Application for a WorkReady Accredited Training Service Agreement (ATSA)

Application Guidelines

1. Introduction

WorkReady is South Australia’s policy and purchasing framework for vocational education and training skill and employment activities. The strategy aims to respond to the State’s skill needs and evolving economic environment. With a strong focus on the connection between training and employment, it targets public investment in skills, training and employment to strategic industry sectors and priority areas.

A Registered Training Organisation (RTO) who has successfully applied for and holds an active WorkReady Head Agreement is eligible to apply for an Accredited Training Service Agreement (ATSA). The ATSA is the contractual mechanism through which accredited training will be delivered under WorkReady.

2. Format of application

The applicant must prepare and submit its application for an ATSA using the Service Provider Online Application Form.

3. Contact details

All communications with the Minister regarding the application must be in writing and sent to the following e-mail address:
Email: WorkReady@sa.gov.au

4. General

Applicants agree that:

  1. submitting an application in accordance with this process does not give rise to an ATSA;
  2. an Application Form must:
    1. be submitted using the on-line Application Form provided by the Minister;
    2. be in English;
    3. include the appropriate information in every field of the Application Form;
    4. attach all documentation required; and
    5. attach the declaration made by a person duly authorised by the Applicant,
  3. Applicants may apply to deliver only those courses listed in the Subsidised Training List and which are also listed in the Applicants’ scope of registration on the national register; and
  4. Applicants may progressively build and save their Application Form in the web environment however, once an Application Form has been submitted it cannot be accessed by the Applicant. Applicants are advised to carefully check all data entered into their Application Form and review it for accuracy and completeness before submission.

5. Eligibility and evaluation criteria

  1. An Applicant must be a RTO that is registered by the Australian Skills Quality Authority.
  2. Applications will be evaluated against a range of criteria including whether an Applicant can demonstrate that:
    1. it is able to deliver quality training pursuant to publicly funded contracts;
    2. it is governed and managed by persons with the skills and experience to lead a superior educational organisation;
    3. it has an engagement with industry commensurate with the qualifications to be offered;
    4. it caters for student diversity in the delivery of its training;
    5. it has appropriate numbers of graduates from each Training Package;
    6. it can prove appropriate satisfaction levels of its graduates and their employers with training received from the Applicant;
    7. its trainers and assessors have relevant and adequate vocational competence and formal qualifications in training and assessment; and
    8. any other matter that the Minister considers pertinent to the decision to offer a ATSA.

6. Applicant consent and authorisation

  1. As a condition of submitting an Application Form the Applicant agrees and grants its consent for:
    1. the Minister and any regulator who may have oversight of the operations and registration of the Applicant to exchange any information; and/or
    2. the Minister to disclose information to any other parties for the purpose of verification of the information provided by the Applicant (which includes but is not limited to contacting any student or former students).
  2. As a condition of submitting an Application Form, the Applicant agrees and authorises the Minister to seek information from any person, agency (whether State, Territory or the Commonwealth) to verify the bona fides, experience and status (both financial and operational) of the Applicant.
  3. If the Minister considers it necessary to have the consent and/or authorisation from the Applicant separately in writing, the Applicant must take all steps and execute all documents necessary to provide such consent and/or authorisation.

7. Application process

  1. Applications will be assessed on behalf of the Minister by the Department.
  2. The Minister reserves the right to
    1. refuse to consider an incomplete application;
    2. not offer an ATSA to an Applicant for any reason whatsoever;
    3. seek the advice of any person to assist in the assessment or review of any application;
    4. seek further information from the Applicant and to contact other persons or organisations including those identified in the Application for verification purposes; and
    5. provide information about the Applicant and its application to any regulator.

8. Outcome of application

  1. The Minister will notify each Applicant in writing of the outcome of its application.
  2. The Minister may offer an Applicant an ATSA on terms and conditions which are acceptable to the Minister.
  3. Applicants whose Application is not accepted will be notified in writing with a summary of the issues that led to the decision.
  4. The decision to offer an ATSA to an Applicant or any person is at the Minister’s sole discretion.

9. Submitting further applications if an ATSA is not offered

  1. Where an Applicant is not offered an ATSA after submitting an Application, it may not submit a further application until the expiration of the time specified by the Minister (in their absolute discretion) in the written notification of issues that led to that decision.
  2. Any Application Form submitted in contravention of this section may not be considered by the Minister.

10. Ministers requirements

The Minister requires that Applicants will, in making an application:

  1. declare any actual or potential conflict of interest by its officers or employees;
  2. declare whether it employs or has engaged the services of any person who has a duty to the Minister as an adviser, consultant or employee;
  3. not offer any incentive to, or otherwise attempt to influence, any employee of the Minister involved in the assessment of applications at any time;
  4. not make or publish any media releases or respond to media enquiries pertaining to this application process without the prior written approval of the Minister;
  5. have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to deliver Nationally accredited training; and
  6. have fully informed itself of all facts and conditions requirements relating to this application process.

11. Cost of application

The Applicant is responsible for all costs of preparing and submitting an application and all other costs of the Applicant arising out of this application process. There is no fee levied on an Applicant for submitting an Application Form.

12. Correction and update of application

If an Applicant becomes aware that the Application Form it has submitted contains:

  1. errors or omissions; and/or
  2. circumstances have changed such that the Application Form is no longer correct,

the duly authorised representative of the Applicant (commonly the person who signed the declaration submitted with the application) must immediately advise DSD in writing (refer section 3 above for contact information) providing details of the errors and/or omissions. The information provided by the Applicant will be considered and the Applicant will be informed as to whether it will be required to submit a new Application Form.