Flexible Study FAQs

Processing of enrolments and the release of the unit on the ECTARC Training Portal takes 3 business days. If you have submitted qualifications and transcripts for credit transfer for consideration, the enrolment and access to learning materials may take longer. You can commence study as soon as you receive access to the ECTARC Training Portal.

All students that enrol in a full qualification will receive a Confirmation of Enrolment by email after successful completion of their ECTARC LLN Quiz and ECTARC Course Ready Quiz. 

Students who enrol in a single unit will receive a Confirmation of Enrolment once the enrolment process has been completed.

The enrolment fee is non-refundable, except where the student withdraws their application within the 14-day cooling off period, or they do not satisfy the enrolment criteria, in which case it is refunded in full. If a student is accepted by ECTARC and then elects not to participate in the course after the cooling off period, then the enrolment fee is non-refundable. ECTARC offers clients refunds on fees paid in the following circumstances:

• within 10 business days of purchase – cost of the unit less a 20% administration fee
• where a student has overpaid the enrolment fee/unit charges – full refund of the difference
• where a course is cancelled by ECTARC – full refund.

Students must request a refund in writing. All refunds will be forwarded to the student within 2 weeks of receipt of the request. Please email info@ectarc.com.au to apply for a refund and state the reasons you wish to receive a refund. For more information on refunds please download the ECTARC Training and Course Guide.

No, all students are required to have completed the CHC30113 or CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care as a prerequisite to be able to enrol in the CHC50121 Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care. For further information on your eligibility please call ECTARC on 02 4223 1111 or email info@ectarc.com.au

You do not need to sit any exams when studying with ECTARC. Every unit is assessed by Written Assessment Tasks that you complete in the ECTARC Training Portal. The number of Written Assessment Tasks varies between units. Most units also have a Practical Assessment, where an ECTARC Training and Development Officer will assess you demonstrating your skills in your workplace or while on practicum, and a Third-Party Report which needs to be completed by a Workplace Supervisor.

The regulatory authority that oversees ECTARC – the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) – has made it very clear that all RTOs must ensure the requirements of each unit continue to be met by all students. How we do this may look differently. Where practical assessments can not be conducted in the workplace, your TDO will discuss with you the options of submitting video evidence using technology such as Blackboard Collaborate. Your ECTARC TDO must observe you completing all the task that are listed in your Practical Assessment Instructions.

Before booking your practical assessment, read through the Record of Practical Assessment Course on the ECTARC Training Portal to ensure you are aware of and understand what will be assessed. If you have any questions at all, or do not feel you will be able to successfully demonstrate all the skills, please speak to your ECTARC Training and Development officer who will be able to support you. Everything in the Record of Practical Assessment must be demonstrated to a satisfactory workplace standard.

For an online practical assessment, you will require a laptop, tablet or phone and have it set up ready to go prior to your online session commencing. An online practical assessment works much the same as if we were there in person and we will observe you completing your daily tasks in the workplace. Some services may require you to record this in your visitor’s log, so please speak to your Workplace Supervisor to confirm this.

Practical Assessments are completed in real time via an online link where the TDO writes notes about what has been observed. At no time is this recorded and the observation is only made by one ECTARC TDO. The platform used is Blackboard Collaborate which has been chosen by ECTARC for its high level security measures. ECTARC has been using this reputable company for many years and are confident that it provides a secure base for completing assessments in this way. Permission forms are available for use in a service to seek parental permission if required. Please contact your ECTARC TDO for a copy of this.

All customisation of assessment, including changes made due to COVID-19, is documented as a typed note in the ECTARC Student Training Portal. This can be viewed by students 24 hours a day. This provides evidence of how and when this occurred.

ECTARC’s procedures for the use of online assessment ensures all stakeholders are protected as required by relevant Privacy Laws and ECTARC’s Privacy Policy. Any notification received from Blackboard Collaborate that may indicate that the security of the platform has been jeopardised will be immediately addressed and use of this platform will cease until its security can be assured.

Units are purchased online via the ECTARC Unit Purchasing Portal at https://ectarc.com.au/my-account/.

Unit orders can also be made over the phone with Credit Card payment. Direct deposit can be made to our bank account however funds must have cleared prior to receiving access to a unit.

Please contact ECTARC for details on (02) 4223 1111.

No, ECTARC offers students the opportunity to pay as they progress through their studies. It is an interest free, affordable option for financing your study. A direct debit payment plan can be set up for each student.

Some financial institutions offer student personal loans. However, we strongly advise that you seek financial advice from a financial institution you can trust. Be wary of financial institutions that charge extremely high interest rates and exorbitant fees.

Yes, employers can pay for a student’s studies. Any employer payments over $1500 must be approved by ECTARC Management and CEO prior to being made. Payments in advance remain as credit and programs are subject to any fee revisions that are made throughout the enrolment period. Please note: Where a student is not under a traineeship/apprenticeship agreement, permission must be given by the student prior to ECTARC releasing any information regarding the student’s enrolment or progress to the employer.

Employers that pay on a student’s behalf are entitled to transfer an enrolment for one staff member to another staff member. The first staff member that wishes to withdraw from the course is entitled to a Statement of Attainment for any units completed and fees associated with these units are charged in full and deducted from the amount paid. Incomplete units that have been provided to the student are subject to a 20% administration fee and the remaining amount paid for these units will be credited. Units not provided to the student will be credited in full.

The new staff member enrolling the qualification must pay the enrolment fee and is entitled to use the credit amount remaining from the purchase of the course by the employer. For example, if Student A has studied 5 units of a 15 units course, Student B will be entitled to a credit amount equal to the 10 units. If the full course duration has expired, then no refund will be issued. If an employer purchases a single unit course and wishes to move the enrolment from one staff member to another staff member, an administration fee of 20% of the course cost will be deducted from the original payment and the remaining credit will go towards the new enrolment. A $60 re-enrolment fee will apply. If the sic month course duration has expired then no refund or credit will be issued.

The Australian Governments’ Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) 2015 requires RTOs, such as ECTARC, to authenticate VET qualifications, Statement of Attainments and transcripts that are provided by students for the purposes of granting credit transfer or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).To do this students must provide copies of qualifications, Statements of Attainments and/or transcripts to ECTARC and grant permission for ECTARC to view their records on the USI Portal at www.usi.gov.au

Where permission is not granted, ECTARC will contact the issuing RTO for verification.

From time to time ECTARC requires verified documentation (such as photo identification on enrolment).

To verify a document, the original must be seen, and the copy must be signed and dated by an employer, Director/Nominated Supervisor, ECTARC Training & Development Officer or ECTARC staff member. The person verifying the document must write on the document a statement that says “The original has been sighted. Verified by “, print their name, sign and put the date on the document. ECTARC requires that licences, passports and birth certificates are verified.

On occasions, ECTARC may request that a document is certified. A certified document means that you have had it sighted and signed by a Justice of the Peace. A Justice of the Peace (JP) is an independent and objective witness who can sign documents for people to use for official or legal purposes. Many post offices and banks have a staff member that is a Justice of the Peace. To find a Justice of the Peace in your area visit https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/find-a-justice-of-the-peace-jp (or search for your relevant state or territory).

1. Photocopy your document
2. Find a Justice of the Peace
3. You must take both the original document and the photocopy to the JP. They must sight the original document and sign the photocopy.
4. Post the signed photocopy to ECTARC.

Do not send originals of your documents to ECTARC – you need to send the JP signed photocopy of your documents to ECTARC by mail (not faxed or emailed). An emailed of faxed copy no longer becomes an official certified document.

Units will be opened on the ECTARC Training Portal within 3 business days of the funds being cleared.

All students must complete the required First Aid unit with an external Registered Training Organisation. A copy of the Statement of Attainment must be forwarded to ECTARC before the completion of the course. This is at the cost of the student (for those enrolling in a funded program, please speak to your Training and Development Officer for information about how these costs are covered). Credit Transfer will be granted for this unit, provided the First Aid Certificate is current on completion of the enrolled qualification. Where the First Aid Certificate expires throughout the enrollment period, the student is required to renew this, at their own cost, prior to their qualification being issued. To find an external training provider, please click here yourcareer.gov.au/learn-and-train/training-providers

Make sure that you are going to the correct website:

Please note that ECTARC has two (2) Portals – Training Portal and Student Portal.

ECTARC Training Portal (Canvas):

The Training Portal link is:  https://ectarc.instructure.com/login/canvas

Students use this Portal to access their assignments and learning resources for each unit, view assessment results and feedback from their Training and Development Officer (TDO), and message and receive messages from their TDO.

ECTARC Student Portal (JobReady):

The Student Portal link is:  https://ectarc.jobreadyrto.com.au/

Students use this Portal to view course results, access additional course resources, view forms and handbooks, and update personal details.

If you ever lose these link, you can always access the ECTARC Portals from the ECTARC website.

Go to the ECTARC website at:  https://ectarc.com.au/

After clicking “Training” or “Training & Professional Development”, hover over the “Logins” dropdown heading and click “Student Portal” or “Training Portal”.

As a flexible study student you have made the commitment to yourself to complete your qualification, and this program allows you more flexibility to meet your personal circumstances for the best chance at success. The Study Plan that you are provided at the commencement of your studies is a recommended guide for when your assignments should be submitted. It is designed to support you to manage your time in a way that allows you to complete the qualification within your enrolment period and avoid any extension fees. You do, however, have the flexibility to change these dates if required. We recommend you speak with your ECTARC Training and Development Officer if you find the Study Plan is not working for you, and they can work with you to develop a new plan.

The important thing to remember is that if you go beyond your enrolment period, extension fees do apply. These can be found on the ECTARC Fee Schedule. Please note however, you must submit at least one assessment task within a 6-month period, or your enrolment will be made inactive. If you remain inactive for 12 months you will be withdrawn from the program. To recommence studies once withdrawn you will be required to complete the full enrolment process, and this will include the payment of enrolment fees.

It will take up to 3 weeks for the marking and return of assignments for a unit from a full qualification. 4 weeks for marking and return of assignments for single unit courses.

If you receive a Not Yet Satisfactory result you have the opportunity to resubmit the parts of the assessment that were deemed Not Yet Satisfactory. You may submit an assessment up to 3 times in total before the unit is deemed Not Competent. To re-enrol in this unit you would then be required to pay a re-enrolment/re-assessment fee of $65. Contact your Training & Development Officer for guidance and support.

The amount of detail required for each answer in an assessment can vary depending on the question that is being asked. Some questions will require more in-depth answers to answer the question completely whilst others may only require a short paragraph or sentence. Please use the wording in the question to guide your responses. The ECTARC Student Handbook also describes in more detail they different types of questioning you may be asked and what this means.

On commencement of your studies your ECTARC Training and Development Officer will discuss your study plan with you. You will be provided with a copy of this after your ECTARC LLN Quiz and ECTARC Course Ready Quiz has been successfully completed and your enrolment process is complete. As you progress, if you require this study plan to be modified in any way it is important you speak with your ECTARC Training and Development Officer and they can provide you with a revised study plan. This will assist you to stay on track to complete within your enrolment period and to avoid any extension fees.

For a PDF version of an assessment or learning materials please speak to you ECTARC Training and Development Officer.

All students will have 14 days access to the ECTARC Training Portal after their course completion date to download content and any completed assessments for future reference. To download completed assessments, go to the relevant unit and click on the ASSIGNMENTS link to view your assessment tasks. Click on the assessment task you wish to copy and then right click on your mouse and choose the PRINT function. Change the destination from your printer to the PDF setting and click to SAVE. If you have any questions regarding the saving of your online content, please call 02 4223 1111.  If you require access to the ECTARC Training Portal after this 14 day period fees and charges apply. Please see the ECTARC Fee Schedule for more details.

Yes, you can complete the Work Placement hours at any regulated education and care service within Australia, so long as there is a qualified Workplace Supervisor (who holds a Children’s Services/Early Childhood Education and Care Diploma qualification or above) to supervise and mentor you. This can be voluntary, casual or permanent work.

If all the required ages/groups are not at the service you are at, some of the requirements can be completed in your workplace, however, you will need to access another regulated education and care service (of your choice) to complete the remaining hours as a Practicum. An ‘Advice of Practicum form’ is required to be completed and submitted to ECTARC if this applies.

Flexible Study students have 2 years to complete a Certificate III and Certificate IV qualification and Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care qualification, 3 years for a Diploma of School Age Education and Care qualification and 6 months for a single unit course (such as Child Protection, Safe Food Handing, Menu Planning). If a student does not complete their course in the required time frame and wishes to extend the amount of time they have to do a course an extension can be granted and fees apply. An extension must be applied for prior to the student’s enrolment period end date. To extend a course for 1 month costs $50.00, 3 months will cost $110.00 and 6 months will cost $210.00.

Please note: Extensions must be requested prior to the end date to ensure continued enrolment. Extensions commence the day after the current enrolment period ends, not from the payment date.

EXAMPLE: Emily calls and requests an extension on the 11th May, which is two days before her enrolment ends on the 13th. Emily’s extension will commence on the 14th of May, even though she may not pay her invoice until after this date.

Where ECTARC approves an extension that is requested after the end date has passed, the extension will still commence the day after the original end date to reflect a continued enrolment.

EXAMPLE: Emily calls and requests an extension on the 16th May, which is three days after her enrolment period ended on the 13th. Emily’s extension will still commence from the 14th of May to reflect a continued enrolment, even though this date has passed.

The following unit lists provide a brief summary of the content of units within CHC qualifications:

• Units from the following superseded qualifications – CHC30113, CHC40113, CHC50113, CHC50213
• Units from the following current qualifications – CHC30121, CHC50121, CHC50221, 10983NAT

For full unit content you can go to training.gov.au and search for each unit individually. This is the national register for all units of competency that are recognised within Australia and Registered Training Organisations must ensure that all of the content in these outlines is covered in the training and assessment they offer.

Yes, you can download and send this list to a University for the purposes of your enrolment. They will still also require a copy of your Qualification and Transcript. If they require more detailed information this will need to be accessed by going to training.gov.au.