Fees, Refunds and Course Progress Policy
BARS Training Australia is committed to providing students with clear and accurate information about course fees, refunds, course commencement, withdrawals and course completion requirements before enrolment.
Course Fees
All applicable course fees are provided to prospective students before enrolment and are published with the relevant course information where applicable. Course fees may vary depending on the course, delivery arrangements and whether the student is eligible for government-funded training. Students participating in government-funded training will be advised of any applicable student contribution fee before enrolment. There is no separate enrolment or application fee charged by BARS Training Australia unless a specific administrative charge is clearly disclosed before payment and enrolment.
Application and Enrolment
Submitting a course application does not constitute enrolment or commencement of training. For courses requiring a pre-enrolment process, applicants must first complete the applicable application, identification, Language, Literacy, Numeracy and Digital (LLND), suitability and other pre-enrolment requirements.
Enrolment occurs when BARS Training Australia has accepted the applicant into the course following completion of the required pre-enrolment process and the enrolment has been established. For the purposes of this policy, the date of enrolment is also considered the commencement of training. Following enrolment, BARS Training Australia may allocate facilitators, training places and venues and provide the student with access to workbooks, online learning resources and other course materials.
Cancellation Before Enrolment
Where a prospective student has made a payment but withdraws their application before enrolment has occurred, any course fees paid will be refunded in full. No cancellation or administration fee will apply where the applicant withdraws before enrolment.
Withdrawal After Enrolment
Once enrolment has occurred, the course is considered to have commenced. Where a student voluntarily withdraws after enrolment because of a change of mind, change in personal circumstances or decision not to continue training, course fees are generally non-refundable. This reflects the administrative, training and operational costs incurred following enrolment, which may include facilitator allocation, venue arrangements, establishment and maintenance of training records and provision of learning and assessment resources BARS Training Australia may consider a refund, partial refund, course transfer or other reasonable arrangement where exceptional or extenuating circumstances apply. Any such determination will be considered on the individual circumstances and any applicable legal or government funding requirements.
Course Cancellation by BARS Training Australia
Where BARS Training Australia cancels a course and the student does not accept a suitable alternative course or training arrangement, all applicable course fees paid for that course will be refunded in full. Where BARS Training Australia is unable to complete delivery of training after enrolment, affected students will be offered an appropriate alternative training arrangement where reasonably available. Where a suitable alternative cannot be provided or is not accepted by the student, BARS Training Australia will provide any applicable refund or other remedy to which the student is entitled.
Course Completion Period
Unless otherwise specified in the relevant course information, students are expected to complete their training and assessment requirements within three months from the date of enrolment. The three-month period provides students undertaking self-paced or blended training with reasonable flexibility while ensuring that training, assessment and evidence of competency remain current and that students continue to make satisfactory progress towards completion. Different completion periods may apply to particular courses where this is stated in the relevant course information provided before enrolment.
Extensions and Extenuating Circumstances
BARS Training Australia recognises that circumstances may arise that prevent a student from completing their course within the scheduled completion period. Students experiencing illness, injury, family circumstances, employment commitments, personal hardship or other reasonable or extenuating circumstances should contact BARS Training Australia or their facilitator as soon as practicable. An extension of the course completion period may be approved where BARS Training Australia considers the circumstances reasonable and continued enrolment remains appropriate. Extensions are not automatic and must be approved by BARS Training Australia. The duration and conditions of an approved extension will be determined having regard to the individual circumstances, course requirements and the student's ability to continue making satisfactory progress.
Course Participation and Progress
Students are expected to actively participate in their training and assessment and maintain reasonable contact with BARS Training Australia and/or their allocated facilitator throughout their enrolment. For self-paced and blended courses, satisfactory participation and progress may include attending scheduled training and assessment activities, completing learning activities, submitting assessment tasks within agreed timeframes, responding to reasonable contact from BARS Training Australia or their facilitator and otherwise demonstrating continued engagement with the course. Students experiencing difficulty maintaining progress are encouraged to contact BARS Training Australia as early as possible so that appropriate training support, reasonable adjustment or an extension can be considered where applicable.
Inactive Enrolments
A student who ceases participating in their course, fails to submit required work, does not attend scheduled training or assessment activities and/or fails to maintain reasonable contact with BARS Training Australia or their facilitator may be considered inactive. Where there has been no satisfactory participation or progress and no approved extension or alternative arrangement is in place, BARS Training Australia will make reasonable attempts to contact the student and provide an opportunity for them to re-engage with their training. Before an enrolment is closed due to inactivity, BARS Training Australia will provide the student with written notice and a reasonable opportunity to contact BARS Training Australia to discuss their circumstances, continued enrolment or an extension. Where the student does not respond within the timeframe specified in the notice, or does not make satisfactory arrangements to recommence training, BARS Training Australia may close the enrolment. A student whose enrolment has been closed due to inactivity is not automatically entitled to recommence the course at a later date under the original enrolment or fees. Any subsequent return to training will be considered in accordance with the course requirements, currency of previous training and assessment, applicable fees and any relevant funding requirements at that time.
Government-Funded Training
Students undertaking government-funded training, including training subsidised under the Queensland Government Career Start program, remain subject to the applicable government funding requirements. Where a government funding policy, Skills Assure Supplier requirement or other applicable funding condition provides a student with a particular entitlement concerning fees, refunds, withdrawals or training arrangements, that requirement will apply notwithstanding any general provision of this policy. Any applicable student contribution fee will be disclosed to the student before enrolment. BARS Training Australia will not apply a commercial course discount to a government-funded student contribution fee or other fee or charge where doing so would be inconsistent with the applicable funding arrangements.
BARS Training Australia Loyalty Discount
Where applicable, BARS Training Australia provides eligible returning students with the published BARS Training Australia Loyalty or Course Discount. The discount is automatically applied where the student and course meet the published eligibility requirements. The Loyalty or Course Discount does not apply to government-funded student contribution fees, concurrent course administrative fees or other fixed administrative fees or charges that are specifically excluded from the discount.
Requesting a Refund
Requests for refunds after enrolment must be submitted in writing using the BARS Training Australia Refund Request Form and should include supporting documentation where relevant. Refund requests will be considered having regard to the circumstances of the request, the stage of training, services and resources already provided, any extenuating circumstances and applicable legislative or government funding requirements. The Refund Request Form can be obtained by contacting BARS Training Australia on (07) 5529 0834 during office hours.
Student Rights
Nothing in this policy excludes, restricts or modifies any rights or remedies available to a student under the Australian Consumer Law or other applicable Commonwealth or State legislation. Where training is delivered under a government-funded program, any additional rights or requirements applying under that program will also be observed. Students who are dissatisfied with a decision made under this policy may access the BARS Training Australia complaints and appeals process as outlined in the Student Handbook.
View Student Handbook