Support hub

• 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:
  • Student selection processes including suitability for online learning such a foundation skills literacy diagnostic testing and ability to access external resources as applicable to the course
  • Course information, including vocational outcomes, external resource requirements ( as per the assessment conditions of units) training and assessment delivery models and support packages
  • Third-Party Arrangements for delivery of training and assessment where applicable
  • Fees and charges including cooling off periods and refund policies
  • Opportunities for Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and credit transfers

The following process applies to enrolment and selection.

Step 1 – Contact Fortress Learning

Phone:  1300 141 994

Email:   admin@fortresslearning.com.au

Website: fortresslearning.com

Address:  PO Box 1096, Maroochydore QLD 4558

Step 2 – Speak with a Course Advisor  or Apply through the website.

We encourage all prospective students to speak with us before enrolment. This process is valuable in discussing your 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 you and ensuring that the course you want to enrol fits your needs

If you instead would prefer to enrol directly from the website, you will be guided to pay your initial application fee and then book an enrolment interview. Please note that sometimes we find that students can enrol for incorrect courses or are not fully informed of their possible assessment pathways/ credit transfer opportunities etc when they enrol without talking with us so we highly encourage you to speak with us before applying.

If you are seeking recognition of prior learning for some or all of your study, please visit the RPL website page prior to applying as this allows you to check your eligibility for RPL and book an RPL consultation call.

The Unique RPL Consultation Call

During your RPL Consultation Call, your Trainer will work with you to develop a Personal Learning Plan that outlines the RPL and/or Coursework assessment tasks that you will complete for each of your units in your Qualification. They will also assist you to package the units for your course to best reflect your skills and knowledge and experience. Your Plan will detail:

• Background about you - Who you are, the skills and experience you bring to the table, and your preferred pathways
• The Units selected - Unique to each student we create a Gantt style chart that documents each unit of competency that forms your qualification, the assessment tasks you will complete and the timeframe for doing this across the entire enrolment duration
• Costs - We also provide you with an idea of the cost as this can change based on different factor such as support packages selected and rebates from credit transfers and upfront or payment plan presences.
• Next Steps - After your call is complete, your trainer will send you an email with your developed PLP and a link to commence the enrolment process.

Step 3 – Apply to Enrol

1. 1.As directed by the website page or the course advisor, you can apply to enrol and choose your support package option and payment method (upfront or payment plan) you can then can pay the $150 application fee and if preferred a portion of their course fees in a number of ways and in line with Clause 7.3 of the Standards for RTOs
2. 2.Once the initial $150 application fee has been made, you will then be invited to book an Enrolment Interview

Step 4 – Enrolment Interview

1. 4 business hours prior to your scheduled appointment you will receive an email with instructions regarding preparing for your Enrolment Interview
2. At the appointed time, the enrolments team will contact you ( via the chosen method such as Zoom/Phone call)
3. The Enrolments Team will first walk you through some suitability questions regarding enrolment such as confidence and ability to use computers , access to external resources required for the course ( this is different for each course but may include Third Party Observers/Other learners etc) you will then access and complete the Online Enrolment Form via the link provided in your email. For those who have already attended the RPL Consultation Calll, the suitability will already be complete and the interview will simply guide you through the  enrolment form.
4. For those who did not attend and RPL call and are seeking to enrol in a course via a full coursework pathway, if you are not eligible to continue in the enrolment for the proposed course, the enrolment team will transfer you to your course advisor to discuss possible alternative options for enrolment. If that conversation leads to ineligibility for completing any of the Fortress Qualifications, we will refund the amount paid upon application in full.
5. The Enrolment Interview will close with some terms and conditions and a brief overview of the next steps for course commencement
6. Should at any point during the Enrolment Interview or in the 30 days after course commencement, you decide you would not like to proceed with your course, we will refind any monies paid excluding the $150 application fee( for administration services already rendered)  

Step 5 - Course Commencement

1. Upon completion of your Online Enrolment Form, your Student Learner Portal is  then activated and the enrolment period and course commencement begins.
2. Trainers will then contact students with a Welcome Call and email, initiating the first orientation session.
3. Students have a 30-day cooling-off period from the commencement of enrolment, they are able to chat with Trainers, get a more thorough understanding of their learning and assessment activities, navigate and download any Assessments, Learning Guides from their Learner portal in these 30 days.
4. If prior to the 30-day cooling-off period the student decides that the course is not suited to their own needs, they can withdraw with a full repayment of their initial fees paid ( excluding the $150 enrolment application fee)

What do the terms “Access” and “Equity” mean?

Access generally refers to the ability to enter training. Improving access might include improving physical access to a training venue or ensuring that selection criteria do not discriminate against clients.

Equity in this context means equal access to and potentially equal outcomes from training regardless of the individual's circumstances, background and identity.

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. Fortress Learning is of the firm belief that every individual regardless of personal history, present circumstances or any other factor that can commonly be considered as an inhibiting factor to self-development, should be provided the opportunity to improve their life through further education.  Fortress Learning embraces multiculturalism and diversity in Australia and is pleased to contribute to quality education as a whole.

Access and equity issues are addressed during staff induction, meetings, and professional development activities. Access and equity are addressed within Fortress Learning's Code of Practice.  The Code of Practice is openly communicated to all training participants and training and assessment staff.

Fortress Learning  also endeavours to eliminate discrimination against persons on the grounds of:

• Sex
• Marital status or pregnancy
• Family responsibility or family status
• Race
• Religious or political conviction
• Impairment
• Age
  

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.

This Access and Equity Policy is available to students and potential students through the Student Handbook, available on our website.

Potential students seeking to enrol with Fortress Learning may be required to complete a Foundation Skill Assessment Survey

This tool has been developed using Australian-authorised Foundation Skill Frameworks and  allows us to identify any gaps in the following foundation skills that may impact your ability to complete your course

• Learning
• Digital literacy
• Oral communication
• Reading
• Writing
• Planning and organising
• Problem-solving
• Self-Management
• Initiative and Enterprise
• Numeracy
• Teamwork

The Enrolments team will issue instructions in completing the Survey should any potential student identify a need for this assessment through completion of the Fortress Learning Pre-Enrolment Training Needs Analysis SurveyThe facilitator will analyse information received from this test. The facilitator will then contact students who are identified as requiring support in foundation skills and outline some strategies to applyShould the Foundation Skill Assessment identify large gaps in foundation skills, potential students will then be directed to discuss possible other course options with the course advisor and a full refund of any application fees paid will be provided.

Please note that as we are a private, fee-for-service training provider, access to external specialist support services are limited. We can, however, provide advice to students on how to access external support services. A full list of relevant and applicable specialist support services are available upon request.

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.

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.

1. Before enrolment, students can request Recognition of Prior Learning either through written or verbal communication.
2. From there, the student and trainer identify the RPL that the student is eligible for and also identify training gaps requiring coursework. This is documented in the Personal Learning Plan.
3. On enrolment and during the program, if participants wish to apply for RPL, further access to information will be provided including examples of evidence required for the particular unit. The Personal Learning Plan thus becomes a living document.
4. Following the development of your Personal Learning Plan (as applicable), Fortress Learning will provide you with the resources you will need to collect evidence of your current skills and experience in the form of an RPL Assessment Kit.
5. You collect evidence and return it to us or, you complete the required written responses within your assigned RPL Assessment Kit. and then organise a Zoom/Google meeting with your assessor to directly observe any required supporting evidence (as applicable).
6. The assessor evaluates the evidence (either through submission in document form or via direct observation) and notifies you if any further pieces of evidence are required.
7. The assessor negotiates a further interview time with you if applicable, during which time your further evidence will be discussed as it relates specifically to the Competency Standards for which you are seeking RPL.
8. At this point, if the RPL evidence being submitted cannot meet the unit criteria being assessed, your assessor may also recommend some coursework to fill any gaps in skill or knowledge to satisfy requirements.
9. Upon submission of your final portfolio of evidence with all supporting documents, the assessor then conducts the final assessment of all the evidence that you have submitted for the overall assessment of the unit and advises you of the result. This will be recorded in your Learner Portal.
10. When the evidence meets the Unit of Competency requirements Fortress Learning will award the unit.
11. When the evidence does not meet the Unit of Competency requirements, your Assessor will provide you with clear instructions and next steps on further assessment requirements.
12. The length of time for this process will depend almost entirely on how much evidence you have and the time taken to collect all of the relevant evidence.
13. Because it is possible that you are not aware of what RPL you may be eligible for, Fortress Learning can evaluate this as part of your initial inquiry for enrolment or through the completion of the Personal Learning Plan Survey before or on the commencement of your course.

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:

• Meets the observer suitability requirements ( outlined in each observation/Third Party Report template)
• Provide their contact phone number and email address for verification purposes
• Include detailed comments throughout the Observation/Third Party Reports to ensure the sufficiency of observation

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.

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).

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

If you have completed study equivalent to any units from the qualification in which you are enrolled with Fortress Learning, then it might be possible to award a Credit Transfer. Your trainer will provide further advice about this.

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.

• For all courses with fees exceeding $1500 – a payment of $1500 upfront will be taken with a balance payable at a later period as defined by the program in which you are enrolling.
• For all courses paid for by a third party/employer, the entire fee may be collected on enrolment.
• Full payment of fees is required before issuing any qualifications or statement of attainment.

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 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 application 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 enrols into a self-directed program with no additional trainer support and then requires support from a trainer, they will be able to purchase one on one time with the trainer as outlined in the course detail pages.

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:

1. that has been closed to new enrolments in the time since you commenced.
2. where more than 12 months have passed since the initial period ended. In this situation, students must re-enrol.

It may not possible to extend enrolment in a program:

1. for courses that are in a Transition/Teach-Out period may be limited or non-existent.  If the program you are enrolling in is in a Transition/Teach-Out period, then you are encouraged to speak with Fortress Learning prior to enrolling to fully understand the implications of that.
2. if it is more than 18 months since your date of enrolment and you wish to extend your course.  In this situation, you are required to first have a conversation with a Trainer. Student assessment documents are only retained for 6 months following exit from the course. If you expire and then extend beyond the 6 month period, any tasks that were submitted and led to partial completion of a Unit of Competency may need to be done again.
3. If you have enrolled for any of our Zoom Programs and have not completed ALL of the Virtual Classroom blocks.

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 here 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.

1. Students seeking to pause their studies must make an explicit request for deferment using the Form available from their Learner Portal.
2. Students who are seeking deferment must have demonstrated progress proportionate to their duration up until the date of requesting the deferment or demonstrate compelling reasons for the absence of progress.
3. Students may suspend their studies for up to a 3 month period, and on not more than 2 occasions. In all cases, the period of deferment must not be more than 2 times the balance of time remaining in the student’s course at the time of application (e.g. if a student has one month left in their period of enrolment, they may request not more than a 2-month deferment).
4. There is no fee for the initial deferment.
5. A second deferment incurs a $45 administration fee.
6. Deferments will not be processed if the student has unmarked submissions showing in their Learner Portal. In this situation, the deferment will be delayed until all submissions have been marked or reviewed by an Assessor.
7. Course fees are still payable during the deferment period, and deferment is not available for students whose accounts are overdue.
8. The period of deferment has no bearing on refunds payable in the event of Withdrawal.
9. Deferment start and end dates cannot fall within Fortress’s scheduled non-contact periods.

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:

• Services are not provided e.g. cancellation, of course, the financial failure of the company.
• The fair and reasonable non-attendance of a student e.g. sickness, family emergency. Such matters will be decided on a case-by-case basis by the RTO Manager, with early notice of inability to engage in the program recommended (requests must be made with all relevant documentation prior to the last day of enrolment, although this does not guarantee such a request will be granted). Where a variation of the Refund Policy is being sought on medical grounds, the date of the medical certificate is likely to be instrumental in determining the outcome along with any prior correspondence that pointed to the presence of a medical condition (eg, deferment due to illness, response to support calls, etc).
• Fortress Learning will negotiate a fair and reasonable level of refund in the event of other circumstances e.g. where disciplinary issues have led to a student being asked to withdraw from a program.

Withdrawal/Refund Process:

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.

For online programs:

• If you withdraw within 30 days of your Learner Portal course start date, you will receive a full refund of any money paid, less application fee of $150, as per the conditions of the Cooling Off period.
• Beyond day 30, no refund will be issued, and the full fee is payable no matter how far the student advanced in their program.

For Face-to-Face and Zoom Programs:

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:

• If you withdraw 10-20 business days before the scheduled course start date, there is a Cancellation Fee equal to 20% of the Course Fee. This fee will be waived provided that the candidate re-books for a new scheduled course date (ie, it is not possible to “hold” the enrolment open until a future course that is yet to be advertised becomes available). This or any other waiver applies on only one occasion and only where their account is up to date and remains up to date.
• If you withdraw within 10 business days of the scheduled course start date, there is a Cancellation Fee equal to 50% of the Course Fee. This fee will be waived provided that the candidate re-books for a new scheduled course date (ie, it is not possible to “hold” the enrolment open until a future course that is yet to be advertised becomes available). This or any other waiver applies on only one occasion and only where their account is up to date and remains up to date.
• If you fail to attend or withdraw following commencement of the face-to-face or Zoom block component, no refund will be issued, and the full course fee is payable.
• If you withdraw following completion of the face-to-face or Zoom block component, no refund will be issued, and the full course fee is payable.

Issuing Statements of Attainment following 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.

Course Cancellations / Postponement

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.

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 application fee) will be charged, and the participant is entitled to a full refund of any monies paid less 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.

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.

3 days prior Due Date

Email reminder of upcoming Due Date for payment

Day 0

Email reminder of Today’s Due Date for payment

Day 3

Emial reminder of payment 3 days overdue

Day 5

SMS reminder of payment 5 days overdue

Day 7

Accounts Officer will call directly to follow up on overdue payment

Day 10

Email reminder of overdue payment including advice of suspension of trainer support and assessment marking

Day 14

Operations Manager will call directly regarding overdue payments and inform the student of their pending suspension from the learner portal

Day 15

Suspension from the learner portal and learner portal access revoked

Day 30

Cancellation of your enrolment

Day 31 - 45

Give 2 weeks to allow payment

Day 38

SMS reminder before sending to Debt Collector with a week to settle accounts

Day 45

Referral of any overdue and outstanding amounts to debt collection agency, all fees (including debt collection fees) payable by the student

Day 46

SMS to notify that the account is sent to Debt Collection

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:

1. A student enrolled in the Cert IV TAE is halfway through their program. They request a Statement of Attainment for units completed thus far. They pay $60 for that. Upon completing the whole Cert IV TAE, they are issued a Graduation Certificate and Record of Results. They do not pay for that.
2. A student enrols in the Dual Dip VET/TDD. They fulfil requirements for the Dip VET and request a Graduation Certificate and Record of Results. They do not pay for that. They then continue to complete the second Dip TDD, and on completion, they are issued a second Graduation Certificate and Record of Results. They do not pay for that.
3. A student withdraws prior to completing their qualification in full. They request a Statement of Attainment for the units that they did complete. They will receive that Statement of Attainment provided full course fees are paid.

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 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:

• Decisions and processes should be free from bias;
• All parties have the right to be heard;
• The respondent has a right to know of what s/he is accused;
• All parties are told the decision and the reasons for the decision.

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.

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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/

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:

• the student was not provided with a clear explanation of the assessment process;
• the student needs were not taken into consideration where appropriate;
• the assessment process did not meet the requirements of the training package;
• the student genuinely believes there has been an administrative error in the calculation of their assessment marks; or
• alleged bias or incompetence of the trainer.

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:

• Be treated fairly and with respect
• Pursue their learning activities in a supportive and stimulating environment
• Learn in an environment free of discrimination and harassment
• Be assured of privacy of their personal information and records
• Lodge a complaint without fear of victimisation

Fortress Learning Students have responsibilities to:

• Treat other students and staff with respect and fairness
• Follow any reasonable direction from staff
• Not engage in plagiarism, collusion or cheating in assessment activities
• Submit assessment activities by the due date or seek approval to extend the due date, and retain a copy of all assessment materials that are submitted in the event that submitted items are not received by Fortress Learning
• Return company equipment and materials on time
• Observe normal safety practices

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:

• The students so involved will be invited to resubmit anew all materials that they wish to be assessed.  Students who choose to not submit anew their portfolio of assessment will have their most recent previous submissions used for the remainder of this process.
• Once all students involved have submitted anew all materials that they wish to be included in the assessment, these will be assessed by a single Assessor.
• Where one or more students have previously been awarded an outcome, that outcome will be subject to revision based on the findings of the re-assessment outlined above.
• If one or more students are dissatisfied with the outcome of the assessment, they may pursue the Complaints & Appeals Process.
• If through this re-assessment, plagiarism, collusion or cheating in assessment activities is found to have occurred, then any outcomes that have previously been awarded will be revoked and/or credentials recalled and the steps below will be followed.

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:

• The student will be invited to participate in a Counselling interview or provided a written request to adopt a more courteous tone.
• If the student acknowledges the breach and indicates a willingness to address it, then the student will be issued a first written warning. If the student does not acknowledge the breach and/or is unwilling to address it, then the student’s enrolment will be terminated.
• If the breach persists after the first warning, then the student will be issued a final written warning.
• If these repeated attempts to manage unsatisfactory student behaviour fail then the student’s enrolment will be terminated.

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 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 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.

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.

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.

During the transition of training products (where a training package has been updated and students are still enrolled in the superseed qualification/ skill set or unit) Fortress Learning ensures that:

1. Where a training product on its scope of registration is superseded, all learners’ training and assessment is completed and the relevant AQF certification documentation is issued.
2. Should a learner not be able to complete their training within the allocated transition timeframe learners may be transferred into its replacement, within a period of one year from the date the replacement training product was released on the national register. This transfer may require additional fees to be paid and may require additional training and assessment to be completed depending on the changes to the Qualification.
3. Where an AQF qualification is no longer current and has not been superseded, all learners’ training and assessment is completed (or if unable to complete the learner is withdrawn from study)  and the relevant AQF certification documentation issued within a period of two years from the date the AQF qualification was removed or deleted from the national register.  
4. Where a skill set, unit of competency, accredited short course or module is no longer current and has not been superseded, all learners’ training and assessment is completed (or if unable to complete the learner is withdrawn from study) and the relevant AQF certification documentation issued within a period of one year from the date the skill set, unit of competency, accredited short course or module was removed or deleted from the national register
5. A new learner does not commence training and assessment in a training product that has been removed or deleted from the national register.

Fortress Learning is aware of its responsibilities under the Standards for RTO's 2015 ( and its successor)  to provide adequate protection for the health, safety and welfare of students enrolling into its courses. This includes adequate and appropriate support services in terms of academic mentoring and coaching services and strategies to assist students in overcoming potential barriers to their learning. Fortress Learning is committed to:

• Ensuring VET students have reasonable access to training support services, trainers and assessors and other staff to support their progress through the training product.This includes:
  • How it determines the training support services to be provided to each VET student and makes these available
  • Ensuring that VET students have reasonable access to trainers and assessors and other staff
  • Ensuring that VET students are informed about how and when they can access trainers and assessors and other staff
  • Ensuring that VET students receive timely responses to queries.
• Ensuring Reasonable adjustments are made to support VET students with disability to access and participate in training and assessment on an equal basis. This includes:
  • Providing reasonable adjustments to learning and assessment where appropriate
  • Where reasonable adjustments are not possible, the reasons why have been communicated to the VET student.
• Ensuring our online learning environment promotes and supports the diversity of VET students. This includes
  • Fostering a safe and inclusive learning environment for VET students
  • FFostering a culturally safe learning environment for First Nations people.
• Ensuring the wellbeing needs of the VET student cohort are identified and strategies are put in place to support these needs with the student (either prior to enrolment or during enrolment if identified after the training and assessment commences) This includes:
  • Identifying the wellbeing needs of the VET student cohort, as relevant to the training content, and appropriate wellbeing support services
  • Advising VET students of the actions they can take, the staff they may contact and the well-being support services that are available.

Fortress Learning is committed to establishing, maintaining and enforcing a safe system that focuses on:

• A safe work environment
• A risk management approach to safety
• Preventing injury/illness
• Complying with legislative requirements
• If, at any time during the Fortress Learning training program, you identify hazards in the workplace please notify your trainer immediately. Incident Report Forms are available from the RTO on request or can be downloaded from the Learner Portal as required. Trainers regularly revue venues and assets to identify and mitigate risks. All hazards are reported and are addressed through the RTO’s Risk Register and Action Plan.

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:

• Physical
• Verbal
• Non-verbal.

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: 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 2001

Phone: 1300 363 992 or TTY: 1800 620 241

Email: privacy@privacy.gov.au

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.

At any time, you may contact Fortress Learning to:

• request access to your personal information
• correct your personal information
• make a complaint about how your personal information has been handled
• ask a question about this Privacy Notice

Phone:  1300 141 994

Email:   admin@fortresslearning.com.au

Address:  PO Box 1096, Maroochydore, QLD, 4558

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.

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:

• administration of VET, including program administration, regulation, monitoring and evaluation
• facilitation of statistics and research relating to education, including surveys and data linkage
• understanding how the VET market operates, for policy, workforce planning and consumer information.

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

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.

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:

• 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

and the ability to:

• open web pages
• view embedded video and slideshows (eg, youtube, Slideshare)
• download and extract .zip folders
• open and download .pdf and .swf documents
• open, edit, save and upload documents created in .doc and .docx format

Fortress Learning wishes all prospective students to make an informed decision prior to enrolling.

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.

Each program will require resources that are provided by the student.  This will be discussed with you prior to enrolling.

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.

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.

Fortress Learning is open 9 am – 5 pm, Australian Eastern Standard Time, each business day.  We are closed on Queensland Public Holidays.

Our staff will not be available for certain periods during the year. These are usually for public holidays and for 2 weeks over the Christmas holiday period.

Our Trainers may also be unavailable at times due to annual and personal leave and professional development and administrative training duties that take them away from facilitation (such as validation and moderation activities) .

Trainer non-contact periods will be published on the Learner Portal and all public holidays dates can be accessed from our website here.