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Policies & Procedures

Access and Equity

Pinnacle Training Solutions is committed to the principles of access and equity and demonstrates this commitment by having the following documents and policies available for all VET training and administration staff:

National VET Strategy 2004 – 2010
Equal Opportunity Act
Disability Services Act
Disability Discrimination Act

Our induction programs make new staff aware of the obligations under the Acts and we ensure that the latest copies of the above Acts are available for easy reference for all staff members at all times.

We ensure that in the development of our training programs we incorporate services and products that are important to clients from the following groups:

Indigenous people
People with a disability
People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
People from rural and remote areas (if applicable)
Mature age people
Women in non-traditional trades

We are confident that the eligibility criteria and processes for selection to our training programs are as clear and fair as possible so clients from any of the above groups are able to access our services.

When applicable, we maintain records of the participation of clients from equity groups, in order to evaluate our processes and to put in place continuous improvement strategies. When applicable we take into consideration any additional costs associated with language, literacy and numeracy support, rural delivery or meeting the needs of a client with a disability.

All of our marketing and advertising material is written in plain English and our courses are promoted in ways that invite the participation of individuals from equity groups. If deemed applicable, Pinnacle Training Solutions would employ a trainer from a similar background to any of our equity clients and/or partner with another training provider who has specialised skills and experience in meeting the needs of clients from diverse backgrounds.

We incorporate client feedback mechanisms that clearly identify clients’ special learning needs and ensure that all learning resources are:

Written in plain English
Free from cultural or racial bias
Free from gender bias

In regard to our assessment processes, we offer alternative modes of assessment for clients with special needs and have in place a Training Manager who is available as a point of contact re:

The client support services available
Providing feedback to clients who may be unsuccessful in obtaining a place on a course
The reasonable adjustment that can be made to accommodate their training needs

We regularly validate our assessment processes by meeting with community group representatives and client groups. This allows us to evaluate the information gathered when designing new assessment protocol to ensure it is industry and client focused.

Assessment

Assessment is the measurement of progress against the learning outcomes of the competencies detailed in your Training Plan. Assessments will be conducted, where possible, in the workplace with you, your employer and your Pinnacle Training Solutions Workplace Assessor. Assessment methods can include:

Practical Application of Skills
Oral Questions & Presentations
Supervisor Reports
Completion of Workbooks
Role Plays
Demonstrations
Observation
Group Activities
Projects
Collaborative Assessments

There are many ways to carry out the assessment process. However, there are some broad principles that apply to all situations.

Assessment before training

Your existing skills will be assessed before commencing training. This is known as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

An RPL will save time and allow you to apply the skills and knowledge that you have already gained immediately and ensure that you can continue to learn new skills.

Assessment during training

Assessment will take place during the performance of the task as well as by evaluating the outcome.

Your assessment will take place on a regular basis and follow up training will be provided if the learning outcomes are not achieved. Your assessor will provide you with regular feedback as to your progress against the learning outcomes.

After the training is complete for each unit, your assessor will collect evidence which demonstrates your workplace performance and can be measured against the assessment criteria in the modules.

You are considered competent when the skills included in the Traineeship have been applied across a range of situations and over a period of time in the workplace.

What makes a good assessment is being valid, balanced, reliable and fair in the method and process used to determine the competencies attained.

Your training plan will be used to record the attainment of competencies.

Recognition of Prior Learning and Recognition of Current Competencies (RPL/RCC)

In some cases, you will find that you have already gained some of the skills for which training is proposed. This may have happened through workplace based informal training or perhaps through more formal recognised training.

If you have gained these skills through non-formal workplace based training, you will be given the opportunity to provide evidence which demonstrates you have these existing skills. If the evidence can be matched to units of competency, you will be considered competent in the units. This is known as Recognition of Prior Learning.

If you have attended training with another Registered Training Organisation and have a formal Statement of Attainment which matches the unit/s you are required to train in, your Workplace Assessor will recognise this statement after you submit it. This is known as a direct credit transfer.

Mutual Recognition Policy

We acknowledge and support mutual recognition as one of the most important features of the Australian Quality Training Framework.

To this end, Pinnacle Training Solutions will accept the Qualifications and/or statements of attainment issued by any other Registered Training Organisation based in any State/Territory of Australia.

Pinnacle Training Solutions verifies the status and scope of any Registered Training Organisation to for which the mutual recognition policy is invoked.

Pinnacle Training Solutions reserves the right to raise any concerns with respect to the level of competence of the student with the issuing organisation but will always accept and recognise the qualification.

Collection of Personal Information

Pinnacle collects personal information about its clients, persons associated with or employed by our clients, or our business contacts, to provide our professional services and to effectively manage our business relationships.

The types of personal information we collect may be business contact details or may involve detailed knowledge of an individual’s financial or personal circumstances, depending on the particular service we are required to provide.

You are not obliged to give us your personal information. However, if you choose not to provide Pinnacle with the personal information we require we may not be able to provide you with the full range of our services.

We will not collect sensitive information unless the individual has consented, it is required by law – or in other special specified circumstances, for example, relating to health services provision and individual or public health or safety.

Privacy Statement

Pinnacle Training Solutions (“Pinnacle”) and its associated entities are covered by the Ten (10) National Privacy Principles (“NPPs”), the NPPs, as set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (amended by the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000.

To comply with our obligations under the NPPs, we have a Privacy Policy which sets out how we manage privacy in our organisation. You are welcome to receive more information about the Policy.

Privacy Policy

Pinnacle takes its obligations under the Privacy Act seriously and would like to take all reasonable steps in order to comply with the Act and protect the privacy of the personal information that we hold. This policy sets out how we intend to do so.

Use and Disclosure

We may use or disclose personal information that we collect about you:

for the purpose for which it was collected;
where you have consented to the use or disclosure;
to maintain our relationship with you;
for purposes related to Pinnacle’s research, planning, service development, security and risk management;
to the extent that we are required or authorised by law to do so.

We may also use your personal information to keep you informed of our services, events and developments in the training sector and other matters. If you do not wish to be contacted for those purposes, please let us know using the contact details set out below. We aim to provide you with information and invitations that we consider may be of interest or relevant to your business.

Data Quality and Security

A review of personal information will be made on a regular basis to ensure that the information we collect, use or disclose is accurate, complete and up-to-date.

We have taken reasonable steps to protect the personal information we hold from misuse and loss and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Staffs are required to sign a confidentiality clause as a part of their Contracts of Employment.

Access and Correction

In normal circumstances we will provide you with access to personal information upon request, however there may be some legal or administrative reasons to deny access. If access is denied we will inform you as to the reasons why. Where individuals believe their personal information is not accurate, they may request correction by using the contact details set out below.

Grievance with assessment outcome.

Trainees may raise matters of concern relating to assessment outcome at any time during the training.

The Pinnacle Grievance with Assessment policy provides an avenue for all assessment grievances to be addressed.

Pinnacle Training Solutions will encourage the parties to approach a grievance with an open view and to attempt to resolve problems through discussion and conciliation. Where a grievance cannot be resolved through discussion and conciliation, Pinnacle Training Solutions acknowledges the needs for an appropriate external and independent agent to mediate between the parties.

All students have the right to bring forward a concern with an assessment outcome.

If a grievance is expressed directly to the trainer, the trainer must make the trainee aware at once of this Grievance Policy and the procedure which exists to deal with such a matter.

If a grievance cannot be resolved through trainer / student discussion, a formal grievance must be submitted in writing and presented to the Training Manager.

The Training Manager must review the assessment outcome and reply in writing to the student providing details of the review outcome, the reasons for the decision and any actions taken (if applicable).

If the student is not satisfied with the response, he/she may take the matter up with the CEO. Once again, the grievance must be put in submitted in writing.

If the student is not satisfied with the CEO’s response, the reply can be appealed by the student. In such a case, the CEO must refer to the matter to State Training Authority.

All grievances must be dealt with in a fair and timely manner.

All grievances and outcomes must be recorded in the Corrective Action Register.

Access and Correction

info@pinnacletraining.com.au