ICMS will welcome new students in their first Undergraduate Certificate intake over the coming weeks.
These courses are the first to be accredited using TEQSA’s streamlined accreditation application process, with the ICMS applications accredited in just three working days.
IHEA advocated for the creation of the Undergraduate Certificate and its inclusion in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) to provide greater opportunities for students to gain valuable, employment ready qualifications in the shortest possible time. IHEA also worked closely with Government on the development of the Short Course program which provides critical funding support for 1015 places in the non-University sector.
TEQSA’s accreditation of the first Undergraduate Certificates marks the successful implementation of three policy proposals from IHEA’s COVID-19 Pandemic Response Plan:
IHEA CEO - Simon Finn:
The inclusion of an Undergraduate Certificate in the AQF is a major change to the Australian qualifications landscape and a great reform for students, employers, education providers and the broader economy.
The Undergraduate Certificate enables workers to upskill and reskill during the current downturn and be job ready as the economy recovers. These six month courses ensure students can gain a qualification in the shortest possible time, while at the same time completing units of study that can credit towards a degree qualification in future.
Students will use the Undergraduate Certificate to enhance their employment opportunities and commence their educational journey. The Undergraduate Certificate also provides nested qualifications enabling accredited exit points which will reduce attrition and minimise the accumulation of unproductive student debts.
Students will get a great boost along their career and academic journey by completing a TEQSA-accredited Undergraduate Certificate program with a quality provider like ICMS.
The three new Undergraduate Certificate courses were accredited in record time by TEQSA. IHEA applauds TEQSA’s flexibility and focus on supporting the sector through the impacts of COVID19. The rapid accreditation of new courses from quality independent providers will assist many Australians impacted by COVID-19 to achieve their life goals.
IHEA’s input to developing the Government's subsidised short course program built on new Undergraduate and existing Graduate Certificates, considered that the whole sector including independent providers have an important role to play in Australia’s economic recovery.
ICMS CEO and President - Professor Dominic Szambowski:
ICMS is proud and humbled to receive TEQSA accreditation for Australia’s first Undergraduate Certificate courses. TEQSAaccreditation is the industry gold-standard in quality higher education, so it was very rewarding for our courses to receive TEQSA accreditation in just three working days. ICMS pride ourselves on underpinning innovation with good governance and worked to demonstrate this synergy in the expedited application process.
The three new Undergraduate Certificate courses ICMS are offering will upskill or retrain many Australians who have been impacted by COVID-19 or are trying to get ahead with a high quality career-focussed qualification.
We are confident that many students will unlock new career or academic opportunities through these innovative new programs.
We can’t wait to commence students in these career-focussed new courses, and are looking forward to welcoming our first intake to ICMS in the coming weeks.
Read more in the full statement:
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