ABC 7.30 | 4 March 2015
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As a Senate committee, in an interim report , expresses concern about the rapid increase in government funding to non-TAFE providers, the ABC continues its serial exposé on the industry. According to the ABC, Evocca College, one of the largest players in the training industry, has a graduation rate of just 10%, despite claiming more than $290 million in four years from the government via the VET FEE-HELP student loan scheme. It’s now being investigated by the federal regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority.
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The ABC reports that out of 38,213 students who signed up to Evocca’s diploma courses in the past four years, only 2,058 had been awarded diplomas by October 2014.
There were 16,567 students who officially cancelled and 3,897 who timed out of the course.
These students appear stuck with debts of thousands of dollars and no qualification to show for it. The Commonwealth will be stuck with bad debts, totalling at least tens of millions of dollars, for no good purpose.
Since the ABC first reported on this in January, more than 20 former Evocca employees have come out about questionable practices at the college.
Allegations that have come to light include that it enrolled students ill-equipped for diploma level courses without enough support, that it enrolled students who did not pass the required literacy test, and that it backdated tutor qualification forms to pass federal government audits.
Former staff claim the college actively sought to hamper students who wanted to leave the college and cease adding to their government training debt.
According to an internal email to staff obtained by the ABC “cancellation is a banned word”.
Evocca has rejected suggestions it is taking advantage of the the VET FEE-HELP student training loan schemes.
It says about 15,000 students are still “on track” to graduate. And it claims to have “a team of people dedicated to reaching out to students who are not attending.”
See
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