The Victorian Government is continuing to support training and education providers across the state during the pandemic, extending fee relief to make sure students don’t face barriers to their education.
Minister for Training and Skills Gayle Tierney today announced further fee relief for eligible registered training organisations (RTOs) and non-school senior secondary providers (NSSSPs) to the value of more than $391,000.
The Victorian Government has already provided more than $550,000 in fee relief in 2020, and this extension will continue to alleviate the impact of the pandemic on training providers registered with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), an official press release said.
The VRQA’s financial powers have been extended to allow it to issue refunds to RTOs and NSSSPs for annual and re-registration fees paid since Tuesday, 16 March, when a state of emergency was declared in Victoria. The VRQA will also waive annual and re-registration fees for eligible providers until Friday, 31 December 2021.
About 100 organisations are eligible for refunds and waivers—the majority being not-for-profit RTOs including Adult, Community and Further Education and Learn Local providers.
RTOs provide quality training and qualifications that are nationally recognised, while NSSSPs deliver senior secondary education in a non-school setting, including VCE and VCAL.
The Victorian Government has made a record $3.2 billion investment in skills and training ensure Victorians have access to high quality education and rewarding career pathways.
Tierney said, “We know how challenging the pandemic has been on Victorian businesses and organisations, which is why we’re continuing to provide fee relief to our valuable training organisations.
“These refunds and waivers will alleviate the pressure of the pandemic on training organisations so that they can instead continue to focus on giving Victorians access to world-class skills and training.”
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