FAQ
The following are some questions commonly asked by MCO's students and short course participants. Click here if you would like to download a PDF version of these questions and answers.
Q - How do I get feedback on my progress?
A - Your trainer will provide you with ongoing feedback on your progress. This may be in the form of emails or direct discussion on the work submitted in the assessments.
Q - What happens when I finish my training program?
A - When you complete your last study unit and the trainer has signed it off with you and your employer, your file will be returned to MCO's office for auditing to ensure all requirements for your program have been met. The office will then draw your qualifications sending them forward to your nominated address within twenty days of completion.
Q - How can I use my training with other programs?
A - If you are completing an accredited training program then the benefits are that any study unit that you have earned competency in will give you a direct credit into other programs where this study unit exists. The purpose of these training programs is to recognise the work an individual has already completed and acknowledge this through crediting where possible. This is referred to as RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning).
Q - What is a training session?
Dependant on the arrangements between your organisation and MCO, the training sessions may be conducted as group sessions or as an individual face-to-face training session. The training session will be used to work through the subject and the assessment paper in conjunction with the provided textbook.
Q - What is a Training Record Book?
A - This is your personal record of the training you have completed within your selected training program. It outlines each of the study units you have completed showing the elements of competence and performance criteria for that unit and details the signatures of the three parties involved in the program (yourself as the trainee, the trainer, and your workplace supervisor).
Q - What is an Evidence Matrix form?
A - This form is completed at the finish of each of your training units as a record of completion. The original is for insertion into your training record book and a copy is placed upon your file for archival purposes as evidence of your completed works. The archive file is stored by MCO as part of the training records of an RTO.
Q - What is my workload?
A - Your workload will depend entirely on the program you select. The number of study units required will be designated by the qualification you select.
- You will have training sessions in your workplace to attend
- There will be written assessment to be completed by the trainee
- Your will be expected to read the recommended reading for each study unit
- There may be some research to be done to complete your work – this will vary from program to program dependant on the study unit requirements
The time you spend on each unit will relate to your underpinning knowledge of the material, your experience in the workplace, and your need to learn the new work that is presented to you. The workload will also vary dependant on the nature of the trainee. Some trainee’s provide volumes of work through their enthusiasm to get as much from the program as they can and so they will spend far more time on an activity that others may. The workload is dependant upon the trainee and the result they are looking for in their program.
Q - How many training sessions will I get?
A - The number of training sessions will reflect the number of study units you have selected in your program. One training session of between an hour and an hour and a half is provided to work through the study unit work in detail with the timeframe between the session and the next session being for the trainee to complete the written assessment and submit to the trainer for marking and feedback.
Q - How long is each training session?
A - Each training session will require between an hour and a hour and a half on site to look through the study unit and assessment paper with the trainee.
Q - Who sees my submitted work?
A - The only people who see your work is your trainer, yourself, and the Managing Director of MCO who completes the audit when the file is ready for preparation of the qualification. If your file were to be selected by the government agent of Department of Training and the Arts, then this nominated auditor would also see your work.
Q - What do I receive on completion?
A - You will l receive an evidence matrix page for each of your selected study units upon completion for inclusion into your training record book. You will then receive your qualification with a statement of attainment identifying the study units completed for your program. If you are a funded government trainee you will also receive a certificate of completion from the Department of Training and the Arts.
Q - What does an accredited training program mean?
A - This is a title given to a range of study programs established by industry and endorsed through industry and government channels Australia wide. These programs provide a benchmark for levels of attainment in set training courses provided employers with an understanding of the level a participant has achieved in completing a program under this system. The accreditation means that regardless of which state or territory you work in across Australia, you will receive recognition of equal status to anyone else holding the same qualification. It demonstrates that you have been trained and assessed to meet a level of standard that has a national recognition of excellence in your chosen field across Australia.
Q - Is the supplied textbook mine to keep?
A - Yes, the main text that is provided as part of your program will be for your use and becomes part of your library for the program. Some programs may require more than one text book and these would be discussed at time of sign up with the trainee and the workplace supervisor. In some rare cases there may be need for MCO to offer the loan of a text for a particular unit that may not be well covered in the recommended reading. This loan book would be returned to MCO after the unit is completed.
NB: It is important to understand that in your learning you may find that a direct answer to a particular question is not found in the text book supplied.
This is a book of recommended reading and the trainee is expected to use it as a learning tool. However, on the occasion where a question goes beyond the text provided, the trainee will need to demonstrate their ability to research the question either through their workplace or other text sources such as books, articles, Internet, and so forth, to provide their solutions.
Q - What does the assessment consist of?
A - The assessments at MCO consist in the main of a written paper that ca be broken down into four sections. These will be:
- Short Answers – general questions on the subject of the uit providing your assessor with some underpinning knowledge across the study unit. Answers to these will generally be supported by material in your txt book.
- Review Questions – these are a little more complicated in their request and will generally expect that you will answer using your text and given examples from within your workplace.
- Case Studies – these are articles selected from within your text book asking your to read some material and then answer questions in relation to that material and your understanding of the topic. These provide the assessor with an understanding of your capability against this study unit to be flexible in your thinking as the case study will generally be about a business far different from your own and therefore expect you to draw your conclusions away from where you normally work.
- Mini Project – This is an opportunity to review the work of the study unit into one exercise and so the material you provide in answering the mini project will be from your workplace or from your experience in other workplaces. It may take the form of an audit paper, a written report, the collection of some associated material, the completion of a survey, and so forth.
NB: this forms the general format for a written assessment; however, there may be study units within your program that vary slightly because of the nature of the work you are studying.
Q - How will I be assessed?
A - Assessment in competency based training is ongoing and varied. The main item for assessment is the written paper provided to you in a word format for completion. Your trainer will also assess your ability at every meeting to meet the required levels of the program.
Q - What will my training program give me?
A - If you are studying through a Nationally Accredited Training Program and it is successfully completed, then you will receive a document that establishes your ranking for that qualification (Certificate, Diploma, and so forth). This means that wherever you move within Australia and its territories, you will have acceptance of that qualification and the level it represents.
Q - How does the program work?
A - Your training program is broken up into a number of study units that will need to be completed to the required level of competency for that program. You will be allocated a trainer who will contact you to arrange time and dates for visits to your workplace for the conducting of training sessions. These sessions will be once monthly unless otherwise arranged with your trainer. The training sessions will provide you with information on the topics within the related study unit, use of your text book reference, and a brief review of your assessment paper.
Upon completion of the training session the trainee needs to apply themselves to completing and forwarding the assessment paper back to the trainee prior to the following training session. The trainer will mark the paper and provide the student with some feedback at that session (feedback arrangement may vary slightly between trainers and trainees dependant on individual needs). Once all of the required study units have been completed and ranked against the competency level required, the trainee’s file will be handed into the office (MCO) for auditing and follow through for the issue of the completed qualification to the trainee.
Q - What do my marks mean?
A - At MCO we have two marks that you may see across the duration of your program.
- C – ‘Competent’ is awarded for completing the study unit to the required competency.
- NYC –‘Not Yet Competent’ and means that the trainee has a shortfall in the work provided to the assessor requiring more details to be provided for the completion of the study unit moving it to a Competency (C).
Q - How do I contact my trainer?
A - Your trainer is able to be contacted through a variety of means. They will provide you with telephone, Email, ad facsimile contact points, as well as you are able to contact the office of MCO if your trainer is unreachable for any reasons and relevant messages will be passed on from the office.
Q - How is my organisation involved?
A - Your organisation plays an important part in your training as the training sessions are conducted on your work premises. Your employer provides you time during work hours to attend the sessions with your trainer and also as a support mechanism for the content within the program. This support may be in coaching on a particular point of question you have, assisting in researching some point within your workplace, discussion with you giving information from their experience to help better understand a point you are working on, and so forth.
Q - How is my training plan developed?
A - The training plan is a working document that is initially set up with yourself, your employer and the Manager of MCO. This document sets out the program of study units, the timeframes for the program, identifies any special needs that a trainee may have, nominates the trainer and provides some information on who, where, and how the training will be conducted. This document also state two extra dates for the revision of the information contained in the training plan.
These dates are set up to provide an opportunity to vary the training program ensuring that the study units’ best match the needs of the trainee and their organisation. There are however, some limitations on varying a study unit, and these would be discussed in conjunction with your trainer at the time of review as each training program comes with a set of rules required for the completion of a qualification and there may be particular requirements for study units and where they can be selected from. Failure to comply to these requirements fully means that the RTO (MCO) is not able to acknowledge the completion of the qualification under the training program guidelines.
Q - Can I change my subjects once the program begins?
A - Yes there is provision for some variation to the study units originally selected. There are however, some limitations on varying a study unit, and these would be discussed in conjunction with your trainer at the time of review as each training program comes with a set of rules required for the completion of a qualification and there may be particular requirements for study units and where they can be selected from. Failure to comply to these requirements fully means that the RTO (MCO) is not able to acknowledge the completion of the qualification under the training program guidelines.
Q - What if I change jobs during my training?
A - If you are undertaking a training program that is supported through the Government Funding Arrangements then there is a need to complete paperwork to cancel from your old employer and to re-instate your program with your new employer. This will have a direct effect on any funding arrangements with the program and your AAC (Australian Apprenticeship Centre) will provide you with those details. The programs are transferable around Australia whether within your same employer or onto a new employer. If this is to occur, please direct your situation to your trainer who will provide you will some advice on how to proceed.
Q - What if I need to cancel the training?
A - At your induction into the program with the AAC present information is given about ‘cooing off’ periods which mean you can cancel with no affect on you or your program. After this period you can still cancel but it requires the acceptance of both you and your employer as this may affect any funding arrangements that are being provided. However, MCO asks that if you are considering canceling your training program, talk to your trainer first as in a number of cases we are able to assist where the problems relate to the training or content of the program.
Q - Can I alter my training appointment?
A - Yes you can. There are instances that require a need to change an appointment. MCO asks that you consider your trainer in this instance as they have large workloads consisting of a number of trainees that they cater to over the course of a month and it may not be possible for them to offer another appointment in that month. Changing the appointment will also set your program back by that period for your completion and can lead to a reduction in enthusiasm on the part of the trainee without the continued application to the program.
MCO requires that a minimum of 48 hours notice be given to your trainer in the instance of changing an appointment as this then allows the trainer to reschedule their time. An appointment not cancelled where the trainer attends the worksite without prior notice constitutes a training visit and it is important to remember that the trainer is limited to the number of training visits they can make during the course of the program.
Q - Who can I talk to if I have a problem with the training program?
A - The first point of contact is your trainer who will do whatever possible to meet the needs of your program. Discuss the situation with them to arrive at a suitable outcome. If this does not rectify the situation then you have direct contact to our office (MCO), through our Manager who may have authority to take your situation further. If still no satisfaction occurs then your next step is to advise you AAC.
