• Section 1 - Background and Purpose
• Section 2 - Scope
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Section 4 - Procedure
• Approval of Enabling Courses
• Conditions for Enabling Courses
• Advanced Standing
• Enabling Course Places and Enrolments
• Enabling Load
• Funding
• Fee Paying Students
• Section 5 - Definitions
• Section 6 - Stakeholders

Section 1 - Background and Purpose

(1) Enabling courses are programs of instruction provided for the purpose of enabling a person to undertake a higher education course.

(2) The University maintains a range of alternative pathways to higher education studies including the Special Entry and Access Schemes (SEAS), the Schools Access La Trobe (SALT) scheme, the Regional and Rural Access Scheme, Vocational Educational and Training articulation arrangements, multiple exit and entry point nested courses and Commonwealth funded enabling programs.  

(3) This Policy provides specific guidance on Commonwealth funded enabling courses.

Section 2 - Scope

(4) Applies to:

1. Areas of the University involved in conducting enabling courses
2. Students undertaking enabling courses

Section 3 - Policy Statement

(5) Students admitted to a Commonwealth funded or reported enabling course should normally be seeking admission to an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) award course. It is expected that students who successfully complete an enabling course would generally proceed into a higher education course.

(6) Advanced standing is not normally available on completion of an enabling course. 

(7) Students may not be enrolled simultaneously in an enabling course and the award course for which they are undergoing preparation.

Section 4 - Procedure

Approval of Enabling Courses

(8) Approval is via the Coursework Committee, a Committee of the University’s Academic Board. The enabling course should demonstrate compliance with the relevant descriptor in the AQF.

Conditions for Enabling Courses

(9) The two main conditions for students enrolled in enabling courses are:

1. the student should be preparing to commence an award course funded by the Commonwealth.
2. the student must be provided with formal confirmation that satisfactory completion of the enabling course will qualify the student to apply for entry into a specified award course. 

Advanced Standing

(10) Credit is not normally available for enabling courses.

Enabling Course Places and Enrolments

(11) The Commonwealth Government enters into a a funding agreement with each higher education provider that  specifies the number of Commonwealth Supported Places a provider will have with ‘enabling loading’ (funding).Providers can enrol fee-paying students in enabling courses without restriction. Such students may access FEE-HELP if they are Australian citizens (or holders of a permanent Humanitarian visa).

Enabling Load

(12) The University’s Commonwealth funded and reported enabling load is negotiated through the load planning process of the Course Portfolio and Scholarships Committee.

(13) The teaching load for Enabling courses must be included in the College’s load plan.

(14) Equivalent Full-Time Student Load (EFTSL) for the subjects in the program is estimated by comparison with the first year program for which the students are in preparation and reference to the Credit Points and Course Structure Policy. This can best be achieved in terms of class hours.

Funding

(15) Students in enabling programs do not make student contributions. Government funding is provided through Commonwealth Supported Places and a specific ‘enabling’ load.

(16) The calculation of the ‘enabling loading’ (funding) is available in section 7.7 of the Higher Education Administrative Information for Providers (2014). Funding for enabling courses does not involve the usual model based on load in funding clusters.

Fee Paying Students

(17) Students who enrol on a fee-paying basis cannot be formally enrolled nor reported to Department of Education and Training. Successful fee-paying students receive a continuing education certificate with the University’s armorial bearings (see Qualifications Issuance Policy).

Section 5 - Definitions

(18) For the purpose of this Policy and Procedure:

1. Enabling Course Programs of instruction provided for the purpose of enabling a person to undertake a higher education course.

Section 6 - Stakeholders