BUNBURY students looking to save money on training courses could be easy prey for scammers, according to South West MLC Adele Farina.
Last week Ms Farina raised fears students were being exposed to costly scams after changes to the vocational training sector came into effect earlier this year.
Ms Farina said the changes have seen a dramatic increase in fees which has led to a number of “unscrupulous providers offering all sorts of attractive deals to entice students.”
She said the combination of increased fees and an increase of private training providers in the market has created the threat of providers offering worthless training to unsuspecting students.
“Some tell students they can ‘study now, pay later’ but students need to know... if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is and they should hold off signing any contracts until they have investigated the credentials of the training provider,” Ms Farina said.
Future Skills WA, a student-focused training model, was announced in August last year by then-training minister Terry Redman.
He said the course fee structure would be changed as part of the move to a competitive, market-driven funding approach.
But Ms Farina said students in Greater Bunbury need to be warned of the dangers.
“The vast majority of registered training providers offer an excellent service but students need to be warned so they are not taken advantage of by providers out to make a quick buck.”
South West Institute of Technology managing director Duncan Anderson said it was crucial for students to receive a quality training experience and industry-recognised qualification.
“We receive government funding to run training and must adhere to the government’s fees and charges policy,” Mr Anderson said.
“Private operators can offer training which takes less time and is a cheaper price but it does not guarantee students a quality qualification.”
He said unaccredited courses damaged the reputation of responsible training providers.
“If a student receives a qualification that is not reputable and are hired by industry, they quickly realise they are not properly trained and cannot perform the job,” Mr Anderson said.
“The sector then brands the training industry negatively.
“If a student comes back from industry and finds they do not have the qualifications required, they are welcome to come to us to get the training they need to bridge the gap.”