ASQA | Spotlight On Student support, Chapter 5
Support for Overseas Students
Chapter 5 aims to help training providers develop support for overseas students. This includes monitoring progress and providing support to students during the enrolment process.
ESOS providers need to comply with the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018.
Standard 6 is dedicated to overseas student support services. Standard 2.2 requires providers to apply a documented process and policy to determine if the student has the necessary skills, competencies and experience to complete the course.
Top 3 ESOS requirements
There are 3 additional requirements you need to meet as an ESOS provider including:
- developing an orientation program
- an official point of contact
- a suitable critical incident policy.
1. Orientation Program
First, you need to welcome new students with a culturally and age-appropriate orientation program. Standard 6.1 outlines the considerations of an orientation program. It is good practice to provide students with supporting documentation for future reference.
2. Official point of contact/nominated student support staff
While all providers should have identified contacts for student support, those who deliver to overseas students need to designate at least one staff member as an official point of contact for support needs. If the nominated officer changes, students should be notified as soon as possible.
You will need to ensure you have sufficient student support staff for the number of students and their identified needs. These support staff need to:
- be aware of their obligations under the National Code and the ESOS framework
- ensure their interactions with students align with the National Code and the ESOS framework.
3. Critical incident policy
You need to have a documented critical incident policy, which includes standard procedures in the event of an incident that could lead to student harm. These procedures need to include:
- contacts for relevant emergency and immigration agencies
- contacts for family members and support agencies
- a record of the incident of concern, an action and/or follow-up response/s. Such records need to be kept for 2 years after an affected student is no longer a student under the ESOS Act.
Applying Standard 6 to overseas and domestic students
While Standard 6 applies only to overseas students, providers can also implement these processes for domestic students as a good practice approach. An example is Standard 6.9, which requires providers to take reasonable steps to ensure a safe environment for students, by providing information on maintaining their safety, and how to report any incidents of concern.
Looking out for younger students
Standard 5 of the National Code applies to providers who enrol overseas students under 18 years old. This Standard outlines the requirements that need to be considered and reported, including:
- meeting legislative requirements regarding child protection
- the conditions in Standard 5.3 (applicable if you take on responsibility for approving accommodation and welfare arrangements under the migration regulations)
- alternative welfare arrangements if the student’s enrolment is suspended, cancelled or transferred.
Providers can access factsheets from the Department of Education, Skills and Employment which provide further explanations on the National Code..
Download resources
Download the checklist of considerations which will guide you, your trainers, assessors and other support staff as you develop student strategies. These considerations will help you comply with regulatory and legislative requirements, along with encouraging best practice.