Welcome to your course. Here are answers to questions you may have about it.

Can I get assistance with travel costs?
You can get help with the actual costs of travelling to and from your course. How much you get depends on how far you have to travel, where you live and your eligibility criteria.

How much money do I get while I’m on the course?
If you are 18 years old or over, you may be able to get a Community Wage from Work and Income New Zealand (WINZ). How much you get depends on your age and whether you’re married or have children. Check with WINZ to find out exactly what you are entitled to.

What can I do if I think there are dangerous conditions where I train?
You have the right to be in a safe environment. If you think that the place you are training in, or the things you are doing are dangerous, talk to your Tutor or Training Provider about it first. If you are working in a dangerous place or with dangerous goods, your Tutor or Training Provider should provide you with safety equipment (eg. goggles for welding). Hazard avoidance and Occupational Health & Safety are core components of the training offered on all courses.

Who can I talk to about any problems or concerns I have about my course?
The first person to talk to is your Tutor or Training Provider. You can also contact Tertiary Education Commission to discuss any problems you are having with your training course. Our staff will be happy to listen and offer support.

Are there any requirements I should know about?
Your Training Provider should display a list of rules, such as attendance requirements, at the place where the course is held.

What can I do if I’m having problems with sexual harassment on the course?
Sexual harassment means unwanted sexual comments, jokes, touching and so on. It can include having ‘girlie' pin-ups in the place you are training, or sexual remarks that offend you. If someone is making you feel uncomfortable, you don't have to put up with it. Let that person know that you don't like what they are doing.
If they don’t stop, ask your Tutor or Training Provider what the process is for dealing with sexual harassment on your course. Take a friend for support, if you want. Your Tutor or Training Provider should take action to stop the harassment.

What can I do about discrimination?
You have the right to be treated with fairness and respect, whether you are male or female; are Maori, Pacific Island, Pakeha or from any other culture; are married or single; are gay, lesbian or straight; have a disability; and whatever your religion or beliefs.
You don't have to put up with discrimination. If you are getting a hard time, you should talk to your Tutor or Training Provider first. They should make sure the discrimination stops.
For more help and support, or if you want to make a formal complaint, contact Tertiary Education Commission. You can also contact the Human Rights Commission or Race Relations Office for advice or help.

The Privacy Act
The Privacy Act makes rules about how information about you is collected and used. Training Providers and Tertiary Education Commission need to know some information about you so they can do their jobs. Information is collected on the enrolment form and a record of your progress is kept during training.

Who uses this information?
This information may be shared with Training Providers, Work and Income New Zealand, New Zealand Qualifications Authority, Workbridge and employers. The Training Provider and Tertiary Education Commission may also collect information about you from those agencies.

How do they use the information?
They use this information to:
• check if you meet the entry criteria for a training course.
• check your participation on previous training courses.
• check your progress on training courses.
• check if you are eligible for income support.
• check what credits you may have earned on the National Qualifications Framework.

Can I see the information?
Information about you is held by the Training Provider and Tertiary Education Commission. You have the right to see this information, and ask for it to be changed.

When information about you can be easily retrieved, you have a right to:
• find out from the Training Provider and Tertiary Education Commission what information they have about you.
• see that information.

What can I do if I think there’s a mistake?
You have a right to ask for that information to be changed if you think there’s a mistake.
If the information is not changed, you can ask that a letter be attached to your information saying that you wanted it to be changed.

What can I do if I think the rules have been broken?
Contact Tertiary Education Commission, explain what has happened, and ask that the matter be put right.