EDUCATE HELP STUDENTS TO STUDY VET COURSES - APPLY TO BE A VET STUDENT LOANS PROVIDER

Australian Government Department of Employment and Workplace Relations

The Australian Government’s VET Student Loans (VSL) program removes financial barriers to assist eligible students pay tuition fees for approved diploma level and above VET courses, when studying through VSL approved providers.

The VSL program is administered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). DEWR provides approved Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) with student course fees. Australian Taxation Office recovers the fees from students when they start earning over the repayment threshold, which is currently $48,361.

There are eligibility requirements for RTOs interested in becoming approved VSL providers and a formal application process managed by DEWR.

Providers must be able to prove they meet all provider suitability requirements and are required to:

• be a body corporate that is not a trustee

• be established under the law of the Commonwealth, a state or territory

• conduct business in Australia and have central management and control in Australia

• be an RTO listed on the National Register

• meet the provider suitability requirements

• be managed by a ‘fit and proper’ person

The formal application process includes:

• applying via approved application form

• paying an application fee

• providing further information upon request

DEWR provides RTOs with on-going assistance and support once approved to offer VSL courses. Providers have access to helpful resources, such as the VSL Provider Newsletter, an operational manual, fact sheets, quick guides and an online enquiry form. Providers can also contact the VSL team in DEWR for assistance.

DEWR continues to improve administrative, business, and regulatory elements of the program. These changes are streamlining processes and reduce administrative requirements, to make it easier to participate in the program.

The VSL program delivers outcomes for students by creating better opportunities for employment and outcomes for industry by prioritising training in skills areas that lead to jobs. Since the program began in 2017:

• approximately $1.5 billion have been paid in loans

• there have been approximately 210,000 enrolments

• in 2021 there were 214 approved VSL providers – 37 were public providers and 177 were private To find out more about becoming a VSL provider, visit How to become a VET Student Loans provider - Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Australian Government (dewr.gov.au)

For general information on the VSL program, visit VET Student Loans - Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, Australian Government (dewr.gov.au)

Why Mental Health Conversations Need

We’re often told that talking about mental health will help. But rarely are we taught how to talk about it, in a way that is proven to help.

When we learn effective communication skills, it becomes far easier to role-model healthy behaviours and employ these tools to better support the mental wellbeing of those around us.

Consider the last time somebody came to you and shared a struggle. How quickly did you attempt to do one of the following things:

1. Find a solution for them

2. Give them some advice

3. Look for the silver lining

It’s likely that you did all three. One, because at times in your life, you’ve been rewarded for how quickly you could problem solve, two because you’re human - making you hard-wired to give advice, and three because you’re a good person and you want that individual to feel better.

But what if we told you this was damaging your ability to provide help?

In a meta-analysis by the American Psychological Association that looked into over 16 studies of “why does counselling work” i.e., what is the most helpful component of going to therapy – they found that the quality of the relationship formed between client and clinician was a better predictor for improved outcomes, than the type of intervention that was used.

That means, a person being safe to express their true feelings and feel fully understood upon sharing - is more helpful than any of the psychological therapies, coping tools or interventions used.

What this shows, is that feeling connected to someone is the ultimate way to help them, and the effects are two-way. When we can see that we’ve created a safe space for someone to share, it influences our own feelings of self-worth. The reciprocity creates a positive feedback loop which then ripples into our next interactions. More good news? You don’t need to become a therapist to have a positive impact on the mental health of your colleagues and students.

You just need to make one simple change to the way you communicate. Watch our 20-minute webinar on The Golden Ratio of Support to learn how to help people feel understood through the power of connection.

At Heart On My Sleeve, our mission is to help people feel understood. We are a global mental health movement and training provider, changing lives through Real Conversations because we believe that connection is the best prevention, protection & treatment for emotional suffering.