Policies and student toolkit: the documents, the platforms, and the rights behind them

This is the practical companion to our policy suite: the handbooks you should read first, the platforms you will actually log into, the fee and policy documents you are entitled to, and the support services available while you study. Alongside each one we have set out the standard that makes it a right rather than a courtesy, because knowing which is which changes what you can ask for.

Our general policy page is at policies. This page is the toolkit view of the same material.

Contact us

New student? Start here

Your Student Handbook is the complete guide to studying with us. It covers everything from enrolment and fees to policies, support services and what to expect during your course. There are two, and the right one depends on your enrolment:

• Domestic Student Handbook — for Australian citizens, permanent residents and other domestic students
• International Student Handbook — for students enrolled under our CRICOS registration

Read it before you pay anything. We are required to give you documentation prior to your enrolment or before any fees are required to be paid setting out the training we will provide, all fees, costs and charges you will be required to pay, and any obligations or liabilities we or any third party may impose on you. If you have not been given that, ask for it.

Student toolkit

Access the platforms and tools you need for your studies. Your trainer will advise which tools apply to your course.

If you enrolled before 2025 and again afterwards, your records may be split across two portals. Ask us which one holds what rather than assuming the newer one has everything.

Fees and key documents

A published fee schedule is an advertised figure. What binds is the written information we give you for your own enrolment, which must set out all fees, costs and charges associated with the training product that you may incur, including payment terms and conditions, any applicable refund policies, and the availability of any relevant government training entitlements and subsidies. It must also cover any obligations or liabilities imposed on you — including any requirement to acquire materials, equipment or IT, any costs and processes associated with withdrawing from training, any costs and processes associated with obtaining a Student Identifier, and any requirement to undertake work placements. Confirm the current amount for your intake in your own pre-enrolment documents.

Student wellbeing and support

We are committed to supporting every student throughout their learning journey, regardless of background, ability or personal circumstances.

We understand that life doesn't stop when you're studying. Whether you're dealing with personal challenges, financial stress, language barriers, disability, or just need someone to talk to, we're here to help.

Support services

Access our full range of student support services including counselling referrals, language and literacy support, disability assistance, and more. Our Student Support and Wellbeing Policy outlines how we identify, support and refer students who may be experiencing difficulties that affect their learning or wellbeing.

Three standards sit behind that.

Standard 2.3, access to support. The outcome is that "VET students have access to support services, trainers and assessors and other staff to support their progress throughout the training product". Support is not only for students in difficulty; it is part of progression.

Standard 2.4, reasonable adjustments. The outcome is that "reasonable adjustments are made to support VET students with disability to access and participate in training and assessment on an equal basis". The performance indicators require that students are supported to disclose their disability if they wish to do so, that reasonable adjustments are made where appropriate, and that where reasonable adjustments are not appropriate or possible, the reasons why are communicated to the student as soon as reasonably practicable. "Reasonable adjustments" takes its meaning from the Disability Standards for Education 2005. Disclosure is your choice; an explanation when an adjustment cannot be made is your entitlement.

Standard 2.6, wellbeing. The outcome is that "the wellbeing needs of the VET student cohort are identified and strategies are put in place to support these needs". We must identify wellbeing needs by reference to the training product content and identify appropriate wellbeing support services, and advise the student cohort of what is available, including any organisation students can contact or additional action they can take. This standard is new in 2025 — no equivalent clause existed in the 2015 Standards. The phrase "by reference to the training product content" matters in hospitality: a course involving alcohol service, long kitchen shifts or high-pressure service environments raises wellbeing questions a classroom course does not.

Standard 2.5, diversity and inclusion, completes the set: the learning environment must promote and support the diversity of VET students, fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all students and a culturally safe environment for First Nations people. Also new in 2025.

Crisis support

If you or someone you know needs immediate help, these services are available 24/7.

Policies and compliance

Complaints: what the system has to do

Standard 2.7 sets the outcome that "feedback and complaints management addresses concerns and informs continuous improvement". Our complaints management system must:

• allow feedback and complaints about the organisation, any third parties, and any person employed or contracted by us;
• ensure all parties are afforded procedural fairness;
• identify reasonable timeframes for responding to and resolving complaints; and
• provide avenues for further action where complaints are not resolved.

Information about how to provide feedback and make complaints must be publicly available and easily accessible, students must be supported to make complaints, outcomes must be documented and communicated to all parties, and complaints must be used to inform continuous improvement.

One change is worth knowing. The 2015 Standards contained a fixed 60-calendar-day rule for resolving complaints. That fixed rule was removed in the 2025 instrument; the requirement is now that the RTO identifies its own reasonable timeframes. So the timeframe that applies to you is the one in our policy, not a national default — which is a reason to read it before you need it.

Appeals: the part people miss

Standard 2.8 sets the outcome that "effective appeal processes are available to VET students where decisions of the NVR registered training organisation or a third party adversely affect the student". Our appeals management system must allow you to appeal decisions of ours, of any third party, or of any person we employ or contract, where those decisions adversely affect you; afford all parties procedural fairness; specify reasonable timeframes; and — this is the one most students do not know about — provide avenues for review by an independent party if requested by the appellant, at no or low cost to the appellant.

If you have exhausted our internal appeal and you are not satisfied, you can ask for independent review, and we cannot make the cost of asking a barrier.

RTO registration

Complete Hospitality Training (RTO 3722, CRICOS 04242E) is a nationally registered training organisation regulated by the Australian Skills Quality Authority. Our certificate of registration is published.

Verify it yourself rather than taking our word for it:

Good to know

Unique Student Identifier (USI)

Every student studying nationally recognised training in Australia needs a USI. It's free, takes a few minutes, and you'll need it before your enrolment can be finalised. If you already have one, make sure we have your correct details. See USI for how to create or find yours.

The reason this is non-negotiable is statutory, not administrative. Under section 53 of the Student Identifiers Act 2014, a registered training organisation must not issue a VET qualification or a VET statement of attainment to an individual unless the individual has been assigned a student identifier. Narrow Ministerial and Registrar exemptions exist, but the default is a hard bar: no USI, no certificate.

Two further obligations shape how we handle it. We must not print your USI on your certification documentation, and we must verify your USI with the Registrar before using it. So if we ask you to confirm your details, that is the verification step, not a filing error. The statutory term is "student identifier"; "Unique Student Identifier" and "USI" are the operational names used by the Registrar and by RTOs.

Recognition of prior learning and credit transfer

Already have relevant qualifications, skills or industry experience? You may be eligible to receive credit for units you've already completed, or have your existing skills formally recognised. This can reduce your study time and fees. Contact us to discuss.

These are two different things, and the difference decides which evidence you need.

Recognition of prior learning (Standard 1.6). The outcome is that "VET students with prior skills, knowledge and competencies are supported to seek recognition of prior learning to progress through the relevant training product". You must be offered opportunities to seek RPL and made aware of our RPL policy. Decisions must be based on evidence of your prior skills, learning and experience, undertaken in accordance with our assessment system, and documented and decided in a way that is fair, transparent, consistent amongst students, and maintains the integrity of the training product.

Credit transfer (Standard 1.7). The outcome is that "VET students who have completed an equivalent training product are supported to obtain a credit transfer". You must be offered opportunities to seek credit transfer and made aware of our policy. Decisions must be based on evidence of prior completion of an equivalent training product, demonstrated by AQF certification documentation or an authenticated VET transcript — unless licensing or regulatory requirements of the training product prevent it. The same fairness, transparency and consistency requirements apply.

In short: RPL assesses what you can do; credit transfer recognises what you have already been awarded. Credit transfer needs a certificate or transcript. RPL needs evidence of competence, which can include employment records, work samples and third-party reports.

Post course assistance

After successful completion of your course, you are welcome to return for free refresher classes for a period of six months.

Certificate reprint

We will re-issue certificates at written request. Certificate reprint is charged at $50 and takes approximately 10 working days.

That is separate from the original issue, which is not charged as a reprint and is time-bound: once we have assessed you as meeting the requirements of the training product, we must issue your AQF certification documentation within 30 calendar days from the completion of the assessment, provided you have completed the qualification — or completed units of a qualification you have since withdrawn from — and have paid all agreed fees. If 30 days have passed and you have paid, ask.

Questions and answers

Which handbook applies to me?

The Domestic Student Handbook if you are an Australian citizen, permanent resident or other domestic student; the International Student Handbook if you are enrolled under our CRICOS registration on a student visa. The international handbook carries obligations the domestic one does not, including course progress, attendance and transfer requirements tied to your visa.

What am I entitled to receive before I enrol?

Documentation, before enrolment or before any fees are payable, setting out the training we or any third party will provide, all fees, costs and charges you will be required to pay, and any obligations or liabilities imposed on you. Separately, the following must be easily accessible: the training product code and title, duration, modes of delivery, delivery location, commencement dates and scheduling, any requirements to commence or complete including assessment requirements, whether any licensing or occupational licence requirements apply, details of any third party arrangements, the support and wellbeing services available and how to access them, all fees and refund policies and the availability of government entitlements and subsidies, and any obligations including materials, withdrawal costs, USI costs and work placement requirements.

Why am I being assessed before I enrol?

Because we have to be. Standard 2.2 requires us to have procedures to review, prior to enrolment, the skills and competencies of prospective students — including language, literacy and numeracy proficiency and digital literacy — and, based on that review, to advise each prospective student whether the training product is suitable for them. That is a pre-training review. It exists to stop people paying for a course that will not work for them.

Which portal are my records in?

aXcelerate if you enrolled from 2025 onwards; VETtrak if you enrolled prior to 2025. VETtrak is a legacy portal and still holds records, results and certificates for those earlier enrolments. If you have enrolled in both periods, your records may be split — ask us rather than assuming.

Can I get my certificate if I still owe fees?

No. The 30-calendar-day issue obligation is conditional on you having paid all agreed fees associated with the training product. It is also conditional on you having been assigned a Student Identifier.

What if I never got my certificate?

If you have completed assessment, completed the qualification or the units, paid all agreed fees, and hold a USI, then more than 30 calendar days after your assessment completion the certificate is overdue and you should contact us. If you have lost one that was issued, that is a reprint: $50, about 10 working days, on written request.

How long do I have to make a complaint?

Check our Complaints and Appeals Policy, because the answer is in our policy rather than in national rules. The 2015 Standards had a fixed 60-calendar-day resolution rule; that was removed in 2025 and replaced by a requirement that we identify our own reasonable timeframes for responding to and resolving complaints.

Can I complain about a broker or a third party, not just about CHT?

Yes. Our complaints management system must allow feedback and complaints about the organisation, any third parties, and any person employed or contracted by us. Our Broker List names our approved third-party recruitment agents and brokers, and we remain responsible for ensuring third parties meet the same regulatory requirements we do.

What if I lose my appeal?

You can request review by an independent party, and it must be available at no or low cost to you. That is a requirement of Standard 2.8, not a concession. Our appeals system must also give all parties procedural fairness, specify reasonable timeframes, document outcomes and communicate them to you.

I have a disability. What do I have to tell you?

Nothing you do not want to. The standard requires that students are supported to disclose their disability if the student wishes to do so. If you do disclose, reasonable adjustments must be made where appropriate — and where an adjustment is not appropriate or possible, we must tell you why, as soon as reasonably practicable.

Does RPL cost less than doing the unit?

It can reduce study time and fees, but RPL is an assessment process and may carry its own fee. Ask for the RPL fee and the evidence list in writing before you start, along with what happens if the RPL application is unsuccessful. You are entitled to be made aware of our RPL policy.

What counts as evidence for credit transfer?

AQF certification documentation or an authenticated VET transcript showing you completed an equivalent training product. An authenticated VET transcript is generated from your USI account. A course outline, a letter from an employer or a certificate from a non-accredited course is not credit transfer evidence — that is RPL territory.

Can I come back for a refresher?

Yes. After successful completion you are welcome to return for free refresher classes for a period of six months after completion.

Who regulates CHT, and how do I check?

The Australian Skills Quality Authority. Our registration status, registration period and full scope of registration are on training.gov.au under RTO 3722, and our CRICOS registration is on cricos.education.gov.au under provider code 04242E. Our certificate of registration is published on our site.

Where are the actual policy documents?

Our policy documentation is published, and the links above point to each one. Where this page summarises a policy it says so — the current document controls. For anything you cannot find, including the Student Handbook, the refund policy, the privacy policy and the complaints and appeals procedure, contact us directly.

Related pages

Policies · USI · Downloading certificates from aXcelerate · Downloading certificates from the legacy portal · Student support sessions · Resources · Toolkit · FAQ · Contact · About us

Complete Hospitality Training (Vic) Pty Ltd, RTO 3722, CRICOS provider code 04242E, ABN 27 006 947 262. Level 3, 28 Elizabeth Street, Melbourne VIC 3000. Contact melbourne@cht.edu.au or +61 3 9654 1554.

Standard references on this page are to the Outcome Standards for Registered Training Organisations (F2025L00354), the Compliance Requirements for NVR Registered Training Organisations (F2025L00355) and the Student Identifiers Act 2014. Where this page summarises our own documents — handbooks, fee schedules, policies and the complaint form — the current document controls, and a link being reachable does not certify that a PDF is the latest approved version for a particular student. Ask us for the version that applies to your enrolment, and confirm course availability, delivery, fees and entry requirements with us before enrolling.