Accreditation & Recognition
Accreditation
Think: Colleges Pty Ltd (trading as Australasian College of Natural Therapies, APM College of Business & Communication, Billy Blue College of Design, CATC Design School, William Blue College of Hospitality Management, Australian National College of Beauty).
Vocational Education and Training qualifications
Think: Colleges is a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and is registered by the Vocational Education, Training and Accreditation Board (VETAB) of New South Wales. VETAB is the only legal body conferred authority under the Vocational Education and Training Act 2005 to register RTOs in New South Wales. As part of this registration, Think: Colleges maintains compliance and improves the quality of its programs under the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF). Think: Colleges is authorised to issue nationally accredited vocational education and training qualifications recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). For a full listing of VET qualifications offered by Think: Colleges, please visit the National Training Information Service register.
Higher Education qualifications
New South Wales
Think: Colleges is registered by the Director-General of the New South Wales Department of Education and Training (NSWDET) and accredited to offer higher education Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Associate and Bachelor degrees which are recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
The Director-General of the NSW DET is the only legal entity conferred authority under the NSW Higher Education Act 2001 to register non-self accrediting higher education providers in New South Wales. Approval processes undertaken by the NSWDET are aligned with the National Protocols for Higher Education Approval Processes. For a full listing of approved higher education qualifications offered by Think: Colleges in New South Wales, please visit the New South Wales AQF Register of Higher Education.
Queensland
Think: Colleges is registered by the Minister for Education and Training in Queensland and is accredited to offer higher education Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Associate and Bachelor degrees which are recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).
The Minister for Education and Training in Queensland is conferred authority under the QLD Higher Education (General Provisions) Act 2008 to register non-self accrediting higher education providers in Queensland. Approval processes undertaken by the Queensland Office of Higher Education to assist the Minister are aligned with the National Protocols for Higher Education Approval Processes. For a full listing of approved higher education qualifications offered by Think: Colleges, please visit the. Queensland AQF Register of Higher Education.
Think: Colleges is subject to periodic quality audits by the Australian Universities Quality Agency. The latest audit report (October 2009) is now available.
Courses offered to overseas students
Most vocational and higher education qualifications offered by Think: Colleges are listed on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas students. This is the official Australian Commonwealth Government register that lists all Australian education providers authorised to offer courses to people studying in Australia on student visas. Think: Colleges is bound by the provisions of the ESOS Act 2000 and National Code 2007. Overseas students should read the ESOS framework and a simple explanation of the ESOS framework is available online at Australian Education International (AEI).
Recognition
All AQF qualifications offered by Think: Colleges are accredited by the relevant government agencies listed above and are deemed equivalent to qualifications issued by institutions recognised under Generally Accepted Accrediting Principles (GAAP). Accreditation by an agency recognised under GAAP is a strong assurance that the qualifications issued by Think: Colleges will be recognised by industry and other education providers throughout the world.
All Higher Education Diplomas, Advanced Diplomas, Associate Degrees and Bachelor degrees offered by Think: Colleges are deemed equivalent and recognised in equal standing to those qualifications issued by self-accrediting Australian Universities.
All Vocational Education and Training qualifications issued by Think: Colleges are required to be recognised by other Australian Registered Training Organisations.
In addition, Think: Colleges offers a number of non-award (non-AQF) awards which are offered in addition to AQF qualifications. Please contact the relevant college for further details on the current recognition status of these qualifications.
