Hi. I'm studying for a Health Services Assistant in Acute Care Certificate III through Open Colleges in Australia. It is an Australian online College. Currently, I'm at a loss on what to do and need some legal help.
In the contract, it states that I am responsible for finding work placement (with which I don't have a problem with), that is part of this course. I'm at the 3rd study period of my studies where I can find work placement according to the Open Colleges but after calling a number of hospitals, I found out that they do not sort out work placement through students but through the organisation the students study through. In my search for a place to do my work placement, I also found out that Open Colleges have to have a partnership with a hospital in order for their students to do the work placement.
According to what I found out thus far, it is Open College's legal obligation to sort out work placement through a hospital they are partnered with for their students and this responsibility can't legally fall onto the student. They do not have this information in their contract and they do not provide the information about who they are partnered with anywhere in the study information of the course.
I called them up and tried to discuss the situation with them, but they just say it isn't their issue. I would like to know what legal grounds I have to stand on under Australian Consumer Law to fight them on this. They can't provide the support or the resources I need to finish this course so I won't get a certificate and in the meantime, they take my money as a charity case.
Any help would be very much appreciated.
Thank you.
In the contract, it states that I am responsible for finding work placement (with which I don't have a problem with), that is part of this course. I'm at the 3rd study period of my studies where I can find work placement according to the Open Colleges but after calling a number of hospitals, I found out that they do not sort out work placement through students but through the organisation the students study through. In my search for a place to do my work placement, I also found out that Open Colleges have to have a partnership with a hospital in order for their students to do the work placement.
According to what I found out thus far, it is Open College's legal obligation to sort out work placement through a hospital they are partnered with for their students and this responsibility can't legally fall onto the student. They do not have this information in their contract and they do not provide the information about who they are partnered with anywhere in the study information of the course.
I called them up and tried to discuss the situation with them, but they just say it isn't their issue. I would like to know what legal grounds I have to stand on under Australian Consumer Law to fight them on this. They can't provide the support or the resources I need to finish this course so I won't get a certificate and in the meantime, they take my money as a charity case.
Any help would be very much appreciated.
Thank you.