Variations to agreements

The VET Skills Assure Supplier (SAS) Agreement Delivery Schedule may only be amended by agreement between the Department of Employment, Small Business and Training (the department) and the supplier.

Variations can include but are not limited to adding and removing qualifications or skill sets, and publishing and un-publishing on the department's website. It is the responsibility of the SAS to ensure that their Delivery Schedule and information published on the Queensland Training Information Service and the Queensland Skills Gateway is correct and up to date.

It is important to note the following:

• All variations must be applied for online through the Purchasing Online (POL), an application within the Partner Portal.
• New SAS are not permitted to add a qualification(s) or skill set(s) to their SAS agreement for a period of 6 months from the date of approval. The 6-month period is calculated for Queensland VET Investment programs (Certificate 3 Guarantee, Higher Level Skills) from the start date published in the Delivery Schedule. For the User Choice agreement, 6 months is calculated from the date the department's letter to the supplier advising of their success in obtaining SAS status. The department does not automatically update a SAS Delivery Schedule when a qualification is superseded, or the SAS is no longer registered for a qualification; this is the responsibility of the SAS.
• A SAS can only commence training in a new qualification or skill set as at the date approved by the department. Variations will not be backdated. Refer to your Delivery Schedule available through POL for date of approval.
• The department will take into consideration current compliance issues or sanctions imposed, including but not limited to Notices to Remedy Breach, Directives and Show Cause Notices.
• You will be unable to request a variation if:
  • a Change in Control is pending the department's consent
  • you have been notified by the department that any of the following sanctions have been imposed on your SAS Agreement:
  • a Directive has been issued to cease enrolments in any or all qualifications under your SAS Agreement
  • a suspension of funding
  • a condition of no variations.
• Variation requests will undergo an evaluation process that is consistent with the strengthened SAS entry requirements. Only variations that align with the intent of the program will be considered.

From 1 January 2022, the following changes to the variations process have taken effect:

• SAS can only apply for 2 variations in 1 financial year for the same qualification
• You must have evidence of Partner Portal submitted data with a minimum of 6 months delivery history in Queensland (within the last 2 years) with successful outcomes (completion) in the full qualification for a minimum of 10 students
• Skill set/unit of competency delivery history or recognition of prior learning (RPL) of full qualifications is not considered evidence of full qualification delivery
• Current compliance issues will be considered at a SAS level, not an agreement level
• For SAS with current compliance issues, the only variation that may be considered is for superseding qualifications
• and
• SAS will be responsible for providing at least 3 current industry contacts – if unable to provide 3 contacts, information on the reasons for this needs to be provided as part of the submission.

The government's aim is to assist working age Queenslanders without a post-school certificate III or higher to obtain a qualification leading to a job outcome or advancement in the workplace. Therefore only entire qualifications and identified skill sets are subsidised on the relevant price list.

If you request a qualification in an Industry Training Group (ITG) not already on your delivery schedule (also known as an unrelated industry area request) you will be required to provide additional information including verified training delivery submitted data with a minimum of 6 months delivery history in Queensland (within the last 2 years) with successful outcomes (completions) in the full qualification for a minimum of 10 students (depending on the qualification you are applying for) in the qualification (may include fee-for-service) and evidence of employer and industry support in the industry area being applied for.

Note: The department retains discretion to approve or not approve SAS requests to add any qualifications or skill sets to their delivery schedule, including products within an existing ITG or an unrelated industry area. The department may require SAS to demonstrate training delivery history or meet additional criteria for some qualifications including within existing ITGs. As part of the decision-making process, the department will consider a range of factors including state government priorities, quality and risk indicators and industry feedback prior to approving any supplier variation requests.

The ITG is identified in the Priority Skills List and User Choice qualification and price list published on the department's website.

For existing SAS interested in offering RIISS00034 Surface Coal Mine Safety Skill Set under their SAS Delivery Schedule, you must work with a mining company to provide evidence of industry demand, employment outcomes for participating students and meet other eligibility requirements set out in the surface coal mine safety skill set SAS industry proposal (DOCX, 343KB).

Important: Credit transfers, recognition of prior learning outcomes and third-party delivery is not considered when evaluating variation requests. Verified training delivery is the issuance of relevant qualifications.

A variation request may take 8 weeks to process before a final decision is made. All required documentation must be received by the department before the variation can be considered.

Note: The supply of information supporting your variation request does not guarantee approval by the department. Each request will be assessed by the department on its own merits. The department may contact you to seek additional information and may conduct referee and industry checks in its assessment of your request.

Additional information can be found on the frequently asked questions fact sheet (PDF, 326KB).

Purchasing Online (POL)

POL is accessible through the Partner Portal website.

The Purchasing Online (POL)—User Manual (PDF, 2.4MB) provides step by step instructions for Skills Assure Suppliers on how to make the agreement variations in POL.

When requesting skill sets, additional steps are required from SAS. These steps are published on the skill set fact sheet (PDF, 300KB) and need to be completed prior to commencing a variation request in POL.

If you require any assistance with using the POL Application or have a query about SAS variation process, please contact VET Programs & Investment on email purchasingonline@desbt.qld.gov.au.

Last updated 23 October 2024