Some rip-offs in education

from w
Apparently there are tertiary courses that just don't fulfill their requirements, and yet they keep open! From the Addie so be aware of this one in Geelong.

Keystone College launches Moorabool St campus in Geelong CBD

December 2, 2015 12:59pm

Courtney CraneGeelong Advertiser

Keystone College’s new Moorabool St campus in Geelong CBD. Picture: Mitch Bear

A  TRAINING provider that last year received more than $35 million in government funding despite graduating only 32 students has opened its doors in Geelong.

Keystone College, which launched its Moorabool St campus last week, is also operating subject to conditions imposed by the Australian Skills Quality Authority after its practices were the subject of an audit.

The national vocational education regulator found the College of Creative Design and Arts — which owns and operates Keystone — had not complied with assessment standards. It will be required to report data back to the ASQA and retain enrolment and ­assessment records for 12 months.

An Education and Training Department spokeswoman said conditions on its registration would allow ASQA to monitor the implementation of new strategies.

CCDA had a progress rate of 11.7 per cent last year, but ­received more than $35 million in Government-funded VET FEE-HELP loans and had 3576 students enrolled. Progress rates are an indication of how quickly students are moving through their courses.

Courses also come with a hefty price tag — Keystone charges almost $14,000 for an eight-month diploma of business, while similar courses at The Gordon TAFE cost full fee-paying students $2500.CCDA director Lindsay Hamon said “minor changes” required by ASQA to two ­assessment checklists had been made and the training provider was “fully compliant”.

Ms Hamon conceded there was “no question that a number of our students are taking longer to complete than first anticipated”.

“The great thing is that we never give up and retain and work with our students for as long as they are willing to put in the effort required to progress,” she said. A number of support initiatives, such as foundation programs, a helpline and pastoral care, existed to enhance outcomes, she said.

Ms Hamon said this year’s graduations would include a number of students who had gone over their 2014 course length and that the active and still progressing rate sat about 66 per cent.

But Keystone, which plans to run Geelong-based courses in leadership and management, community services, business and digital media, will be hit with a financial challenge next year after the Federal Government yesterday announced plans to freeze funding for all private colleges as part a wide-ranging crackdown on unscrupulous training providers.

Barwon Adolescent Taskforce regional youth affairs consultant Leigh Bartlett said she was “shocked” by the college’s poor outcomes.

“As a community, we wouldn’t allow a school to exist with results like this,” Ms Bartlett said. “Why are we accepting these standards?”

Opposition higher education spokesman Kim Carr said the “million dollar diplomas” demonstrated the risks associated with deregulation and privatisation of education.

Senator Carr pushed for the Government to “come down hard” on under-performing RTOs.