CFMEU EDUCATION AND TRAINING UNIT STUDENT HANDBOOK
The handbook provides you with information on:
- our philosophy on education and training
- enrolment and induction procedures
- fees policy
- course information
- access and equity
- disciplinary procedures
- language literacy and numeracy support
- assessment arrangements
- submitting assessment tasks via email
- plagiarism
- appeals and grievance procedures
- recognition of prior learning
- credit transfer
- resources for learning
- duration of enrolment
- learner feedback
Welcome to the CFMEU Education and Training Unit and congratulations for daring to learn! This handbook provides you with basic information about us. It also gives you an idea of how we operate and what to expect when doing courses at the CFMEU, so please take the time to read it.
OUR PHILOSOPHY ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING
The CFMEU Education and Training Unit is committed to providing quality training so that when you return to work you’ll be able to apply the skills and knowledge you need to be competent and safe at work. When you study with us you’ll not only get the ticket or qualification you need, but you’ll also gain the skills and knowledge to better do your job in a supportive, interactive environment. All our courses are written specifically for the building industry and involve face-to-face learning with a focus on group interaction and discussion. This way you get to learn and share knowledge and experience with other building workers thus making your learning experiences more memorable and enjoyable.
Our longer certificate and diploma courses also focus on enhancing skills that underpin and add to your vocational expertise. We don’t just focus on getting tickets; we aim to develop and improve your reading, writing, research and study techniques thus building skills for life.
ENROLMENT & INDUCTION PROCEDURES
After you apply for a course, you’ll receive a letter advising you of the next available course including the dates and venue. If you’re available and are still interested in doing the course you must contact the training unit and confirm your attendance. You must then complete and sign an enrolment and release form. There are a number of questions on the enrolment form regarding your personal details and employment and education and training background. This information is required by the National Training Authority for their statistical data collection. All information you provide on this form is treated confidentially.
For courses involving high risk work licences you also need to provide proof of age and supply a passport photo. These courses also involve a course safety induction.
For our diploma and certificate courses, (qualifications in OH&S and training and assessment), you will need to attend an interview with your teacher. In this interview your teacher will give you further information about the course as well as a training plan setting out the course dates. You’ll also do a short language and literacy assessment to determine which course is suitable for you and whether you’ll need additional support during our training. Please bring photo identification to this interview as this may be needed to support CFMEU’s eligibility for government funding in some courses.
FEES POLICY
Your course fees are mostly covered if you’re a member of Incolink (except for industry induction). If you’re not a member of Incolink your employer will be invoiced when you complete the course.
If you’re not a member of Incolink and you’re self-employed, you will be invoiced upon completion of the course.
See the induction (white card) application for details of the fees policy regarding this course.
COURSE INFORMATION
General information about your course is contained in the Dare to Learn Course Directory. If you have specific enquiries about your course, contact the training unit and speak to the relevant teacher/trainer. The CFMEU also provides a Course Guide which provides information to workers in the building industry about career pathways. If you’re not sure about what training you need or what you’re interested in, have a look at our course guide.
ACCESS AND EQUITY
The CFMEU is committed to removing any barriers that may prevent learners from successfully gaining skills and knowledge through participation in training. The CFMEU also recognises that historically particular groups have been underrepresented and/or disadvantaged in training. To that end it is our policy to actively promote and provide training to all learners irrespective of:
- age
- disability
- language background
- race
- gender
- religion
- sexuality
- education background
- family responsibilities
- employment status; and
- location.
Talk to your teacher/trainer if you believe you’ve been treated unfairly, or you wish to raise concerns about access and equity issues while training at the CFMEU.
DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
The CFMEU expects that all students participating in education and training treat each other and the teacher/trainer with dignity so that teaching and learning can occur. This may be displayed by being inclusive of everyone, listening to each other, treating each other with respect free of sexist, racist, homophobic or other discriminatory attitudes. The CFMEU also expects students to attend class punctually and regularly, with all the materials required to participate effectively in class activities. If the teacher/trainer believes that a student’s conduct is not meeting expectations of the training unit, they may deem disciplinary action is required. The CFMEU follows the disciplinary procedure contained in the rules of the union. You can request a copy of this procedure.
LANGUAGE, LITERACY AND NUMERACY SUPPORT
We understand that some of you might be concerned about the level of English language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) skills required for some courses. To maximise participation in training, the CFMEU provides additional LLN support for workers without strong skills or a strong education background. This might apply to you if you have difficulty with reading and writing tasks or if your first language isn’t English and you have difficulty with speaking. Talk to your teacher/trainer if you think you might need LL&N support for the course you wish to enrol in.
ASSESSMENT ARRANGEMENTS
Most courses at the CFMEU will involve assessment. If you are anxious about being assessed, talk to your teacher/trainer. Support is available for you during assessment if you have LLN, or other special needs.
For certificate and diploma courses you’ll need to submit and sign the CFMEU assessment cover sheet with your work. In relation to certificate and diploma courses you will also need to submit your work and be signed off as competent before proceeding to the next stage of the course. Learners who have outstanding assessment requirements for more than one course at certificate or diploma level will not be able to proceed on their learning pathway until they have met the competence requirements. In this way teachers can monitor your progress and identify whether you’re at risk of not achieving your learning needs and hence provide guidance.
Please keep a copy of work you submit for assessments. If you have forgotten to make a copy, please do not rely on CFMEU administration staff to make copies for you or carry out other administration tasks related to your training. This is your responsibility and is part of developing effective learning strategies.
SUBMITTING ASSESSMENT TASKS VIA EMAIL
You are able to submit your assignments to teaching staff via email. However staff who are contractors and do not have access to printers or a CFMEU email address may not accept work via email. You should clarify this at the beginning of your courses with the teacher/trainer.
Your work must be emailed directly to the teacher or trainer for the relevant subject.
Clearly state, in the subject line the name of the unit cluster (the subject) for which you are submitting assessment tasks, your full name, which tasks you are submitting and whether it is a draft or the final copy.
For example:
Note that John is not submitting any work for task 2.
Ensure the assessment tasks are attached to your email in either a Word doc format ie: ‘filename.doc’ or as a ‘filename.pdf’ file. You must also submit the signed Assessment Cover Sheet to the relevant teacher either with your assessment tasks or as a hard copy in class.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is the presentation of someone else’s work as your own. This includes copying someone’s work without giving credit to the author or submitting someone else’s work as your own. Plagiarism is not acceptable and if the CFMEU believes work has been plagiarised, those involved will be required to re-submit their work.
We are committed to your learning so if you are having difficulty with your assessment tasks, the CFMEU teachers/trainers are here to assist. There is nothing to be gained or learned from plagiarism.
APPEALS AND GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES
You have a right to appeal assessment results if you believe you have been treated unfairly. You also have access to a grievance procedure if you believe you’ve been treated unfavourably during any aspect of the training. Ideally approach your teacher/trainer first; if this is ineffective you can talk to the Education and Training Unit Coordinator.
RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING
If you have partly or fully completed a course that is relevant to the training you wish to enrol in, or you believe you have the skills and experience equivalent to the competencies required in the training, you may be eligible for recognition of prior learning (RPL). Read our information sheet to assist RPL applications before completing an RPL application form. You may be required to attend an interview as well as supplying documents to support your application. Your teacher/trainer will advise you of the outcome of this process.
CREDIT TRANSFER
The CFMEU is a registered training organisation and therefore recognises qualifications issued by other RTOs. Credit transfer is available for any courses listed on the scope of registration of the CFMEU. If you have completed any units of a course at another training organisation you may be eligible for credit transfer. Complete a credit transfer application form and your teacher/trainer will advise you of the outcome of this process.
RESOURCES FOR LEARNING
For most courses you’ll be provided with class materials, note paper and in longer certificate and diploma courses, a ring binder. You’re required to bring your folder and/or class materials to your course each day as the materials often form part of the learning strategy in class. In the longer certificate and diploma courses you’ll also be given material to assist you with developing and improving your writing skills and referencing when writing reports etc.
For courses that involve writing tasks, some students prefer to bring a laptop to class. It is not necessary to be computer literate or to own a laptop in order to participate in CFMEU training; however you are very welcome to bring and use your laptop in class.
If you lack computer skills and are interested in gaining basic skills the CFMEU runs a short course.
VENUES
The CFMEU delivers training at a range of venues in Melbourne. We run some courses at our office in Carlton (usually first aid and some OH&S courses). All high risk work training is conducted at our High Risk Work Training Centre at 1-11 Wharf Road, Port Melbourne. Asbestos removal training is carried out at 8 Orr St, Carlton. Our training facilities at 31 and 41 Sabre Dve are used for OH&S, general construction and training and assessment courses.
There is usually ample parking available at our Port Melbourne facilities but make sure you park in the CFMEU designated spots for Sabre Dve. Please note that the CFMEU spots directly outside the warehouses are allocated for CFMEU training staff and guest speakers to courses. Public transport or motor/push bikes are probably a better option for Carlton as all parking is metered and generally for a maximum of two hours.
DURATION OF ENROLMENT
The duration of your course enrolment will obviously vary according to the length of the course. In many cases learners may start a course in between jobs or when off work due to injury or illness. When your personal or employment circumstances change we understand this can affect your ability to continue with your training. The CFMEU keeps a record of all enrolments and partially completed courses; you can access your records by contacting the administration officers at the training unit or the relevant teacher/trainer. Depending on how long your absence is from training, you may need to repeat parts of the course as qualifications expire and your knowledge and skills may no longer be current. This will be determined on an individual basis depending on the course and the time that has elapsed since your initial enrolment.
LEARNER FEEDBACK
You have the opportunity to give us feedback at the end of your course through our course evaluation form. Once a year we will also ask you to complete quality indicator surveys which we need to gather as part of our ongoing compliance as a registered training organisation. However we also encourage you to talk to us at any stage if you have suggestions about how we can better deliver our training and other services. You may also be asked to participate in the National Student Outcomes Survey managed by the National Centre for Vocational Education and Research (NCVER). Please note that all data gathered from surveys is confidential and used to inform policy and practice in the Australian training system.