Vocational placement
Version 8
11 February 2008
[PDF 140kb]
The purpose of this fact sheet is to advise parties to a vocational placement scheme of the legislative requirements of the scheme.
What is a vocational placement?
Vocational placement is where a student is placed in a workplace to receive practical training and experience as an assessable part of a student's course leading to the issuing of a qualification or statement of attainment.
Vocational placements complement institutional training delivered by registered training organisations and placement hours are in addition to the nominal hours of the qualification or statement of attainment.
In Queensland, 'vocational placement' is governed by the Vocational Education, Training and Employment Act 2000 and is administered by the Department of Education, Training and the Arts.
Parties to a vocational placement scheme include:
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the registered training organisation offering the course that requires the student to complete a vocational placement
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the placement person, who is an employer working in the occupation relevant to the course
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the student undertaking the vocational placement.
Vocational placement versus work experience
A vocational placement should not be confused with 'work experience'. In Queensland, work experience is governed by the Education (Work Experience) Act 1996 and is administered by Education Queensland. The key differences between vocational placements and work experience are summarised below:
| Vocational placements | Work experience |
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Types of vocational placements
There are two types of vocational placements which are distinguished by the following features:
| Long placements | Short placements |
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When are vocational placement schemes required?
A vocational placement is required if:
- the student's course is nationally recognised in the vocational education and training sector and
- the training product requires on-the-job training and/or assessment or
- the registered training organisation requires students to undertake a vocational placement as part of the course delivery and assessment strategy (Standard 1, AQTF Standards for Registered Training Organisations).
Application and fees for recognition of a vocational placement scheme
The registered training organisation must apply to the Training and Employment Recognition Council for recognition of a vocational placement scheme. Applications should be made using the VPS01 Application for recognition of a vocational placement scheme form as soon as possible after the registered training organisation has the scope of registration to deliver the course.
The application fee for recognition of a single vocational placement scheme is $158.85. However, if you apply for multiple vocational placement schemes at the same time, there is no extra charge above this inital fee.
If you apply individually at different times, the fee is $158.85 for each individual application.
Types of Insurance
The registered training organisations must maintain all insurance coverage relating to a student who is engaged in a vocational placement including:
- an insurance contract under the Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003, section 22 (students)
- an approved insurance policy for a course requiring a vocational placement as specified in the Vocational Education, Training and Employment Act 2000, section 125.
The Department of Education, Training and the Arts has published a guide Insurance for Registered Training Organisations - What you need to know. This document is a useful tool to better understand the insurance obligations for vocational placements.
Placement agreements, responsibilities and training plans
The following responsibilities apply to the parties of a placement
| Registered training organisation | Placement person | Student | |
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The registered training organisation determines the need for a vocational placement, makes arrangements with a placement person, then submits an application for recognition of the scheme to the Training and Employment Recognition Council. | ||
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When an information notice has been received, stating that the vocational placement scheme has been approved, a vocational placement agreement must be completed for each student placed under that scheme. | |
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The training agreement must be signed by all parties including the student, the registered training organisation and the placement person. If changes are to be made to the training agreement, all parties must agree to the changes. After the training agreement is signed by all parties, the registered training organisation must ensure a copy of the signed agreement is given to the student and the placement person before the placement starts. |
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The registered training organisation must develop an individual training plan for every student then negotiate the delivery of the training by the placement person. | ||
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The training stated in the training plan must be delivered to the student by the placement person. | |
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It is the registered training organisation's responsibility to conduct the final assessment of the student, however, it is preferable that assessment be conducted in the workplace, under advice from the placement person. |
Contact Apprenticeships info 1800 210 210 or Training Queensland 1300 369 935
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