Clinical Assistants' Employee Training and Development Education Incentive Fund
Clinical Assistants' Employee Training and Development Education Incentive Fund
The Health Practitioners and Dental Officers (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (No. 3) 2019 was certified on 18 August 2020. The commitments within the agreement are to be implemented during the term of the agreement. Clause 68 of the agreement outlines the commitment to create a training fund to support CA2 to CA5 staff to attain an Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) certificate relevant to their role. As part of this, HR Policy G24 Clinical Assistants Training Fund and an associated eligible qualifications list have been developed.
What is the CA Employee Training and Education Incentive Fund?
This initiative is a state-wide training and incentive fund administered by Cunningham Centre (Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service) on behalf of Queensland Health. Under this initiative, eligible clinical assistants at level CA2, CA3, CA4 and CA5 may apply for funding assistance (up to $1800) to attain an AQF certificate relevant to their role. One hundred (100) places per year will be offered for eligible employees across Queensland Health to attain AQF qualifications.
Please note: that there may be fringe benefits tax (FBT) implications in relation to the payment or reimbursement of an employee’s self education expenses. If the course that you have chosen to study is Commonwealth supported (and therefore subsidised by the Federal Government) then this will attract FBT. Your local FBT contact will be available for advice in the first instance.
Where a HHS has exhausted their allocation, employees are encouraged to discuss SARAS eligibility requirements with their local Human Resources (HR) team.
What can I study?
A complete list of eligible AQF Certificate III and IV qualifications for each role type can be found in the Clinical assistant endorsed qualifications list to apply for Training Fund. An employee wishing to commence study for a qualification relevant to their role type in accordance with the list, will automatically meet the eligibility requirements and can apply for the training fund.
If a qualification is not found on the endorsed list, a qualification may be added following approval by the Health Practioners and Dental Office Consultative Group (HPDOCG). This request will be submitted by a line manager, in consultation with their local HR, following a request from the employee.
Who delivers the training?
Successful applicants can choose to study with any nationally recognised and accredited registered training organisation.
How do I apply?
Interested employees must complete and submit an expression of interest to be considered for this initiative. Please note that only the current version of the expression of interest available on our website will be accepted. It is important that you read the Implementation Guide which contains more specific details regarding this initiative.
The funding is available for eligible Clinical Assistants Level 2, 3, 4 and 5 (CA2, CA3, CA4 or CA5) to gain an Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) qualification relevant to their role. This means that if you are eligible, you may receive up to $1,800 towards a relevant qualification. The qualification must be relevant to your position (as per the Clinical assistant endorsed qualifications list to apply for Training Fund), an AQF Certificate III or IV level and must be completed through a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). Funding numbers are limited. It is important that you read the Implementation Guide which contains more specific details regarding this incentive.
If you are a permanent CA2, CA3, CA4 or CA5 employee you will be eligible to apply.
Temporary CA2, CA3, CA4 or CA5 employees with greater than 12 months of continuous service may also apply. You may only apply once under each certified agreement and the funding is only available for the qualification for which you apply. Funding for qualifications completed in the previous 12 months to application date will be submitted to the Health Practitioners and Dental Officers Consultative Group (HPDOCG) for consideration. Please note that being waitlisted for this funding does not constitute as approval for funding.
You can apply once per certified agreement. The current certified agreement applicable to Clinical Assistants is the Health Practitioners and Dental Officers (Queensland Health) Certified Agreement (No. 3) 2019 (HPDO3. HPDO3 is effected from 18 August 2020 with a nominal expiry of 17 October 2022.
It is important you choose a qualification that is of interest to you as well as being relevant to your position. Think about what you would like to gain through this study - is it to assist in your current job or maybe to help you with an application in the future? You may also be at your top pay point and this qualification may help you earn more money (discuss with your local HR or Learning and Development team).
If your qualification is not included on the clinical assistant endorsed qualifications list , you can request it be added using the Consideration of qualification to apply for Training Fund form and submit for consideration by the HPDOCG. These requests are to be submitted to your line manager, in consultation with your local HR.
Assessment of an application will occur during the next HPDOCG monthly meeting after the application has been received. Your HHS/Division will contact you directly and advise you of the outcome of your application once a determination has been made.
You may choose to study with any training provider, but they must be a Registered Training Organisation (RTO). You can find this information by checking with the training provider.
To find out who might deliver your preferred qualification, you can search online or find the information on http://training.gov.au. Search for your qualification, and then select 'Find RTOs approved to deliver this qualification'.
While you are searching for a training provider, here are some questions for you to consider:
How much does the training cost?
What are the payment arrangements? Will you be required to pay upfront, or is there a payment plan available?
Are there extra costs associated with resources or textbooks?
What delivery methods are available? Is the training online, face to face, correspondence etc.?
How long will the training take?
Is there any support available? Who can you contact if you require any assistance?
Once you have chosen a qualification and investigated training providers, you must discuss this training with your Line Manager. Ensure you have their support before continuing with your application.
Please note: this funding does not allow for any time off work to study and does not cover travel expenses incurred (e.g. transportation or accommodation).
After you have selected your training, and received verbal approval from your Line Manager, you need to complete the current expression of interest available on our website.
You must complete this form in full, including:
details of the qualification you wish to study
details of the training provider you wish to study through
Please note: that if you are approved for funding, but once started you decide to withdraw from your studies, this funding will not be available to anyone else. If you need to withdraw from your studies, please contact us to let us know so we can update our records.
If however, you choose not to use the funding, let us know and we may be able to reallocate it to someone else.
If your application is approved you will receive an email confirming this. Please read all the details in the email and the attached letter as this will help you to understand the next steps.
If your application is not approved, you will receive a letter explaining why. You may appeal the decision as per the process outlined in the Implementation Guide.
You have 12 months from the approval date to use the funding.
Once approved, it is the applicant's responsibility to contact their chosen training provider to enrol in training. There are two payment options available:
Ask for an invoice to be sent directly to us or forward it to us (Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service) once you have received it. We will then pay up to $1,800 to the training provider as per the funding agreement. Details of what is required on the invoice and where to send it to will be included in your acceptance letter package.
Pay for the invoice yourself and complete a Staff Expenses Claim Form (FSS3) which is available on QHEPS. You will need a receipt of payment and a copy of your approval letter to claim the $1,800 in funding.
If you have chosen to study through TAFE they may ask you to complete an 'Authority to Invoice' form first. Once this form has been approved by us, it will be returned to you. You can then send it back to TAFE, who will then provide an invoice.
Once we have paid the funding amount, you will need to contact the training provider regarding any outstanding fees. You may like to visit the Australian Taxation Office website or ask your accountant about claiming self-education expenses.
We will check in with you occasionally to see how your study is progressing. We will also check in to see if you have withdrawn from or completed your studies. This information assists us with maintaining our records.
Please refer to the following documents for more information:
