Terms and Conditions for the Provision of RPL Services 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR THE PROVISION OF RPL SERVICES 

This document sets out the contractual basis upon which we provide our RPL Services to Applicants. 

  1. BACKGROUND 
     
  1. Registered Training Organisations are authorised by the Australian Skills Quality Authority to award Qualifications within their Scope of Registration. 
  1. One way for someone to obtain a Qualification is to enrol and participate in a course offered by a Registered Training Organisation aimed at equipping students with the necessary skills and learning required to show competency in the necessary components or units of the Qualification. 
  1. However, the acquisition of skills and learning does not only occur in a classroom or formal context. People can obtain skills and learning in a field through, for example, their work experience and ‘on the job’ training. In some cases, these ‘informal’ experiences and training equip a person with knowledge and competency in the necessary components or units that would entitle the person to a Qualification. 
  1. In recognition that ‘informal’ experience and training may match (and even exceed) the requirements for a Qualification, Registered Training Organisations are able to issue Qualifications to people who, although they have not participated in a formal course of study, are able to demonstrate that they have the requisite skills and competency for the award. Accounting for such ‘informal’ experiences and training is known as Recognition of Prior Learning or RPL. 
  1. Registered Training Organisations are under an obligation to ensure that any people (Applicants) seeking the award of a Qualification on a Recognition of Prior Learning basis genuinely satisfy the competency requirements (across all components or units) for that award. This process is known as Assessment. It is not enough for someone to simply assert that they have the necessary knowledge and skills: this needs to be demonstrated through a body of evidence that meets required evidence standards and covers each of the necessary components or units of the Qualification. 
  1. It can be daunting, difficult, infeasible, or just inconvenient for (including potential) Applicants to: 
  1. know the Qualification or range of Qualifications that they might, based on their ‘informal’ experiences and training, be entitled to; 
  1. apply to a Registered Training Organisation for the award of that Qualification; and/or 
  1. work their own way through compiling and structuring the evidence they would require to demonstrate competency across all the necessary components or units of a given Qualification, and to present themselves in the best and fairest light. 
  1. Advance RPL operates to assist (including potential) Applicants address the issues referred to in clause 6 above. It does this through a variety of ways: 
  1. it builds relationships with Registered Training Organisations who are willing to Assess Applicants on a Recognition of Prior Learning basis; 
  1. it uses information obtained from Registered Training Organisations to understand the requirements for any particular Qualification; 
  1. it, based on information provided by an Applicant, can form a view about whether, if the Applicant is able to demonstrate his or her professed experiences and training, an Applicant is likely to be entitled to any particular Qualification or Qualifications; 
  1. it works with Applicants to guide and assist them in the preparation, collation and structuring of a body of evidence (including in any form required by the relevant Registered Training Organisation), known as Supporting Materials, to assist Applicants in demonstrating competency (across all necessary components or units) for their chosen Qualification; 
  1. mediating communications between Applicants and Registered Training Organisations; 
  1. assisting in arrangements for any necessary Gap Training; 
  1. endeavouring to ensure that Registered Training Organisations undertake Assessment within a reasonable time; 
  1. where a Registered Training Organisation offers any appeal or review options as regards any adverse Assessment, assisting Applicants in navigating such options; 
  1. subject to favourable Assessment, receiving and passing onto Applicants their certificates of Qualification and other accompanying documents. 
  1. RPL SERVICES 

Any disclosure by Advance RPL to an Applicant of any Qualifications or Statements of Attainment that the Applicant might be eligible for is based on the matters referred to in this clause, and the assumption that the Applicant will be able to support their claimed experiences and training with Supporting Materials. 

Advance RPL undertakes this assessment before Enrolment (see definition in clause 13). 

Advance RPL must notify the Applicant as soon as practicable and, where possible, provide the Applicant with the details of any other Registered Training Organisation who might be able to award (subject to Assessment) the Applicant with the same or a comparable Qualification or Statement of Attainment. In this document any of the events referred to in clause 2.8(a) – (c) will be known as a “Frustration Event”. 

  1. APPLICANT OBLIGATIONS 

send such copies as an attachment to an email sent to sales@advrpl.com.au, which email is to identify you by your full name and address. 

then the Applicant must decide whether the Applicant will be able to satisfy these criteria. If the Applicant does not consider that he or she will be able to meet these criteria, the Applicant: 

Meeting these criteria is at the centre of the relationship between Advance RPL and an Applicant. 

USI’s can be applied for through https://www.usi.gov.au

the relevant Applicant will use their best endeavours to promptly and fully instruct Advance RPL (including through the provision of any further Supporting Materials) so as to enable Advance RPL to effectively respond to the Registered Training Organisation on his or her behalf. 

  1. APPLICANT ATTENDANCE AT ASSESSMENTS 

Where we refer to in-person attendances, we mean to include AV-facilitated or telecommunications facilitated attendances. 

  1. GAP TRAINING 

relating to the components or units of Assessed competency. 

  1. SERVICE FEES 

Advance RPL must pay the Registered Training Organisation for any Assessment. An Applicant will not have any separate or additional liability to pay the Registered Training Organisation for Assessment. 

Any such agreement must be made or confirmed by Advance RPL in writing and ordinarily only occurs in special circumstances. On any termination of the Retainer, any entitlement to pay the Service Fees in deferred instalments or parts is also terminated. 

  1. PRIVACY 
  1. TERMINATION 

and does not discharge or affect clauses 9 – 12. 

When Can an Applicant Terminate the Retainer? 

When Can Advance RPL Terminate the Retainer? 

What Happens When An Applicant Terminates the Retainer and Refunds 

What Happens When Advance RPL Terminates the Retainer and Refunds 

unless this occurs during the Cooling Off Period in which case: 

Summary Relating to Full or Partial Refunds 

Who Terminates When Outcome 
Applicant Cooling Off Period No Service Fee, full refund 
After Cooling Off Period and before end of Preparation Period but with Frustration Event No Service Fee, full refund 
Advance RPL Cooling Off Period No Service Fee, full refund 
After Cooling Off Period if no Frustration Event Full Service Fee payable, no refund 
After Cooling Period if Frustration Event No Service Fee, full refund 
  1. DISHONOURED PAYMENTS OR CHANGES TO PLAN 
  1. DISCLAIMER AND LIMITATIONS 
  1. CONFIDENTIALITY 

Each party (Advance RPL and Applicant) agrees that the Confidential Information is confidential and that: 

must not be disclosed to anyone except as provided for in clause 11.2 below or otherwise in this document. 

It is not a breach of the above clause 11.1 for a party to disclose those matters, if that disclosure: 

  1. MISCELLANEOUS TERMS 

Advance RPL is not required to provide, or continue providing, RPL Services where doing so requires Advance RPL to participate in collating Supporting Materials and/or submitting Supporting Materials to a Registered Training Organisation where such materials, to Advance RPL’s knowledge or justified suspicion, contain information that is false, misleading or deceptive. 

  1. DEFINITIONS 

In this document: 

Advance RPLweusour (and similar). means Shreedji Traders Pty Ltd (ACN 165 861 272) Trading as Advance RPL 49 165 861 272 

Account Manager with respect to Advance RPL means one of Advance RPL’s employees or contractors who undertake the RPL Services referred to in clauses 1.7(d) – 1.7(i) on behalf of Advance RPL. 

Applicant means a person who is seeking to be awarded and/or issued a Qualification or Statement of Attainment by a Registered Training Organisation on the basis of Recognition of Prior Learning and/or other Credit. 

Assessment means the process, undertaken by a Registered Training Organisation, of collecting and/or considering evidence (including that provided by a third-party) and making judgments on whether competency has been achieved such that it is appropriate for the Registered Training Organisation to award an Applicant a Qualification or Statement of Attainment of the type sought. 

Assessor means those people engaged by an RTO to undertake Assessment. 

ASQA means the Australian Skills Quality Authority 

Confidential Information means of a party to this document means all: 

In the case of an Applicant, Confidential Information includes all personal information. 

In the case of Advance RPL, Confidential Information includes: 

Cooling Off Period for any Applicant means a 10-business day period commencing: 

Credit means the value assigned for the recognition of equivalence in content and learning outcomes between different types of learning and/or qualifications. Credit reduces the amount of learning required to achieve a qualification and may be through credit transfer, articulation, Recognition of Prior Learning or advanced standing. 

Enrolment means when an Applicant first instructs Advance RPL, or engages Advance RPL, to provide RPL Services with respect to a sought or nominated Qualification or Statement of Attainment. This does not refer the lodgement of an application for Assessment with a nominated Registered Training Organisation. Enrolment is generally accompanied by payment of Service Fees (or some part). 

Frustration Event means any of the events referred to in clause 2.8(a) – 2.8(c) of this document. 

Gap Costs has the meaning given in clause 6.3(b) above. 

Gap Training means any additional training, coursework or other assessment that is offered to and/or conducted with an Applicant if, during the course of an Assessment, it appears to the Registered Training Organisation conducting the Assessment, or is determined by the Registered Training Organisation conducting the Assessment,  that competency will not be established on Supporting Materials with respect to particular components, units or modules required for the whole Qualification or Statement of Attainment sought. 

Intellectual Property Rights of a Party means all intellectual property rights including: 

Personal Information means information or an opinion (including information or an opinion forming part of a database), whether true or not, and whether recorded in a material form or not, about an individual whose identity is apparent, or can reasonably be ascertained, from the information or opinion. 

Preparation Period means the period commencing on the Enrolment and ending 3 months from Enrolment but, if earlier, ends on the lodgement of an application for Assessment. 

Qualification means the following qualifications issued by a Registered Training Organisation within its Scope of Registration: Certificates I, II, III and IV; Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Vocational Graduate Certificate and Vocational Graduate Diploma. For the purposes of clause 1, Qualification includes any Statement of Achievement. 

Recognition of Prior Learning or RPL means an assessment process that involves assessment of an individual’s relevant prior learning (including formal, informal and non-formal learning) to determine the credit outcomes of an individual application for credit (including for a Qualification or Statement of Attainment). 

Registered Training Organisation has the meaning specified in the Dictionary to the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 and being a training organisation listed on the National Register as a registered training organisation. 

Retainer means the services retainer or engagement constituted by an Applicant retaining or instructing Advance RPL to provide RPL Services as set out in this document. 

RPL Services means the services set out in clause 1.7 above (including as otherwise described in this agreement). 

Scope of Registration means the training products, services and/or courses for which a Registered Training Organisation is registered and authorised by ASQA to deliver nationally recognised courses and accredited Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) VET qualifications. 

Service Fees has the meaning given in clause 6.1 and 6.2 of this document. 

Statement of Attainment means a statement issued to a person confirming that the person has satisfied the requirements of a unit or some units of an entire AQF qualification and/or has completed an accredited short course. 

Supporting Materials means the body of evidence and materials compiled by and/or an Applicant (including any Registered Training Organisation-specific forms and materials) with a view to submitting such materials to a Registered Training Organisation in support of the Applicant’s level of competency as part of Assessment for a particular Qualification or Statement of Achievement. 

Vocational Education and Training or VET is used in the sense used by the AQF. 

Website means www.advrpl.com.au (including all site and domain pages)