Clear fees. Clear expectations.
Understand how course fees are disclosed, when payments are due, how subsidised co-contribution fees work, and what happens if you withdraw, transfer or Paradigm Training Group is unable to deliver an agreed service.
Your exact fees are confirmed before enrolment and payment.
This page explains PTG's general payment, refund and fee-protection arrangements. The exact fees that apply to you depend on the training product, delivery arrangement, funding eligibility and any optional services you select.
Do not rely on this general page alone.
Before enrolment or before any fees are required to be paid, PTG provides or directs each student to course-specific information setting out the training to be provided, all fees, costs and charges, payment terms, applicable refund arrangements, and any obligations or liabilities associated with the training.
Fee-for-service
Deposits, staged payments and course-specific fee schedules.
Subsidised training
Career Start co-contribution fees and progression payments.
Refunds & withdrawal
How refunds are assessed and how to request withdrawal.
Prepaid fee protection
How the $1,500 prepaid-fee threshold applies.
Full-fee training with clear staged payment arrangements.
Fee-for-service applies where a student is not accessing a government subsidy for the relevant training. The total course fee and payment schedule are shown in the applicable Course Details and confirmed as part of enrolment.
Deposit or course fee at enrolment
The amount payable at enrolment is set out in the course-specific fee information provided before payment. PTG may use deposits, staged payments or other agreed payment arrangements.
Payment schedules are structured so that prepaid fees for services not yet delivered remain within the applicable prepaid-fee requirements unless an approved fee-protection measure is in place.
Payments are linked to the agreed schedule
Any remaining course balance must be paid in accordance with the payment schedule supplied for the enrolment. Payment dates may be linked to progression through online theory, practical training, assessment or another agreed milestone.
For fee-for-service enrolments, all agreed fees associated with the training product must be paid before AQF certification documentation is issued, subject to any right or requirement that applies under law.
Payment plans may be available on application. A payment plan is only approved once PTG confirms the arrangement and payment schedule. Students should contact PTG before a due date if they need to discuss an existing arrangement.
Queensland Government funded training.
Eligible students accessing Queensland Government subsidised training may be required to pay a co-contribution fee. PTG confirms the applicable program, eligibility, concessional status, total co-contribution fee and payment arrangements before enrolment.
Total co-contribution
PTG publishes the applicable co-contribution fee for funded offerings, including concessional and non-concessional rates where applicable. The student's course-specific documentation confirms the total fee before enrolment.
Maximum 30% upfront
PTG will not request or require more than 30% of the total co-contribution fee upfront. A student or employer may explicitly request to pay a higher amount upfront where the current Skills Assure Supplier requirements permit this.
Student or another payer
The co-contribution fee may be paid by the student or on the student's behalf by an employer, family member, friend or another organisation unrelated to PTG. PTG, or a person or entity associated with PTG, will not pay or waive the fee unless permitted by the current funding requirements and approved where required.
Remaining fees follow the disclosed schedule
Any remaining co-contribution fee is charged in accordance with the written payment schedule provided for the funded enrolment. Payment timing may be linked to agreed progression points. The student's course-specific information confirms the actual amounts and due dates.
Eligibility, concessional status and use of a Queensland Government subsidised training entitlement can affect the amount payable and a student's future access to subsidised training. PTG confirms the applicable funding arrangement before enrolment. PTG does not charge funded students for credit transfer or qualifying transitional gap training where the current funding rules prohibit those charges.
Queensland Career Start informationAMPA and external maritime costs are shown separately.
Some PTG maritime pathways include or offer an AMSA Mandated Practical Assessment (AMPA) as a separate service.
Where an AMPA fee applies, the current amount and payment terms are displayed in the relevant Course Details and enrolment documentation before payment. Students should rely on the course-specific written information supplied for their enrolment.
The PTG AMPA fee is separate from fees charged by AMSA or other external organisations. The applicable PTG AMPA fee must be paid before participating in the booked AMPA. Payment does not guarantee a satisfactory AMPA outcome, an Interim Certificate of Competency, or issue of an AMSA Certificate of Competency.
Course-specific AMPA fee disclosed before payment.
AMSA application fees are external to PTG.
Eligibility requirements still apply.
No certification outcome is guaranteed by payment.
Any cancellation, transfer or refund condition applying to an AMPA is disclosed in the course-specific written terms before payment. Those terms remain subject to rights and remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Course fees and external costs.
Inclusions and exclusions vary by training product. Your Course Details page identifies the items relevant to your enrolment.
Your PTG course fee may include
- Online learning and learner resources.
- Scheduled training and assessment.
- Use of PTG facilities, vessels and training equipment where relevant.
- Reasonable further training or reassessment opportunities where included in the course arrangement.
- Issue of applicable AQF certification documentation after successful completion and satisfaction of required conditions.
External costs may include
- AMSA application and regulatory fees.
- Medical or eyesight assessment costs.
- Marine-radio certification or examination fees where not included.
- Identity documents, photographs or third-party verification costs.
- Travel, accommodation and meals.
- Personal clothing, PPE or equipment identified as a student responsibility.
- Other charges imposed directly by an external organisation.
Refunds depend on when and why training ends.
Refunds are assessed under PTG's current Fees, Charges and Refund Policy and the written terms applicable to the student's enrolment. The summary below explains the general position.
Student withdrawal
PTG refunds fees paid for services not provided, less any administration or enrolment amount that was clearly disclosed before enrolment, reflects reasonable costs already incurred and is lawfully payable.
Any refund is calculated having regard to the part of the service already delivered, amounts properly payable under the disclosed enrolment terms and Australian Consumer Law.
PTG may consider additional refund relief where documented compassionate or compelling circumstances apply, consistent with the enrolment terms, funding rules and consumer law.
Government-funded students
If a funded enrolment is cancelled before training has commenced, PTG provides a full refund of the co-contribution fee paid for that enrolment.
If a student withdraws from a unit of competency or module after training has commenced, PTG provides the proportionate refund required by the current funding rules.
Approved refunds are returned to the original payer, such as the student or sponsoring party, unless another lawful written arrangement applies.
Your undelivered training is protected.
If PTG cancels or is unable to provide training or assessment for which a student has paid, PTG will provide an appropriate remedy in accordance with the applicable terms. This may include a refund for undelivered services or transfer to an equivalent available course or service at no additional cost.
Withdrawal, refund and transfer requests.
Contact PTG as early as possible when your circumstances change. Written requests create a clear record and allow the correct fee position to be assessed.
Submit the request
Refund and withdrawal requests should be submitted in writing. Include your full name, contact details, enrolled course and the reason for the request. Supporting documents may be requested where relevant.
PTG reviews the circumstances
PTG considers the timing of withdrawal, training and assessment already provided, payments already made, the applicable fee schedule, and any supporting circumstances.
Outcome provided
PTG aims to determine a complete refund request within 20 working days. If more time is reasonably required, PTG will advise the applicant. Approved refunds are returned to the original payer unless another lawful arrangement is agreed.
Complaints and appeals remain available
A student who disagrees with a refund or administrative decision may use PTG's complaints and appeals process as set out in the Student Handbook.
Tell us before the scheduled training date.
PTG generally asks students to submit a transfer or practical-date change request in writing at least 7 business days before the scheduled training. A first transfer may be permitted without an administration charge where PTG confirms this in the applicable enrolment terms. Availability, prerequisites, sequencing, funding rules and any fee difference still apply.
Additional transfers, late changes, extensions or re-enrolment may attract an administration or cost-recovery charge. Where a charge applies, PTG will disclose the amount or basis of the charge before the student agrees to the changed arrangement.
The $1,500 threshold.
The 2025 Compliance Standards contain specific protections when an RTO or third party receives more than $1,500 in prepaid fees from or on behalf of an individual for the same VET course.
PTG's ordinary fee-for-service payment structure is designed so that an individual student is not required to prepay more than $1,500 for training and assessment services that have not yet been delivered, unless an applicable compliant fee-protection arrangement is in place.
The threshold concerns prepaid fees for services not yet delivered.
Multiple smaller prepayments for the same VET course are considered together.
Where protection is required, PTG must use a measure permitted by the 2025 Compliance Requirements.
How payments can be made
PTG accepts payment by EFT, credit card and approved employer invoice arrangements. Payment instructions are supplied with the relevant invoice or enrolment information.
When an agreed payment is not made
Students and sponsoring parties are responsible for paying agreed fees by the required due dates. Where fees become overdue, PTG may pause access to future scheduled training or practical activities until an appropriate payment arrangement is resolved.
Certification and outstanding fees
For fee-for-service enrolments, AQF certification documentation is issued after the applicable assessment and completion requirements have been met and all agreed fees associated with the training product have been paid. For Queensland Government funded training, once PTG has claimed government payment for the relevant units, PTG will not withhold results, a Statement of Attainment or a qualification because of unpaid fees.
Where the applicable conditions are met, including completion or withdrawal as relevant, USI requirements and payment conditions, PTG issues the appropriate AQF certification documentation within 30 calendar days from completion of the assessment. The Queensland funded-training exception for unpaid fees described above continues to apply.
Your statutory rights continue to apply.
PTG's payment, cancellation and refund terms do not exclude, restrict or modify rights that cannot lawfully be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law or other applicable legislation. Where a statutory cooling-off or other consumer right applies to a particular transaction, that right is not displaced by this policy.
Check these five things.
If any of the information below is unclear, contact PTG before making a payment or completing your enrolment.
Confirm the exact fee for the training product and delivery arrangement.
Know the initial payment, future due dates and any approved payment plan.
Check resources, practical training, assessment and other included services.
Identify external, regulatory, travel, equipment or other student-paid costs.
Understand what happens financially if your circumstances change.
Documents and information to review.
Student Handbook
Full information about fees, refunds, transfers, complaints and student responsibilities.
Open handbook Course-specific feesCourse information
Check current course fees, inclusions, exclusions, delivery and enrolment requirements.
View courses Queensland GovernmentCareer Start
Independent information about Queensland Government subsidised training and eligibility.
View Career Start National VET regulator2025 Standards for RTOs
Information about the Standards applying to ASQA-regulated registered training organisations.
Visit ASQATalk with Paradigm before you pay.
We can explain the fee schedule for your course, funding arrangement, payment plan, invoice, withdrawal or refund request.
Paradigm Training Group | RTO 41059 | General payment terms summary. Course-specific written information provided before enrolment and payment applies to each individual enrolment. Last reviewed: September 2026.