system to respond to and report data breaches in a uniform manner 

Governance

49.   Ensure all executive officers and high managerial agents meet fit and proper persons requirements

Financial protections

50.   At all times hold public liability insurance to cover its services for the duration of its registration

Auditing obligations

51.   Adhere to all instructions given to it under audit or by agreement with a Governing or Licencing Body

Complaints and appeals

52.   At all times provide opportunities for students to lodge a formal complaint about the behaviour or actions of a fellow student, FCTA staff member or any person it comes into contact with on FCTA premises

53.   At all times provide opportunities for students to appeal decisions made by FCTA about or towards them

54.   Maintain a system to hear and respond to all complaints in a uniform manner

Own Polices

55.   Enshrine the above obligations in its own Policies

56.   Make all Policies relevant to students will be made publicly available

Other Laws and Legislation

57.   In addition to its obligations as outlined above, at all times ensure compliance with all Federal or State Laws and Legislation including, but not limited to:

o    Standards for Registered Training Organisations 2015

o    National VET Data Policy 2020

o    Work Health and Safety Regulations (SA) 2012

o    Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986

o    Racial Vilification Act (SA) 1996

o    Sex Discrimination Act 1984

o    Age Discrimination Act 2004

o    Competition and Consumer Act 2010

o    Privacy Act 1988

o    South Australian Skills Standards 2021

o    Equal Opportunities Act (SA) 1984

o    Work Health and Safety Act (SA) 2012

o    Public Interest Disclosure Act (SA) 2018

o    Racial Discrimination Act 1975

o    Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012

o    Disability Discrimination Act 1992

o    Disability Standards for Education 2005

o    Children and Young People (Safety) Act (SA) 2017

o    Fair Trading Act 1987

o    Freedom of Information Act (SA) 1991

o    Freedom of Information Act 1982