This skill set is for any teacher who holds a Bachelor of Education degree or higher, who is currently eligible to register as a secondary teacher in their state, and who wants to be able to teach VET courses in a secondary school. You don't need to be currently working as a secondary teacher to be able to do this skill set.

Depending on your level of experience and skills, you will complete either an RPL assessment pathway, a Coursework assessment pathway or a blend of both.

How Assessment Works

For RPL Pathways - RPL kits are provided for each unit. These consist of: 

• Part A Performance Evidence Questions

A set of questions requiring your own narrative to set the context and offering suggested supporting evidence to authenticate the contextual responses 

• Part B Third Party Report

A set of questions to be completed by a qualified observer ( this could be another teacher or head of a department who has observed you in action)

• Part C - Knowledge Questions 

A set of knowledge questions that can be completed either within the document or as a competency conversation held with your assessor.

For Coursework Pathways - Each unit is assessed via: 

• A set of Knowledge Question assessments that are completed as online quizzes in your Learner Portal.
  

• An Assignment - This may be either a work-based* assignment allowing you to practically apply your skills within your own workplace or a simulated** assignment where we provide you with a case study scenario and any practical application of skills are evidenced in a simulated environment using family/friends, colleagues etc. 

*All work-based practical skills can be evidenced by completing a workplace observation checklist completed by a qualified workplace observer, such as a fellow teacher or a head of department.

**All simulated practical skills required must be recorded and submitted for observation by your assessor. 

Yes you absolutely can! If you can provide what you need as evidence for RPL, we highly recommend you do.

If for some reason you don't qualify for RPL, coursework for the units you can't use RPL for, will definitely be provided.

Yes you can! 

With the TAEASS412 assessment you will need to assess 3 candidates, so you could use your current students for it as long as they are enrolled in a VET course. This is what we call a "work-based pathway".

If you're not currently working in a secondary school and don't have VET students to use for the assessments, you just need 3 people who can act as candidates for you to complete the assessment. These can be friends or family and this is what we call a "simulated pathway".

Both pathways lead to the same qualification once you graduate though.

The following units make up this skill set:

- TAEASS412 Assess competence

- TAEASS413 Participate in assessment validation

- TAEDES411 Use nationally recognised training products to meet vocational training needs

- TAEDES412 Design and develop plans for vocational training

- TAEPDD401 Work effectively in the VET sector

Once your enrolment is finalised, you are set up with a login to your Learner Portal. An email with everything you need to know to get started is sent, and inside the Learner Portal is a video introduction that will show you how to navigate it.

Inside the learner portal, you'll find all of your units listed in a logical order, with all lessons in PDFs and videos, broken down into smaller chunks with comprehensive assessment guides to make it as easy as possible to know what you need to do to complete them right the first time. As you complete each item, they are marked as complete, so you can easily see where you're up to when you next log in.

After making your deposit payment, you’ll be sent to a booking page to book your enrolment interview. A confirmation email will then be sent to you with everything you need to prepare for that interview.

The interview can be booked on the same day, but there is a minimum of a 4-hour gap from applying to being able to do the enrolment interview. This is so you have time to get prepared.

HEADS UP: You will need your USI (Student Identifier) before you get to your interview.

You will also be required to complete a Personal Learning Plan (PLP) which can be done one of 2 ways:

1. You can have this discussion in your enrolment interview, but you will need to have emailed all of your course transcripts to us prior to the interview OR 
2. You can be sent the PLP Survey to complete prior to your interview. 

Your interview is done via Google Meet or phone (if preferred). This means that you can ask additional questions before enrolling and clarify anything you’re unsure of. We also get to make sure you have chosen the right course pathway and support package for what you really need.

During the interview, we’ll conduct a "Suitability Assessment." This series of questions will help us determine whether you can meet the technical, practical, and skill requirements needed to confidently complete this course online.

The technical requirements include regular computer access, knowledge, and confidence in navigating email, logins, and websites. The practical questions ensure you have access to the human and physical resources you need to complete the assessments in your course.

We will ask additional questions about your goals, your online experience and comfort level in learning online, your learning ability, plus your availability to study. This is all to ensure you're in the right course and ready to succeed before enrolling formally. This gives you more confidence that you can absolutely get all the way to graduation.

If the course is found to be unsuitable for you, your deposit (including the $150 enrolment interview fee) will be fully refunded. However, the enrolment fee is not refunded if you don't show up for your enrolment interview or change your mind after the interview within the 30-day cooling-off period.

If during your Enrolment Interview we discover this course is not suitable for you, we’ll offer other alternative solutions or refund all fees paid, including the $150 deposit.

When you will pay your deposit it includes your $150 non-refundable enrolment interview fee. This covers the cost of the behind-the-scenes work and the time taken to prepare and run the interview itself because it is a cost to us. It's also not fair to others who could have booked an earlier time with us when people just don't show up.‍

We do the enrolment interview to make sure that the course is the right course for you and that you have all of the resources and the time you will need to complete it successfully (barring any unexpected events that could impact it) BEFORE you actually enrol. We have saved many students money, time and frustration by having this interview and discovering that it's unlikely they will complete it successfully for some reason. We are invested in your success from the start.‍

If the course isn't suitable for you for whatever reason, you will be refunded the whole amount of your deposit, including your $150 enrolment interview fee. If you simply don't show up, the $150 enrolment interview fee won't be refunded should you choose not to go ahead for other reasons.

If an emergency happens and you can’t let us know you won’t be able to make it, we’re generous when it matters most, so there are circumstances where this enrolment interview fee will also be refunded, but this is only on a case-by-case basis.

The flexibility of our online approach means that if you need to take a break from studying, we’ve got that covered too.

We offer the option to defer (pause) your studies. Whilst you are deferred, your enrolment is inactive, and we pause your enrolment duration. Then, when you are reactivated from deferment, you pick up exactly where you left off and carry on.

Here is what you need to know about deferring:

• You can defer a maximum of two times. The first deferment is free, and the second deferment has a $45 fee.
• Payment plans continue on deferment, and your payments must be up to date before we can defer you.
• You won’t have access to your trainer or learning platform while you’re status is “deferred”.
• If you have at least 6 weeks remaining in your enrolment, you can defer for up to 3 months. After that, you can defer for twice the amount of time remaining in your enrolment (for example, if you have 1 week left in your enrolment, you can defer for 2 weeks.)

The most important thing is to contact us if your enrolment isn’t going as you planned so that we can offer you the best support options as and when you need them.

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

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

Suitability Assessment

During your Enrolment Interview, before you are able to complete the enrolment form, our student support team member will guide you through a verbal conversation regarding suitability.

What will I be asked?

The Suitability assessment consists of different questions that will address the technical requirements of the program, such as required IT and digital literacy  skills. We will also make sure you have access to the human and physical resources you need for the practical requirement of your course.

This ensures that you are placed in the right course for you before you enrol formally.

What happens if I am found not suitable?

If for some reason, during your Enrolment Interview, we discover that based on the suitability responses you give, you cannot continue with the enrolment, we will offer other alternative solutions or refund your fees paid including the enrolment interview fee.

Upon Application:

• If you are found not to be suitable for entry into any of our programs, we will refund all monies paid.
• If you choose not to continue with the enrolment interview or application, we will refund monies paid, excluding the $150 application fee.

‍After Enrolment:‍‍

• Fortress has a 30-day cooling-off period.
• This 30-day cooling-off period starts from the activation of your learner portal.  For example, if your learner portal is activated on March 1st, the 30-day cooling-off period ends on March 31st
• If you choose to withdraw within the 30-day cooling-off period, you will receive a full refund of the fees paid (excluding the $150 application fee).
• If you choose to withdraw at any time after the 30-day cooling-off period ends, no refund is applicable, and the full balance of course fees will be due.

Please refer to our Refund Policy here for additional information.

We offer flexible payment options for every course.

You can pay in full and upfront, but you can also pay a deposit (which includes the $150 non-refundable enrolment interview fee), and choose a fortnightly or weekly payment plan. When you select "Enrol", you will see the various packages available for your course, and once you select the package you want, you will be presented with the various payment options.

If you want to go back and see another package and their payment plan options, just hit "back".

We know that right now you probably “need” to do this training and you’re looking for fast and easy so it’s relatively painless for you. We get it, so we’ve spent more time on our end making it as straightforward for you as possible, and finding ways to do our part more efficiently so we’re not the bottleneck!

1. We have one of the fastest marking times in the industry – We know that when you start something like this, you want to get through it as fast as possible and marking times can significantly impact how fast you can do it. You’ll get your assessments back within 4 business days with us (except where the Solo Support Package, which is 4 – 8 business days max), and then the speed with which you get to graduation is mostly up to you.
2. Our learning material is first-class in clarity and comprehensiveness, and is as close to what you’ll find in real life! We do this so you’re more confident and skilled when you start working as an actual trainer.
3. Our support and responsiveness are why we have such a high completion rate. We’ll respond to your emails within 8 business hours, and if we miss your call, we’ll call you back within 4 business hours. Our trainers are also known for their compassion, wisdom and ability to get you all the way to graduation.

Don't believe what we say though, check out our reviews on Google and Trustpilot - See what others have said about learning with us!