- Welcome to the second of the series of aimed at helping you with the recent 2023-24 Smart and Skilled Contract offers. My name is Eleze Drew. I acknowledge that I'm coming to you from the land of the Gomeroi in northern New South Wales and pay my respects to elders past, present, and a more formal acknowledgement will follow. These sessions are designed to help you to make the most of your position as a Smart and Skilled Provider under the New South Wales Government programme that is a key part of the New South Wales vocational education and training system. The webinars will be held every Wednesday, each week from now until August, and you'll receive weekly invitations detailing what will be presented. Today's webinar is an overview of the Smart and Skilled Contract, and this module will help you gain a good understanding of the different elements of this contract. A recording of this session will be made available on our Smart and Skilled website, and we will drop the link to that website in the chat. If you have any questions following the presentation, please lodge those through the Q&A option, and we will make every effort to get to them at the end of the session. If your question is more in general or related specifically to your organisation, please use the customer service line or the Smart and Skilled applications email address where you'll get direct responses there. All right, it's my pleasure to introduce you to Andrew Clements. For those who've been in Smart and Skilled for a while would know Andrew quite well, and Andrew will present the Smart and Skilled overview. Thank you very much, and over to you, Andrew.

- Yeah, good afternoon, everyone, all the Smart and Skilled Providers across Australia and also obviously New South Wales. Yeah, as Eleze mentioned, today we're having a webinar on Smart and Skilled, and we're going to focus in on the Contract Terms and Conditions, Operating Guidelines and policies. Got a few slides to go through, so we might start with that first one, Tony. Just in terms of acknowledgement of country, look, I'm coming from Gadigal land today and would like to pay my respects to Elders past and present and just make a point that Training Services New South Wales through Smart and Skilled does strive to give every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learner the best possible experience to maximise their potential in education. Thanks, Tony. So, objectives for today's session. Look, first and foremost, we do want to provide an overview of the Smart and Skilled Contract, Operating Guidelines and Policies to help understand requirements. So there is a bit to go through. It will be an overview. It's not intended to replicate or preface the Smart and Skilled Contract itself. It's really designed to pull out key concepts and components and give Providers a little bit more of a headstart in terms of exploring and understanding some of those key, you know, concepts and requirements. As part of it, we also want to introduce the concept of Financial Caps, and we also want to outline some of the key changes for this Activity Period, which will be important for those Providers who have held a Smart and Skilled Contract in the past, and hopefully if I can organise the presentation, we will have a a little bit of time at the end for some questions. As I said, there is a bit to go through, so we'll charge off. We'll charge off now, Tony, if that's okay. So, right up front, I just wanted to make it really clear what actually comprises the Smart and Skilled Contract. So the contract is really a combination of a number of documents. There's the Contract Terms and Conditions themselves. There's the Operating Guidelines. There's Smart and Skilled Policies, and there's Activity Schedules. So those four components are really important to understand because they all do comprise the Smart and Skilled Contract. So the Terms and Conditions themselves really focus on what needs to be done. The Operating Guidelines go into a little bit more about how to do that, and the Policies embellish some of those requirements that have been distilled from both the contract and the Operating Guidelines, and very importantly, Activity Schedules represent the table of information that represents the real detail associated with what it is a Provider needs to deliver, where they need to deliver it, and whether or not there's any Financial Cap or special conditions associated with that. We'll explore Activity Schedules a little more as we go through. Thanks, Tony. So just quickly, this is just a summary of the key concepts and requirements and hopefully provides a bit of a reference if you need to review this presentation and/or you need to review particular clauses in the contract. So I won't go through all these now, but we'll address these progressively as we go through the presentation. Thanks, Tony. So first and foremost, the purpose and objectives of the Smart and Skilled Contract. Really, it's designed for the payment of Subsidies and Loadings to the Provider for Training and Assessment of Enrolled Students, and we call that Subsidised Training. So it's training that the New South Wales Government makes a contribution to, and you may notice that some of the terminology in the presentation so far has been capitalised, and just as a bit of a background, those capitalised terms are all defined within the Contract Terms and Conditions and have a specific definition which helps really understand and distil what it is that the contract requires. So we really, through Subsidised Training, we look at the responsibility associated with that of the Provider, and really, it's looking at maximising the usage but not exceeding any applicable Financial Caps to facilitate provision of high quality Subsidised Training in accordance with the New South Wales Quality Framework. The New South Wales Quality Framework is a really good document to have a look at it. It sets out the parameters for compliance and operation and how a Provider under Smart and Skilled can really focus in and adopt a student-centered approach and meet other important requirements associated with, you know, liaising with industry, engaging with industry, developing programmes that are really relevant and appropriate for individual employers to maximise the skills delivery process through New South Wales Government-funded training or Subsidised Training to provide the best possible outcome you know, for our citizens. Very importantly too, the contract makes reference to obligations, and we'll explore those in a little bit more detail later. It also references Applicable Laws. So working for the government, we do have to liaise and link in with other regulators. So we do make reference to Applicable Laws that we need to adhere to and be mindful of and work to towards maintaining. There's another acknowledgement in the purpose and objectives of Smart and Skilled and that's to look at Provider Scores. So being a Smart and Skilled Provider, there's an acknowledgement that activity and performance under the contract will be reviewed and measured and may be used as part of a Provider Score to set particular benchmarks and limits and advise and help with other aspects of contract management going forward. So we also ask that the Provider acknowledge the rights of the Department in any other contract that may be in place with the Provider. So there are some linkages there that need to be understood, and lastly, another main objective is if your Provider is a High Performing Provider, at this particular point, it's acknowledged that a specific Schedule 4 applies for that High Performing Provider status. Thanks, Tony. So just quickly, there's a variety of training that is covered under the Smart and Skilled Contract. It ranges from entitlement-based qualifications to Targeted Priorities full qualifications, and with the inception of Smart and Skilled back in 2015 as part of the National Partnership in Skills Reform, there was a general commitment to establish an entitlement to training, and we've, in New South Wales, we've split that up into a range of qualifications. So generally the Entitlement Full Qualifications are at up to the Certificate III AQF level, and the Targeted Priorities full qualifications are Certificate IV and above, and that has slightly different interpretations, particularly with apprenticeships and traineeships, which are all part of the Entitlement programme, and through the presentation, we'll explore some of the nuances between those types of qualifications, and also very importantly, the Smart and Skilled Targeted Priorities Prevocational Part Qualifications Programme is a focus. It's become quite a customised, targeted, and very important suite of qualifications or part qualifications that can particularly be designed to meet industry and employer needs, and look, also with respect to apprenticeships and traineeships, we administer School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships under Smart and Skilled. Also important to notice or to note, that from time to time, additional programmes do arise. In conjunction with our Commonwealth Government colleagues, sometimes initiatives are generated, and we respond by setting up particular types of programmes under Smart and Skilled. So some of you may remember Skilling for Recovery. That required a separate programme setup. There's also other types of programmes that occur from time to time. During COVID, we set up the infection control training strategy. So the way we've structured Smart and Skilled hopefully is to be quite flexible and adapt for those changes and to roll out training in conjunction with combinations of different programmes. Thanks, Tony. So those qualifications do link into those programme types there. So they're all linked pretty directly, just with the exception there of Smart and Skilled Entitlement Foundation Skills Programme. So for, since the inception, we have had a separate entitlement programme for foundation skills. That has been essentially rolled into the Entitlement Full Qualifications Programme in 23-24, so that's a little bit of a change, and we'll look at some of those other changes a little later on. So importantly associated with all the qualifications and all the programmes is a concept called Activity Schedules. Essentially Activity Schedules are of two types. The first one is the Approved Qualifications Activity Schedule, and they represent the details associated with full qualifications that are made as part of the contract offer. There's a bit of an example there for the Entitlement Apprenticeships and Traineeships Programme on the top right of the screen, and below that is another type of Activity Schedule which we call Provider Activity Schedule. Now, that's most commonly generated for the Part Qualifications Programme, but important to note, both those Activity Schedules do have specific details unique to the specific programme that is in play and will include fairly basic information and sometimes special conditions, you know, that's associated with the qualification to be delivered, the Activity Period, the start and end dates, any particular or applicable regions and if any Financial Cap is available. So that gives you a bit of an overview of what Activity Schedules actually are. Thanks, Tony. So a couple of other important concepts within the Smart and Skilled Contract is what we call the Contract Term and also how we review the contract or roll the contract over. So the contract actually starts on the Contract Acceptance Date, and important to note that yesterday 5:00 PM was the closing date for the Contract Acceptance Period. So it means that the contract essentially starts on that acceptance date and goes through for essentially a full 12 months till the 30th of June, 2024, and we refer to that as the Contract Term. There are provisions in the contract that it can end sooner than that, and there are a variety of reasons why that may be the case. So in terms of review, what the Department does at its discretion is two months before the end of the Activity Period, so in other words, two months before the 30th of June, 2024, we may choose to issue what we call a review notice to existing contracted Providers to essentially offer those Providers a future Activity Period which corresponds to the financial year, and that essentially is the mechanism when we do roll over contractual arrangements. Thanks, Tony. Fundamental to the Contract Terms and Conditions is a clause that references general obligations. There is quite a number of general obligations that are extremely important, and I'll just note some examples there in terms of what those obligations are. There's a couple, the first couple there are pretty standard and are pretty obvious in many respects in terms of maintaining registration with the VET Regulator and making sure all Approved Qualifications remain within the registered training organization's scope that's become a contracted Smart and Skilled Provider. There's also and it's also important to note that the maintenance of the capacity to deliver each Approved Qualification is really important. So in other words, Providers are under obligation to make sure that capacity considerations with respect to resources, personnel, and other aspects such as premises are up to speed to make sure that the Approved Qualification can be delivered in its best possible way. There's another requirement there in terms of maintaining the statuses described in the application. So what we try and do through this obligation is make sure that the level of standard, as was applied for, is maintained as part of the whole contractual period, and that also assists the capacity of the Provider to deliver, you know, good quality Subsidised Training. Maintaining financial viability is certainly important, and there's a related clause in the contract with respect to finance, financial information that the Department may request from time to time to ensure that aspects associated with financial liability are being met. Some other important obligations, Providers when contracted need to ensure that all information that's provided is true, accurate and complete. We also do require any notification on any overpayment that may occur from time to time, and that can be a result of Training Activity Data, which we will focus in on a little bit more later on. The correct fees are charged. So it's really important that students are charged the correct fees, and again, we'll explore and reference the Smart and Skilled Fee Administration Policies a little later as well. Statement of Attainments are issued within 30 days so there's a timely recognition of what a student may have achieved, and the way we market Smart and Skilled, there's a fairly detailed section in our Operating Guidelines with respect to how marketing should occur, how websites should be designed, and how they should be referenced and also any acknowledgement to the Department and the New South Wales Government in terms of making available a subsidy for the training to occur. A couple of other ones, just act in good faith and conduct ethical behaviour and also notify the Department if in fact there is an investigation, and that's just an important way that we can manage risk with other government departments across our jurisdiction. Thanks, Tony. So another major concept, and from this part of the presentation, what we've tried to do is reflect what is in the contract Terms and Conditions by way of a life cycle and a student, you know, centred approach for what a Provider needs to do. So, you know, once a Smart and Skilled Provider's been offered a contract and accepted it, they understand the parameters around the Activity Schedules that can start to be delivered. Pretty much first and foremost in that process is what we call Notification of Enrolment. So we have detailed quite extensively the process that's involved with the Notification of Enrolment. That's documented in our Operating Guidelines, and key to that is the generation of Commitment IDs, which are a unique ID to acknowledge that the student has been enrolled in Smart and Skilled. So what we ask is that that Notification of Enrolment Process occurs at the same time as any other Provider enrollment process that may be required, and we just point out a number of important facts, including the timing of Commitment IDs, and they may actually expire if Training Activity Data is not subsequently reported or submitted within certain timeframes of when that Commitment ID is generated, and that's for expediency and for an understanding of what's happening in the Subsidised Training market, and it helps the Department certainly in terms of, you know, managing and monitoring the training activity that's going on. So for a non-apprentice and trainee, that period is six weeks. So essentially your Provider's got six weeks to submit Training Activity Data. If it's after that, the Commitment ID will expire, and if it's for an apprenticeship or traineeship, the period of time is 10 weeks because there is some extra time sometimes with National Training Contracts and the development of associated Training Plans, but a really, really important concept to understand and enact in a timely way. Now, what I probably should've said a little bit earlier is that with all these concepts, there are a significant array of resources that can assist Smart and Skilled Providers with understanding what is required, and we'll make reference to those particular user guides and technical specifications at the end. So each of these steps that we're reviewing generally has very detailed information to assist, to provide an understanding in a fair degree of detail what is actually required. Yeah, and look, the other point there is that Notification of Enrolment Process really needs to be complete before a student commences training. So it just legitimises the engagement and the enaction of Subsidised Training for that student, really pivotal and in terms of making sure the rest of the administrative requirement for the provision of Subsidised Training under Smart and Skilled happens smoothly. Thanks, Tony. So as part of the actual training delivery for Subsidised Training, we ask that a Training Plan should be developed for every student, and that's regardless of whether the student is an apprentice or trainee or a non-apprentice and trainee. We think that's really important in starting off the relationship and the understanding of what will occur for that student in conjunction with the Approved Qualification that they are enrolled in. So that Training Plan is pretty fundamental to establishing that relationship. So student/learner management system should also capture the Enrolled Student's interaction and participation in each Unit of Competency. So student and learner management systems need to be perhaps customised and developed to make sure that that happens and that can occur, because it's pivotal, again, in terms of next steps of how a Provider informs the Department of what the Enrolled Student has actually undertaken and how they've progressed, and as we'll see a little later, how in fact we can then make a payment instalment for that particular student. So also with apprentices and trainees, you know, the National Training Contract is a very solid requirement. So we need to conduct Subsidised Training in conjunction with that and also make sure that the Contract Term has not commenced or has ended in relation to the revision of Subsidised Training. So it's important to deliver the Subsidised Training in conjunction with any National Training Contract agreed dates and terms. Thanks, Tony. Performance Monitoring. So under the contract from time to time, Training Services New South Wales does conduct Performance Monitoring, and that's to essentially ensure compliance that is occurring. Sometimes Performance Monitoring can happen for a variety of reasons. You know, we do want to make sure that compliance is there. We also want to make sure that there's a good relationship with the New South Wales Quality Framework and that a student-centered approach is occurring and everything is done as best as possible to make sure that experience with that learner and that employer and the overall industry is happening to requirement. So a couple of things there. Look, the Provider is really obligated to assist with any Performance Monitoring approach, provide any information and access to premises that the Department may, you know, request from time to time. Also from time to time, Events of Default may be issued, and look, in the first instance, an Event of Default is just an acknowledgement that something may not be totally compliant with the contract and, you know, our first and foremost, you know, port of call there is to identify what may be problematic and, look, correct that and close that out and assist Providers to improve with respect to the compliance of the contract. So there, it probably sounds a little bit more severe than it is, but in the first instance, the Event of Default is an improvement opportunity. Yeah, look, sometimes Events of Default can certainly escalate, there can be issues, and we need to look at other ways in which we can start to manage that non-compliance with the contract. Thanks, Tony. So, records and reporting. So the student records should be collected and maintained, and they may be requested. So as part of, you know, good administration, those student records do need to be there. They can be requested by the Department, and they also will certainly serve as other evidence and information associated with other steps in the contract's requirements. We say that the record should be retained for at least three years after the relevant Enrolled Student completes or ends their Subsidised Training, and so that's an important requirement. Yeah, and all reporting obligations do have requisite timeframes, and in terms of those reporting obligations, those timeframes are really, really important to meet. Perhaps the main type of reporting requirement and timing arrangement is around Training Activity Data for every Enrolled Student, and that's important because that data needs to be successfully submitted via STS Online, which is our portal, using Unit of Competency Outcome Codes that are certainly AVETMISS compliant, and AVETMISS is the Australian Vocational Education and Training Management Information Statistical Standard. So those Unit of Competency Outcome Codes are really important to report as part of the submission of Training Activity Data because that's how a Provider actually gets paid under Smart and Skilled. So student management systems need to be geared to enable that type of reporting. So you can see there, you know, it's important that successful Training Activity Data is reported. You know, from time to time, there are issues with the data. Our team reviews that data to make sure it's valid and it's consistent, and we just need to acknowledge that sometimes that there's a number of iterations to make sure that's the case. So we look at that data to notify the commencement of the Enrolled Student before the expiry of the corresponding Commitment ID. We're referencing the 6 and 10-week periods that I mentioned earlier, the reporting of the UoC Outcome Achievements by submitting Training Activity Data that includes respective UoC Outcome Codes, and we say within 28 days of the date of the UoC Outcome Achievement. So again, there's that timeframe requirement, and that's really important for a whole lot of things with respect to timing of timing arrangements. It can certainly assist the student if there's any Statement of Attainment to be issued. It certainly assists the Department to monitor and track our activity under what happens with Subsidised Training. It links into us also managing our Financial Caps and making sure that, you know, we're tracking well with the provision of expenditure against, you know, our various Smart and Skilled budgets, which we need to carefully manage to make sure we're optimising what happens in the Subsidised Training market, and also importantly, you know, reporting the Training Activity Data at least once every 28 days, even if no Unit of Competency Outcome Achievement has occurred. So that's an important requirement, and again, that helps us monitor and track activity under the programme. Thanks, Tony. So prices and fees is certainly another strong concept in Smart and Skilled. So we have the New South Wales Skills List. We have a schedule of prices and fees, and these schedules are certainly all available on the New South Wales Government website, and within this particular schedule of prices and fees, you can see every Qualification Price as set out in that relevant column of the schedule. So you know what in fact we will pay for every Approved Qualification. There's a couple of concepts there, Applicable Price and Adjusted Price. So the Applicable Price is pretty commensurate with what's listed. The Adjusted Price is in fact if the student receives, for example, any Credit Transfer for any Unit of Competency. That price would be adjusted downwards, because in Smart and Skilled, we don't pay for Credit Transfer per se. So the price or the Adjusted Price for an Approved Qualification is divided into two components. So it's the fee and the subsidy. So as part of the subsidised arrangement under Smart and Skilled, it is a contribution to the overall cost of the training. So in some instances, a student may have to pay a fee but not in all depending on their particular circumstances, and we might make reference to the Smart and Skilled Fee Administration Policies, which really detail out how fee administration needs to be, you know, covered. So really importantly, the Provider should only charge an Enrolled Student for Subsidised Training provided to the Enrolled Student in accordance with the Contract and the Fee Administration Policy, and also noting that there is a separate Fee Administration Policy for School Based Apprenticeships and Traineeships. Also in conjunction with fee administration, fee protection requirements need to be put in place. So there's an important imperative there to have those protection measures available for every student. Next. Thanks, Tony. So, subsidies and loadings and payments. You know, the subsidy and any applicable loadings will be calculated and paid at certain milestones as a student progresses through a qualification. So there's a detailed description of how those payment milestones eventuate and what proportion of the subsidy will be paid upon the achievement of those particular milestones as reflected through the Training Activity Data that's reported. Loadings is over and above, and there are two components of loadings. There's a needs-based loading and a location-based loading. So these loadings very much reflect the individual characteristics of the students and represent a commitment from the New South Wales Government to assist those students that may be a little bit more disadvantaged than others based on for location reasons and also needs reasons. We'll flesh out a couple of the changes there around particularly needs-based loadings a little later on. Just to make it hopefully clear, the relevant percentage of the subsidy and loading if applicable will be entitled to be paid to the Provider on the successful submission of Training Activity Data, and just got to underline that word successful submission. So the data's got to be, it's got to correlate with all relevant requirements and AVETMISS standards and also be subject to a number of other internal checks that we do to make sure that the data is, you know, in good shape and also that the UoC, the Unit of Competency, Outcome Achievement Stage for an Approved Qualification for an Enrolled Student has been reached. So in the contract, there is a number of UoC, or Unit of Competency, Outcome Achievement Stages that are defined, and if they're reached, the relevant payment instalment is made, and again, just making the point that the Department does validate the data, and the Department has accepted that the submitted data, Training Activity Data is valid and is fit and proper for the next steps in that payment process. Thanks, Tony. Look, Financial Caps, and again, Financial Caps will be also the subject of another webinar. So this is just a snapshot of what Financial Caps are about. Excuse me for a tick. Yeah, so Financial Caps, they're the maximum amount of what we call a Standard Subsidy a Provider may receive for delivering training, and they relate to a relevant Smart and Skilled programme and Activity Period and for qualifications and regions listed on the Approved Qualification Activity Schedule. So not every programme has a Financial Cap. So the apprenticeships, the Apprenticeship and Traineeship Programme and the School Based Apprenticeship and Traineeship Programme don't have Financial Caps. The other Targeted Priorities and other Entitlement programmes do have Financial Caps, and there's different combinations, as we saw in those Activity Schedules, you know, reflected in an earlier slide. So Providers are certainly responsible to manage their Financial Caps, certainly encouraged to maximise the usage of them, however, not to exceed them. So they're the parameters around Financial Caps. Importantly, loadings do not count towards Financial Caps as well. So they're additional payment that's made over and above the Financial Cap amount, but look, more information's certainly on Financial Caps and how they can be used to monitor and track activity under relevant Smart and Skilled programmes. Thanks, Tony. So just briefly, there's a variety of other contract clauses and, you know, we certainly encourage Providers to read and understand and give fit and due process to understand these components. There's a variety of clauses there, you know, ranging from how other funding is interpreted and we don't want to duplicate training, to insurance requirements and the three different insurance requirements under the contract. There's some clauses around assumption of risks, and one of those assumptions is that part qualifications may not necessarily be granted, if you like, to a Provider. It's very much dependent on the establishment of local need. So it's not a guarantee that activity under the Smart and Skilled Prevocational Part Qualifications Programme will be offered. There's some clauses on third-party arrangements and in particular how that may relate to what we call brokering arrangements under Smart and Skilled, so there's separate policy on that, to a variety of other more generic requirements under the contract in terms of how we communicate, what happens if the contract is terminated, what happens with continuing students for survival, some requirements regarding Provider personnel and some other aspects in associated with self-assessment education, and look, as I mentioned earlier, certainly there's a good dictionary that's in the Smart and Skilled Contract Terms and Conditions, and certainly encourage you to have a look there to crystallise some of the meanings of what we're talking about under Smart and Skilled. Thanks, Tony. So again, just quickly, Smart and Skilled Operating Guidelines. The guidelines often embellish what the contract specifies and give a little bit more working meaning and an order to how a Smart and Skilled Provider can achieve what they're required to do, and I'll just make a couple of quick notes with respect there. There's a really significant role of a Provider Representative associated with a Smart and Skilled Contracted Provider. It's a pivotal position in terms of ensuring that communication tracks both ways in terms of requirements and understanding any new changes and also establishing a good relationship with the Provider and the Department. Yeah, so you can see there that there's a number of aspects. They do link in to some of the aspects that we have talked about previously. Again, encourage you to go and read that document because it does shed some additional light on how it is that a Provider can certainly operate to meet those requirements under the Contract Terms and Conditions. Thanks, Tony. So here, we've just outlined some examples of the Smart and Skilled Policies, and this is at another level of detail in terms of assisting Providers to understand perhaps some of the more nuanced arrangements of the requirements. So key policies in Smart and Skilled are around student eligibility. So there's a whole list of criteria there that Smart and Skilled Providers need to ensure are met in terms of that student eligibility, have also how fee administration is administered and what are the requirements there. There's some examples there in those policies to provide assistance. Consumer protection is an important part of Smart and Skilled, and both the Department and Providers need to align to that policy to just make sure we manage any consumer issue in the best possible way we can. Teaching and leadership, it's about professional development of trainers and assessors and the Provider's team. So we give some guide there in terms of what could happen. We have a skills recognition policy which is important to make sure every candidate is given every opportunity to have previous skills and knowledge recognised. The policy at number 9 is really important. It's the Skills Delivery Management Policy. It's been reshaped for 23-24, and it really provides some good guidance and parameters around operation in the market, particularly with respect to how Financial Caps may be reviewed, how Approved Qualifications need to be reviewed and how changes can potentially be made in terms of those Activity Schedules, particularly for full qualifications in the training market. For probably a good while, we do have a new Smart and Skilled Targeted Priorities Prevocational Part Qualifications Policy. So again, that really embellishes what are some of the expectations and requirements and methods of operation under part qualifications, and another revised policy for 23-24 is in relation to third-party arrangements. We don't necessarily seek approval for subcontracting arrangements. That's linked in with, you know, RTO standard requirements under ASQA. However, if that third-party arrangement does involve what we call and define as a brokering arrangement, that's when we do require a separate application that we need to look at before that brokering arrangement takes place. So there's a little bit of detail in that policy and it defines what a brokering arrangement is, but very, very importantly, if a Provider wants to consider a brokering arrangement, there are a number of criteria there that we do look at, and that's principally to manage some of the risks that does crop up from time to time with third-party arrangements. So just to make the point, all those policies are on the, either the New South Wales Government website and/or STS Online, and we certainly encourage you to have a good look through those to gain an understanding, and look, just make the point that, you know, policies do come up from time to time. You know, during COVID, we set up a new strategy for infection control. It was very quick. It was very new. There was lots of questions. We rolled out that policy, and it became a variation to the contract, and look, it assisted, I think it assisted Providers to operate within that new programme a lot better than they otherwise would. So we do try and roll out new policies at appropriate times if changes and initiatives do occur. Thanks, Tony. So a couple of quick just references to changes in the Smart and Skilled Contract. For those existing Providers, you may want to look at the changes. They're all itemised in Smart and Skilled Update 209, and just while we're on that, encourage Providers to subscribe to receive the Smart and Skilled Update. You can do that through STS Online. You can see there that there's a couple of changes. We talked about loadings for eligible students. So for the first time in 23-24, we're offering not one loading but up to three loadings, depending on the characteristics of a student. So that's a real commitment to provide extra funding to Providers to assist people who or students who are disadvantaged, both in terms of, for example, if they're an Aboriginal person, if they're long-term unemployed, and if they have a disability. So it's a real commitment to try and ensure as best as possible that a full training experience is given to those persons to help them, you know, in the training journey. So, some changes around financial viability, some changes around overpayment. I mentioned that the Foundation Skills Programme has been morphed into the Entitlement Full Qualifications Programme, and just pointing out some brand-new policies that particularly beefed up, you know, our administration of the Part Qualifications Programme. Thanks, Tony. Yeah, as I mentioned, support documents. Hopefully you'll be able to see some of the links there. I've listed the support documents. They link into, you know, user guides, both general. You may have actually seen some of those already in terms of how to accept your Smart and Skilled Contract. Look, a lot of user guides around the Notification of Enrolment Process and also the data reporting process, which are two fundamental aspects of the contract that are pivotable in terms of making sure the administration occurs, and look, just another mention of the Part Qualifications resources that are now available which can assist Providers there, so thanks, Tony, and look, just lastly, you know, just encourage Providers if you do have questions to certainly reach out. We have a number of contact points, as Eleze mentioned earlier. If it's a technical inquiry, certainly encourage you to ring the 1300 number and/or to email the Training Services New South Wales customer service email. If it's more around a contract interpretation, which some of you certainly may have, then by all means certainly contact smartandskilled.application@det and we'll get an answer back to you as soon as we possibly can. Just another highlight that strategic relationship managers will be appointed. That will start to happen in a little bit more earnest now that the Contract Acceptance Period is over, and just acknowledging that there's other sources of information. We do intend to hold additional Provider webinars. There'll be other Smart and Skilled Updates, and that's like a regular newsletter that advises Providers of change, and of course, our online portal through STS Online, that holds all those user guides and technical specifications, and the New South Wales Government website, which handles all, houses all contractual documents and policy documents that are relevant. So thanks, everyone, for that. I hope that was informative, and I hope we've got a little bit of time for some questions. So thanks, Tony.

- Hi. Thank you very much, Andrew. Really appreciate your presentation, and I hope everyone found that useful. We do have a few questions. I know Linna in the background and myself were trying to address them, but there are still a few there. So Andrew, if it's okay, I might call on you as I call out and see if it's something you'd like to answer or we can take that on notice as well. So the first one is, "If a student's circumstances change during their study to where the Provider can be entitled to a loading, will the Provider be entitled to that loading?"

- Yeah, so that's a good question. What we say is that it's at the point of enrollment, so we need to draw that line in the sand, and as part of the Notification of Enrolment Process, that's what triggers the requisite components for, you know, payment consideration down the track. So it is at the point of enrollment.

- Great. Thank you very much. That's great. Do the loadings count towards a Financial Cap? And just for everybody's benefit, the Financial Cap Webinar is scheduled to be conducted, and we'll promote that soon. Thank you. Andrew?

- Yeah, so that's a good question. So the answer is no, they don't. They're over and above the Financial Cap amount, and there's a little bit of complexity with respect to what we call the, how we define the subsidy and what we refer to as a Standard Subsidy and also what we refer to as a fee, and that'll be fleshed out in the Financial Caps Webinar, but in essence, loadings don't count towards the Financial Cap.

- Great. Thank you. Is there a limit to the number of Smart and Skilled eligible qualifications that a student can enrol into in a year?

- The answer to that is no, there's not. I guess the student needs to make a determination regarding how feasible that is to do. We've certainly had cases where there's, a student has been enrolled in more than one traineeship at a particular time. Although in saying that, we do look at those trends, and we do make a little bit of a judgement in terms of how feasible that would be, but we don't set a limit to any or any restriction up front as to that participation and also noting that in some cases, the student may certainly have to pay a fee, but yeah, no overall limit.

- Great. Thank you. I think we'll take this next question on notice. It's about TNI approvals, and I know that we don't, haven't released, I think, information around the TNI priorities, so we'll take that one on notice. Thank you. Do our SRMs roll over from the last period? We are looking at that as a whole of organisation. So you may end up with the same SRM or you may be allocated a new person. So that is with the region director at the moment to be reviewed. Thank you. Next question from Joe. "We are new to Smart and Skilled. When should we expect to be allocated a contract manager?" So the SRMs are currently in review at the moment, Joe, and they'll be allocated. Now that the Contract Acceptance Period has finished, they'll be allocated in the next week or two, so please look out for that and you'll be notified. In from Karen, "In relation to 19.6 of the Operating Guidelines, where do you access the internal review document that the contract mentions? Specifically here it says, 'be undertaken in the form that the Department prescribes.'" Now, Andrew, I'm not quite sure if that's a very specific contract-related clause that you're familiar with.

- Yeah, look, it is pretty specific. So we have changed, as I mentioned, arrangements around self-assessment and the need for an internal review. So that provision may be rolled out in the ensuing period. We're just looking at the focus of that document and how far ranging it could be and how useful it can be to a Provider as well. We don't want to necessarily roll out an administrative process for the sake of it. We're looking at potentially undertaking that. It's really at the moment around the scale and the size of what it may entail, and whether or not we may, we may also roll out education programmes, you know, either at the same time or potentially before or potentially as a result of any trend that we do pick up in relation to that self-assessment process.

- Thank you. A question from Jasper, "Will Financial Caps be reviewed at all during the year?"

- Yeah, so I think the answer to that is yes, and there's some guidance there in that Smart and Skilled Skills Delivery and Management Policy that I referred to, and certainly some more information regarding that, those processes and those reviewed points will be made available during the Financial Caps Webinar.

- Thank you, and I guess this is related to an earlier question. "Can a student have two active Commitment IDs?"

- Yes.

- Thank you. Looking, oh, Ian is looking for, oh, Lena's typing, so I'll leave that one for Lena. Thank you. "Financial Caps, are these set in concrete? Can we apply for an extension on a cap if we have the student demand?" I guess that's part of the review, Andrew.

- Yeah, so again that is linked in with that Smart and Skilled Skills Delivery and Management Policy, and there are review points. Things in vocational education and training change fairly dramatically from time to time. Sometime in certain industries that is because of, you know, natural occurrences and changes there. So we do have review points, you know? There's no guarantees regarding those changes, but we do look at it during the course of the year, and we do have regular review points, and I just encourage all Providers to have a look at that policy, and as I mentioned before, it'll be referenced certainly in the Financial Caps Webinar.

- Thank you. A question from Danny, "Is there a specific format for a Training Plan or can a Provider use the same format that is currently being used in other states?" Oh, it looks like Linna's decided to answer that one. Thank you, Linna. Okay, another question. "Do students with additional LLND needs eligible for any additional needs loading?"

- So we have two types of loadings. One is a location based, and we pay either for a remote or a rural loading. So it's only one of the two that are available, and, you know, they range between an additional 15 to 20%, from memory, over and above the Qualification Price. For the needs-based loading, if a student fits into a cohort, they potentially can receive three separate needs loadings, but the needs loadings are only for if the student is an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, if the student has a disability, and if the student is long-term unemployed, and then there's also considerations around students, so where they are in terms of, you know, progress in their life in terms of what is a suitable qualification for them to be engaged in. So as part of that capacity argument, Providers do need to interpret that as best as possible and set the student up in the most, you know, realistic qualification arrangement to help them progress, you know, in the future.

- Thank you, Andrew. I can see that we still have some outstanding questions there, but we will take those on notice and submit answers to everyone. I want to thank everyone for joining us today. Great roll up. I hope you're finding these sessions useful. A big call out to Andrew and the team behind the scenes for pulling together the presentation, so thank you for that, and enjoy the rest of your day, and we'll look forward to seeing you again at our next session. Thanks, everybody, and bye for now.