Commercial boat licence courses
enrolment information

Terms, Conditions, Policies and Guidelines for commercial certificate courses

Prior to enrolment students are asked to view our Terms and Conditions, Policies and Guidelines below. Any student attending a course at Sea School International must accept the terms, conditions, policies, guidelines and safety procedures. Signing the enrolment form confirms that the terms, conditions and guidelines are read, understood and agreed to.

Sea School International will advise you of any changes or updates via the email address you supplied when you enrolled with us.

Sea School International is responsible for compliance of Training and Assessment. Sea School International is responsible for issuance of AQF certification.

Flexible Course Delivery

A flexible approach to delivery is offered to students depending on their work/life experience and individual needs. Students may attend the course on consecutive days or, they have an option to attend in 1 or 2 blocks over a period of time.

Enrolment - How it works

• Complete the online enrolment form on this website
• Scan and email us any supporting evidence that may be required (such as RPL)
• You will receive a booking confirmation email and a request to pay a non-refundable deposit of $500. Please note your place on the course is not confirmed until your course deposit has been received.
• If you’re having any trouble during the application process, please call us for assistance on 1300 666 416

Fees, Cancellations and Refunds

A $500 deposit is due upon enrolment to confirm your position on the course. Your remaining course fees are due immediately after commencing the course unless an instalment payment plan has been negotiated. Applications for an instalment payment plan are based on individual circumstances and are not automatically granted.

Should you wish cancel your enrolment, please notify us at your earliest convenience and note that course deposits are an application fee and are NOT refundable.

For more information, see the Refund Policy and the Instalment Plan Policy.

Enrolment Period

Enrolment periods and course completion limits are intended to ensure the academic integrity of our courses and assist with the management of student enrolment and progression.

The maximum time allowed for completion of a Sea School award is two years from the date of course commencement. Extensions can be applied for in writing. See the Enrolment Period and Course Completion Policy.

Transfers

If you wish to transfer your booking due to work, an emergency or other difficulties, we can arrange to have your booking changed to another date, course or person within a 12 month period, subject to availability. In this case, we ask that you give at least ten (10) working days’ notice.

Recognition of Prior Learning and Credit Transfer

Experienced people who have worked in the maritime industry and on vessels and/or hold any of the following qualifications may be eligible for Recognition of Prior Learning and/or Credit Transfer:

• MARSS00008 Shipboard Safety Skill Set
• MAR10220 Certificate I in Maritime Operations (General Purpose Hand NC)
• MAR10418 Certificate I in Maritime Operations (Coxswain Grade 2 NC)
• MAR20321 Certificate II in Maritime Operations (Coxswain Grade 1 NC)
• MAR20421 Certificate II in Maritime Operations (Marine Engine Driver Grade 3 NC)
• MAR30821 Certificate III in Maritime Operations (Marine Engine Driver Grade 2 NC)
• MAR30921 Certificate III in Maritime Operations (Master up to 24m NC)

Sea School may offer a reduction in course duration to candidates if they are deemed to have significant knowledge, skills, experience and an appropriate work history.

The RPL process

1. An RPL Application is submitted by the student well prior to course commencement.
2. The application is reviewed by an assessor.
3. The assessor will contact the student with the result of the application review. The assessor may request additional information.
4. A competency conversation is conducted face to face. This provides an opportunity for the candidate to confirm their knowledge, skill level and discuss work history. The assessor reviews evidence provided with the candidate and records are taken. *Although scans and copies are accepted for the initial RPL online application, when the candidate attends the competency conversion conversation or upon course commencement, they must either supply a JP certified copy or the original for the assessor to sight and certify a copy.
5. The Assessor analyses the application, confirms the evidence submitted including hours of sea service, work history and transcripts from other RTOs if applicable.
6. The candidate may be given a number of written assessments or a practical assessment task to add to the evidence required to confirm competence in one or more units.
7. The Assessor may grant RPL for some or all of the units in the course.
8. An individual training plan is prepared for candidates who have been granted RPL in one or more units and are to attend gap training to complete the course.

Supporting evidence

Students may use the following evidence to support their RPL application:

• A CV detailing relevant and current work experience in the maritime industry, past and present
• Third party reports where the authenticity validity and reliability of the reports have been confirmed, including letters from employers
• Formal qualifications or statements of attainment from other RTOs for units in the course or stand-alone units
• Licenses and/or certificates gained whilst working in the maritime industry

Assessments

We use a range of assessment tools to gather evidence to make a judgement about whether or not an individual is ‘competent’ in a unit of competency. To be deemed ‘competent’ means that you can perform to the standard expected in the workplace according to the competency framework.

Evidence collected by an assessor may include observation of simulated and/or workplace performance, written testing including multiple choice questions, oral questioning and practical activities.

if you miss one of your assessments due to absence or you do not achieve the 80% pass mark required in your assessment, you will be deemed ‘Not Satisfactory’ and given two more opportunities to re-sit the assessment event. An Assessor will meet with you to discuss the following, prior to booking a re-assessment event:

• establish the type of re-assessment i.e. written, oral or practical
• a list of skill developments and additional study regime required
• length of time needed for skill development and study

If you have a grievance about the result of an assessment task, please tell the assessor and he will review the assessment outcome with another assessor to clarify the decision of ‘Not Satisfactory’. You’ll be notified of the outcome within 14 days from the result date. See the Complaints and Appeals Policy.

If you are awarded a ‘Competency Not Achieved’ (CNA) result for a unit of competency it means you’ve been unable to demonstrate, through a range of assessment tasks, that you are competent in that unit.

You’ll be awarded a Statement of Attainment instead of a full qualification. See the Competency Not Achieved Policy.

Certification

Students must meet all course requirements including the qualification of sea service (where relevant) prior to certification.

Student Support Services

Sea School International is committed to providing equal opportunity to all students. We are mindful of the diversity of people in our classes and cater for this in our teaching and testing methods.

The Maritime industry requires students to have a literacy and numeracy skill level to effectively read, interpret and complete instructions and forms in English.

If you have difficulties in language, literacy and numeracy or you have a disability which may inhibit your ability to perform specific tasks, please inform us on your application to enrol so we can determine what assistance may be available to you.

Before/upon course commencement, you will be asked to undertake a Language Learning and Numeracy (LLN) Assessment to determine whether you:

• are capable of meeting specific literacy and numeracy requirements
• have a learning or language disability and if so determine whether reasonable adjustment is to be made to respond to your individual learning needs and outcomes
• are able to complete the assessment tasks
• have a language barrier where an interpreter is required (at your cost)

Please review the Language Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) skill requirements for our courses. It is a government requirement that you complete an LLN Assessment prior to course commencement. This assessment helps us ensure that we tailor our Training and Assessment Strategies to our learners.

As Sea School International runs short courses, we don’t have extensive support services for our students however, we want our students to succeed in their learning. If trainees are having difficulties, our trainers and assessors can provide the following types of learner support assistance:

• Explanations of parts of the learning that have not been understood
• Extra time on learning, individual coaching and/or repeat of classes where necessary
• Extra time for assessments where appropriate

In the event of closure

If you are receiving training and assessment through a third party of Sea School International and the third party closes or the third party agreement is terminated, Sea School International will resume responsibility for all training and assessment and your course will progress as normal either through the head office or through another third party agreement with as minimal disruption and inconvenience to you as possible. No extra fees will be incurred by the student for any changes of this matter.

In the unlikely event that Sea School International closes, Statements of Attainments will be issued for all the units you have completed at the time of closure (unless you have completed all the units and will be issued with a full qualification certificate). You may also request assessment material for any units that have been started but not successfully completed so as to use it to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning with another RTO. Fees and refunds will need to be negotiated on an individual basis depending on the level of course progression and attendance.

For more information on your rights as a learner, please see ASQA's website.