If you can’t find the answer to your question here, please send an email to the Australian Technical Colleges email box: technicalcolleges@dest.gov.au
Page 2
| AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL COLLEGES INITIATIVE |
Posted |
| Have any decisions about successful ATCs already been made? |
19/04/05 |
| What is the level of interest in the Australian Technical Colleges to date? |
30/03/05 |
| Will the Department be providing individual responses to organisations who submitted Expressions of Interest (EOI)? |
08/04/05 |
| Will the Australian Technical Colleges be built on new sites? |
30/03/05 |
| Is the information in the Australian Technical Colleges Discussion paper still relevant? |
13/04/05 |
| Will Australian Technical Colleges be affected by the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry? |
20/04/05 |
| Does the National Code of Practice for Construction apply to buildings of $5m or more? |
21/04/05 |
| LOCATIONS |
|
| Can other regions apply? |
30/03/05 |
| Can an Australian Technical College have two major campuses and a number of satellite campuses? |
27/04/05 |
| Where will the Australian Technical Colleges be located? |
30/03/05 |
| WHO’S INVOLVED |
Posted |
| Can a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) be involved in more than one proposal for the one region? |
27/04/05 |
| Can one organisation lead two different proposals for the one region? |
27/04/05 |
| Can an incorporated association be a lead member in one proposal and a member of another proposal in the one region? |
27/04/05 |
| Can an interested consortium, where the consortium will not become an incorporated body until a later date, have one of its members submit a proposal on behalf of the consortium? How will the proposal be assessed for financial viability? |
11/05/05 |
| Can two Australian Technical Colleges be proposed for the one region? |
27/04/05 |
| Who can establish an Australian Technical College? |
30/03/05 |
| ESTABLISHING AN AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL COLLEGE |
Posted |
| Are organisations intending to submit a proposal through the RFP process able to register and use the names ‘Australian Technical College’, ‘Australian Technical Colleges’, ‘ATC’ or ‘ATCs’ as business names? |
11/05/05 |
| Can the deadline for Proposals for ATCs planned to open in 2007 or 2008 be extended beyond 20 May? |
02/05/05 |
| Will there be an extension to the 20 May 2005 closing date? |
20/04/05 |
| When will the successful Colleges be announced? |
30/03/05 |
| How can I become involved? |
30/03/05 |
| When will proposals be called for? |
30/03/05 |
| Can the RFP documentation be reproduced without written permission from the Commonwealth? |
07/04/05 |
| In the formation of an application for funding to establish and operate an ATC does a consortium need to be an incorporated body? If not, what are the legal and financial implications for individual organisations listed in any governing body? |
19/04/05 |
| What constitutes a conflict of interest for stakeholders such as an RTO, a school, Group Training Organisation, New Apprenticeship Centre? If a stakeholder thinks that there might be a direct or an indirect conflict of interest, how should they proceed? |
20/04/05 |
| Please clarify what is meant by the "applicant organisation". Should stakeholders in a consortium form a separate body to make the application or can one member of the consortium represent the other stakeholders in the group? If the applicant is not a school, must the applicant seek registration to become a school, or can a partner organisation that is not the applicant satisfy the requirement to be a school? |
20/04/05 |
| Does a model with the following characteristics fit within the Commonwealth Government’s concept for an Australian Technical College? |
11/05/05 |
| Do applicants need to submit their proposals through the relevant State department of education or training? |
11/05/05 |
| Can organisations submit a proposal when there are unresolved issues specific to their region that prevent submission of a completed proposal? |
16/05/05 |
| Will architects be involved as principal consultants for capital works projects? If so, how and when will architects be involved for design documentation and administration services? |
06/04/05 |
| FUNDING |
Posted |
| Will any funding be available to assist in the preparation of Proposals? |
05/04/03 |
| Does paragraph 6.4 in the Funding Agreement outline mean that the requirements set out in paragraphs 6.1-6.3 do not apply to recipients of funding which are State or Territory Governments or non-trading corporations? |
06/04/03 |
| Is it possible to include in the proposal the cost of transport to bring students from outlying areas of the region to the College? |
07/04/05 |
| Where capital funding is requested in a proposal can the associated maintenance and depreciation costs be included? |
14/04/05 |
| In submitting a Proposal will indicative budget figures suffice? |
19/04/05 |
| Is it necessary for applicants to have substantial cash reserves in order to establish an Australian Technical College? |
11/05/05 |
| Is there an easy to follow information guide that provides indicative dollar amounts per student in each jurisdiction for: Recurrent costs to State schools from the Australian Government; Recurrent costs to non-government schools from the Australian Government; Recurrent costs to State schools from State/Territory Governments; Recurrent costs to non-government schools from State/Territory Governments? |
20/04/05 |
| What are the main features required in the business plan? Can a business plan be brief? |
11/05/05 |
| What is the funding available for 2005 and how is it accessed?
Can funding only be drawn down from years 2005 to 2009 or can funds be carried over so that the College could commence in 2007 and seek funding to say 2011? |
11/05/05 |
| Will the ATCs have access to interest subsidy rebates on capital loans, as is the case in the States? |
21/04/05 |
| STUDENTS |
Posted |
| Will there be any scope for flexibility in enrolment numbers ie enrolling more than 300 students if demand is high? |
14/04/05 |
| GOVERNANCE |
Posted |
| Can an existing school council also become the designated ATC governing body? |
20/04/05 |
| How will the governing bodies be established? |
30/03/05 |
| REGISTRATION |
Posted |
| Can the provision of academic studies to students by the ATC entity be subcontracted to an approved registered Secondary School? If No, does it follow that only existing registered schools can be successful proponents of the ATC request for proposal? |
15/04/05 |
| Can the ATC outsource the training and education functions of an ATC to stakeholders? |
20/04/05 |
| If a current registered school is a party to a proposal can that registration be used by the ATC? |
20/04/05 |
AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL COLLEGES INITIATIVE
No decisions have been made on any ATCs. The closing date for proposals is 20 May 2005. Alls proposals received will be assessed against the requirements in RFP 2.3 and 2.4 using the process outlined in RFP 3.2. The Australian Government will decide who will be the successful applicants.
The level of interest is very high. More than 160 Expressions of Interest covering all 24 Australian Technical College regions have been received in response to the Government’s advertisement last November.
Expressions of Interest have been received from a range of organisations within these 24 regions including local employers and business, employer and industry associations, local government organisations, education and training providers and community groups. They reflect strong linkages with local employers and identified skill needs.
Importantly, within each of the 24 regions, there are already groups looking at how they can work together to establish an Australian Technical College.
It was never intended that the Department would comment on EOIs or that EOIs would become a prerequisite for submitting a Proposal for an Australian Technical College. As stated in the RFP documentation (see RFP 1.3.1) there is no single model for the operation of an Australian Technical College. The EOI process was used to gauge interest, to inform the preparation of the RFP documentation and to provide the opportunity for interested organisations to collaborate on a Proposal (see website EOI page).
Australian Technical Colleges will, wherever possible, utilise and build on existing infrastructure. Greenfields sites will be considered but only where there is no duplication of existing facilities or where no relevant facilities exist to deliver education and training of an appropriate quality. It is up to local stakeholders to develop a proposal for consideration by Government.
The Discussion Paper 
(455.5 KB) for the Australian Technical Colleges was released on 13 January 2005 to provide context for the Australian Technical College initiative at that time. The Discussion Paper has been superseded by the Request for Proposal (RFP) documentation which was released on 30 March 2005. The Expressions of Interest and Minister Hardgrave's community consultations in each of the 24 regions have informed the development of the Request for Proposal documentation. Where there is a difference in content between the Discussion Paper and the Request for Proposal documentation, the Request for Proposal content will take precedence.
The Funding Agreement that each Australian Technical College will sign with the Australian Government requires the College to ensure that any construction activity complies with the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry, Implementation Guidelines and Industry Guidelines. In addition, compliance with the code and guidelines are to be made a condition of any tender and relevant contracts and must extend to all subcontractors, consultants and suppliers that are engaged by the College. Information on the Code and guidelines are available on the Australian Government workplace website as follows:
National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry![You are now leaving DEST.]()
Implementation Guidelines![You are now leaving DEST.]()
Industry Guidelines![You are now leaving DEST.]()
Yes, if the Australian Government’s contribution represents at least 50% of the total construction project value. Otherwise it applies to any project with a value of $10 million or more, irrespective of the proportion of Australian Government funding.
Return to top
LOCATIONS
The Australian Government has nominated the 24 regions listed above in which Australian Technical Colleges will be located. Requests for proposals submitted will need to reflect this decision in order to be considered for funding.
While this is possible, for an Australian technical College to have more than one campus, the viability in terms of student numbers would need to be considered. The viability of this approach should be explained in the proponent’s business plan.
The Colleges are to be based in regions with reported skills needs; a strong industry base; and a significant youth population. Those regions identified are:
NSW:
The Hunter
The Illawarra
Queanbeyan
Port Macquarie
Lismore/Ballina
Dubbo
Gosford
Western Sydney
Victoria:
Geelong
Warrnambool
Bendigo
Sunshine
Bairnsdale/Sale
Eastern Melbourne
|
Queensland:
Townsville
Gladstone
North Brisbane
Gold Coast
South Australia:
Adelaide
Whyalla / Port Augusta
Western Australia:
Perth South
Pilbara
Tasmania:
Northern Tasmania
Northern Territory:
Darwin |
Return to top
WHO’S INVOLVED
Yes. There is no reason why the same RTO could not be a member of two different proposals. In some regions there may be only one RTO with the ability to deliver the training requirements for a particular industry or industries.
While this is possible, each proposal for a region needs to include a comprehensive business plan and have the support from, and represent, regional business and industry.
Yes. There is no reason why the same organisation could not be a lead member in one proposal and a member of another.
As indicated in Part A3 of the RFP application form, the proposal must identify the body which is the lead organisation for the consortium and include a statutory declaration to that effect. The proposal must also list all members of the proposed consortium. It is not necessary that the consortium itself is an incorporated body at the time of application, but the lead organisation must be a legal entity. Ultimately, the Funding Agreement will be entered into by the approved authority for the College, which will be determined by the Minister and which must be a legal entity.
A proposal submitted by a lead organisation on behalf of a consortium will be assessed for financial viability if the lead organisation is not a State or non-government systemic school. In this case, the lead organisation is required to complete the financial questionnaire that forms part of the RFP. The financial viability of the lead organisation will be assessed on the basis of information provided in the questionnaire and along with the financial details provided in the business plan, an overall assessment of the proposed College’s financial viability will be determined.
No. Proposals should be for one Australian Technical College only for each specified region. However, it is possible for there to be more than one campus. The viability of this approach should be explained in the proponent’s business plan.
It is expected proposals will come from government and non-government schools and organisations interested in becoming schools.
Return to top
ESTABLISHING AN AUSTRALIAN TECHNICAL COLLEGE
The Australian Government has filed an application to secure the trademarks ‘Australian Technical College’, ‘ATC’ and ‘Australian Technical College ATC’. This application was lodged with IP Australia in December 2004. The registered trade mark will give the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST) the exclusive legal right to use, license or sell these trademarks within Australia for the goods and services for which it is registered.
Until the outcome of the Request for Proposal process is known and the successful applicants advised, these trademarks will not be used to describe any other organisations. Once negotiations with the successful applicants have been completed the trademarks ‘Australian Technical Colleges’ and ‘ATC’ may be used by the applicants associated with the Australian Technical College initiative by express permission of DEST.
All proposals must be submitted by 20 May, whether proposing a 2006, 2007 or 2008 start. Once proposals are assessed by the Department, the Government will decide which Colleges will be able to commence in 2006.
No. Due to the Australian Government’s commitment to establish the first Australian Technical Colleges in 2006, it is not anticipated there will be any extension to the closing date.
The first group of successful proposals for Colleges to commence in 2006 will be announced by the end of July 2005. The successful proposals to commence in 2007 and 2008 will be announced by the end of December 2005.
By submitting Request For Proposals to establish and operate an Australian Technical College.
Request for Proposals were advertised on 30 March 2005 with proposals due on 20 May.
Yes. There is an implied licence permitting the RFP documentation to be copied for the purpose of the preparation of Proposals. The RFP requires that an original and three copies of a Proposal (including the Application Form) and a Microsoft electronic version be lodged by the closing date.
A consortium is not required to be an incorporated body at the time it submits a proposal. However, successful applicants will be required to enter into a funding agreement with the Australian Government before they can establish and operate a College. The successful applicant will need to identify or establish an approved body which must be incorporated for this purpose. The approved body will be the legal entity to which payments will be made.
Proposals should either identify the approved body for the consortium or outline the process by which one will be established. The type of incorporated body and governance arrangements that are established by consortium members will determine the legal and financial implications for the member organisations and individuals. Applicants should seek formal legal advice on this matter before lodging their proposal.
It is not possible to anticipate all the potential ways in which a conflict of interest may arise. Applicants are referred to RFP 2.10 which deals with conflicts of interest. A conflict of interest arises where a person or organisation is in a position to benefit directly or indirectly from the Proposal. An example might be where the proposed governing body of an Australian Technical College has on its Board a director of a RTO, Group Training Organisation or New Apprenticeship Centre which is in partnership with the school. In this situation there is a potential conflict of interest between the person’s obligations as a member of the governing board of the College and their obligations as a director of the other organisation.
This does not mean that such an appointment is not appropriate and any potential conflict of interest cannot be adequately managed.
RFP 2.10 requires applicant to identify in their Business Plan any potential or actual conflicts of interest and how they propose to manage them. This may include for example a process to be followed by the governing body for identifying and managing conflicts of interest. If a stakeholder thinks that there might be a direct or indirect conflict of interest they should identify it and the process for managing it in the Business Plan that is required to be submitted as part of the Application.
Applicants' attention is drawn to question A3 of the Application Form. It is noted here that the applicant would normally be the Approved Authority for a registered school or a not for profit incorporated body seeking registration as a school. However, for the purpose of making the application stakeholders in a consortium may wish to identify one organisation to make the application on their behalf. If this is done the statutory declaration at Part G of the application form needs to be completed by the lead consortium member. Ultimately, the ATC must be a school in order to provide tuition to students leading to the Year 12 certificate.
- ATC established as a Not for Profit Company limited by Guarantee.
- ATC as a ‘virtual’ campus or ‘shop-front’.
- Students remain enrolled in, and attend, existing schools.
- The key role of the ATC - to broker academic and trade training from existing schools and RTOs and New Apprenticeships with employers.
The Australian Government has not prescribed how a College should operate or any specific model which should be followed. It is accepted that local community and regional industry and business needs will determine the shape and style of how the proposal for the establishment of an ATC is developed. However, there are a number of governance, administrative, curriculum and learning outcomes requirements which each College is expected to meet. Applicants will need to demonstrate how the proposed model of operation provides the key features of an Australian Technical College, as set out in the Request for Proposal, such as an industry-led governing body and close links with local employers; autonomy of the principal; high quality teaching staff who have the option of an Australian Workplace Agreement; and innovative and flexible delivery methods to meet local skills needs.
The RFP does not stipulate that substantial cash reserves are required. However, where the proposed College will be a non-government school, applicants will need to meet State/Territory requirements in relation to school registration. In addition, applications proposing a College which will be a non-government, non-systemic school will be subject to a financial viability assessment by DEST.
Applicants may include establishment costs as part of the budget and business plan in the proposal.
Organisations are encouraged to submit as comprehensive a proposal as possible. If there are issues that require resolution or further discussion or negotiation these should be clearly outlined and every effort made to work through the issues.
Proposals, should where possible, be based on using or modifying existing infrastructure. Where successful applicants do require capital works it will be the responsibility of the applicants to manage this work including, if necessary, the engagement of consultants.
Return to top
FUNDING
No. DEST funding is not available for preparation of proposals and applicants cannot seek funding retrospectively for this purpose. See Request for Proposal, paragraph 1.4.7.
The requirements in 6.1-6.3 apply to all Australian Technical Colleges. However, the form in which they will be imposed may differ for different types of organisations.
As noted in the answer above about transport costs, the Request for Proposal requires proponents to provide a business plan which will include financial information and a budget according to the services they will provide and the resources needed to deliver them. It will be up to proponents to justify any costs that they are seeking to have covered by the supplementary ATC funding. Therefore, where capital funding has been requested and there are associated maintenance and depreciation costs, these costs can be included in the recurrent budget.
The Request for Proposal requires proponents to provide a business plan which will include financial information and a budget according to the services they will provide and the resources needed to deliver them. It will be up to proponents to justify any costs that they are seeking to have covered by the supplementary ATC funding. If transport for students is an issue which will affect the viability of the College, then this should be addressed in the RFP.
As noted in the answer above about transport costs, the Request for Proposal requires proponents to provide a business plan which will include financial information and a budget according to the services they will provide and the resources needed to deliver them. It will be up to proponents to justify any costs that they are seeking to have covered by the supplementary ATC funding. Therefore, where capital funding has been requested and there are associated maintenance and depreciation costs, these costs can be included in the recurrent budget.
The RFP does not stipulate that substantial cash reserves are required. However, where the proposed College will be a non-government school, applicants will need to meet State/Territory requirements in relation to school registration. In addition, applications proposing a College which will be a non-government, non-systemic school will be subject to a financial viability assessment by DEST.
Applicants may include establishment costs as part of the budget and business plan in the proposal.
It is in the interests of applicants to submit fully completed Proposals including detailed budgets. (See RFP 2.1 and 2.6). However, it is acknowledged that some estimation may be required. Applicants should clearly note any indicative figures used in a Proposal including any assumptions. The Department will be negotiating a Funding Agreement with successful applicants and budgets will be finalised during this process.
- Recurrent costs to State schools from the Australian Government;
- Recurrent costs to non-government schools from the Australian Government;
- Recurrent costs to State schools from State/Territory Governments;
- Recurrent costs to non-government schools from State/Territory Governments?
Current rates of Australian Government recurrent funding to State and non-government schools can be found on pages 174-176 of the Australian Government Programmes for Schools Quadrennial Administrative Guidelines 2005 to 2008![You are now leaving DEST.]()
.
Current SES funding rates and estimated funding for each non government school can be obtained from the SES Info link on the SES funding website![You are now leaving DEST.]()
. A table outlining the per student rate for each school is located on this page of the SES funding website![You are now leaving DEST.]()
.
Some State/Territory Governments provide information on school funding on their Education Department’s website, but it will be a matter for the applicant to contact the relevant education authority directly to ascertain their eligibility for school funding and the amount likely to be available.
RFP 2.4 outlines what should be included in a business plan. Business plans which are focussed and succinct are acceptable. However, the onus is on Applicants to satisfy themselves of the completeness, accuracy and sufficiency of their proposals.
Can funding only be drawn down from years 2005 to 2009 or can funds be carried over so that the College could commence in 2007 and seek funding to say 2011?
The total funding available for the Australian Technical Colleges initiative for the five years from 2005 is outlined in Section 1.4.4 of the RFP. For 2005, $15.8 million will be available to meet establishment costs, most likely for those Colleges that will commence operations in 2006. Colleges will commence operations over 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The funding for each College will be set out in the Funding Agreement. It will depend on the level of costs, which must be justified in the proposal and business plan. The schedule of payments will depend on when the College will commence and the type of costs involved.
Section 2.4 of the RFP requires applicants to provide a detailed business plan covering at least five calendar years from the expected commencement date. Applicants that propose to commence in 2007 or 2008 will need to extend their business plan beyond 2009 and identify the funding they are seeking in those years.
As the Australian Government does not provide capital loans to schools there is no avenue to apply for interest rebates on capital funding for schools. However, State Governments do provide interest subsidised capital loans to schools. If a registered school is part of the consortium to establish an Australian Technical College, an approach to the relevant State Department of Education would clarify eligibility for the scheme.
Return to top
Students
If local demand from students is strong and local businesses are able to accommodate more than 300 School-based New Apprenticeship placements, then proponents will need to demonstrate capacity to enrol more than 300 students. Proponents would need to demonstrate that they would have sufficient funding to cover the costs of providing high quality education, training and support to the additional students and would need to take into account any issues relating to school registration; for example, the impact on existing schools.
Return to top
GOVERNANCE
It is possible for an existing school council to be an ATC governing body as long as it complies with the RFP 2.3.2.4 (in particular, see paras 1.3.6 and 2.3.2.4).
Proposals will identify the proposed governance arrangements for each College. The governing body will be responsible for providing strategic direction and setting performance objectives of the College.
Return to top
REGISTRATION
Each Australian Technical College will need to be a school in the State/Territory in which it intends to operate by the time it commences providing tuition to students that leads to a senior secondary certificate of education. Colleges that are set up as existing or new non-government schools must also meet the relevant State/Territory school registration requirements. The registration requirement is outlined at RFP 1.3.2 and is a specified selection criterion at RFP 2.3.2.1.
This requirement does not prevent applicants that are not a registered school from submitting a proposal. Applicants that propose to establish a new school to operate as the Australian Technical College will need to demonstrate an understanding of the registration requirements in the relevant State/Territory and build the registration process and timeframe into their business plan. The commencement date identified in the proposal will need to take this into account.
Funding for the establishment and operation of the College will be provided to the legal entity that is approved by the Minister for receipt of funding. This may be the College, or school, itself or an authority that normally would be responsible for the school. For an existing non-government school, the approved authority for the school which would normally receive general recurrent funding for that school may continue to be the authority which would receive the ATC funding. For a proposed new non-government school, the applicant would need to identify in its proposal the authority to be approved by the Minister for receipt of ATC funds.
The ATC must be a school and must be responsible for the delivery of senior secondary curriculum, leading to a Year 12 certificate.
As stated in RFP 2.3.2.2, an ATC must, by the start of the school year in which it is intended to provide education to students, either be an RTO itself or have links to one or more RTOs which are registered with a State/Territory Training Authority under the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF). The RTO(s) must be registered to deliver nationally accredited vocational training in the trades specified in the proposal which will result in, or form part of, a national Training Package qualification.
The ATC must be a school; and if it is a non-government school, must be registered under relevant State/Territory requirements. A body which is not a school but which includes a registered non-government school in its consortium may submit a proposal for ATC funding. However, ultimately funding will be provided to the approved authority for the ATC.
The main purpose of State/Territory registration of non-government schools is to ensure that the requirements of the relevant Education Acts are being, or will be, met. As such, each State/Territory will usually require existing registered schools which propose changes to their operations, including for example adding a campus or changing the name of the school, to notify the relevant State/Territory registration authority in order for it to assess the proposed change to ensure it remains consistent with the criteria set out in the relevant Act.
It will be up to each College to negotiate arrangements for notification of proposed changes to existing schools with the relevant State/Territory authorities.