Renewal of Registration 28 August 2024

Provider: Polytechnic Institute Australia Pty Ltd

Renewal of registration

Report on renewal of registration of Polytechnic Institute Australia Pty Ltd

On 28 August 2024, TEQSA:

  • renewed, under section 36 of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 (TEQSA Act), the registration of Polytechnic Institute Australia Pty Ltd as an Institute of Higher Education, for a period of 7 years until 28 August 2031
  • renewed, under section 56 of the TEQSA Act, the accreditation of the Bachelor of Business (Accounting), Bachelor of Business (Marketing), and Diploma of Business courses, for a period of 7 years until 28 August 2031
  • renewed, under section 10E of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act), the application by Polytechnic Institute Australia Pty Ltd for renewal of registration on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS), for a period of 7 years until 28 August 2031 in order to align with its TEQSA registration
  • imposed, under section 32 of the TEQSA Act, the following condition on the registration of Polytechnic Institute Australia Pty Ltd:

Condition 1.

  1. By 31 December 2024, PIA must engage a suitably qualified independent reviewer or reviewers to undertake a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of PIA's oversight and management of risks to its higher education operations. The reviewer/s should have particular regard to the effectiveness of:
    1. the governing board's oversight of, and processes for monitoring performance and managing risk; and
    2. PIA's organisational management, delegated decision making and academic administrative processes.

      The reviewer/s and the scope of review must be approved by TEQSA, and the review, in addressing the above, must consider, but is not limited to, the concerns outlined in the assessment report relating to the effectiveness of PIA's: agent management; student admission processes; performance monitoring and evaluation of student outcomes and student attrition rates; student support structures; and academic governance, scholarship, and course design and review processes.

  2. By 31 August 2025, PIA must provide TEQSA with:
    1. A copy of the completed review report.
    2. Evidence of PIA's governing body has considered the review; including any action plans to address or implement recommendations from the review.
    3. Evidence of progress towards implementing any agreed actions arising from the review.
  3. By 31 August 2026, PIA must provide TEQSA with:
    1. Evidence that PIA's governing body has reviewed the implementation of any actions arising from the comprehensive review, and the effectiveness of these actions in addressing any identified issues.
    2. Evidence that PIA's governing body has used the review of the effectiveness of their actions to embed continuous improvements into their routine corporate and academic governance processes.

The condition will cease to be in effect upon completion of all of the above actions.

Main reasons for the decision

TEQSA made these decisions in light of risks that Polytechnic Institute Australia Pty Ltd may not meet, or continue to meet, the following provisions of the Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021:

  1. Corporate monitoring and accountability (Standard 6.2.1): PIA has not demonstrated that its corporate and academic governing bodies assures themselves that PIA is identifying and managing risks to its higher education operations effectively including with regard to its risk management oversight and monitoring accountable bodies with delegated responsibilities for managing risk, student attrition rates, agent management, and student admission and support.
  2. Scholarship (Standard 3.2.3 and Criterion B1.1.2): PIA has not demonstrated that it has meaningfully implemented measures that ensures its academic staff continue to engage in, or be informed by, scholarship.
  3. Monitoring, review and improvement (Section 5.3): PIA has not demonstrated that reviews of its courses involve adequate oversight by the institutional academic governance processes. The lack of evidence of regular benchmarking, external referencing, and using student feedback for improvements and risk mitigation indicates deficiencies in PIA's course review processes.

Application to withdraw conditions

In accordance with section 32 of the TEQSA Act, TEQSA may vary or revoke a condition imposed on the registration of a higher education provider, either on its own initiative, or upon application by the provider for variation or revocation.