Age Requirements and Younger Students

Why the rules differ

Overseas students. ALIT does not enrol overseas students under 18 in any course. Taking
responsibility for the welfare of an overseas student under 18 carries significant obligations —
approved accommodation and welfare arrangements, Working with Children clearances, supervision and continuous
monitoring. We made a considered decision not to take that on rather than do it partially.

Licensed courses. Several of our courses lead to a licence the authority will only grant to
applicants aged 18 or over — a Victorian security licence, for example. An under-18 student could
complete the training and still be unable to work in the field, so we do not enrol them.

Short, non-licensed courses. First Aid, CPR and similar courses carry none of those constraints and
are commonly completed by younger people through schools and employers. We accept students under 18 in these
courses with written consent from a parent or guardian, and with the child-safe arrangements described
below.

How we make sure this holds in practice

• Age verification at admission — every applicant’s date of birth is verified against
  certified identity documents during enrolment assessment.
• An enrolment screening checkpoint — any applicant who would be under 18 at their proposed
  start date is flagged against the minimum age for that course, and either progressed with consent,
  declined, or deferred until they turn 18, with the reason recorded.
• Written parental or guardian consent is obtained before any student under 18 is enrolled in a
  course that accepts them.
• Education agents are instructed in writing not to recruit or submit under-18 applicants for
  CRICOS or licensed courses.

If you are under 18 now but will turn 18 before a course start date, you are welcome to apply for that
intake. Talk to us at admission@alit.edu.au and we will help you
find the right one.

Our child safety commitment

Where any person under 18 is enrolled with ALIT, or has contact with us as a visitor, at a workplace where
our students are on placement, or in the community, we take a zero-tolerance approach to child abuse
and are committed to the safety, wellbeing and best interests of children and young people.

• Staff and contractors who work with students under 18 hold a current Working with Children Check
  or equivalent screening before commencing that work.
• Staff are trained to recognise indicators of abuse, neglect or exploitation and to respond appropriately
  to a disclosure.
• Mandatory reporting obligations are followed — where a staff member forms a reasonable belief that
  a child is being abused, a report is made to the relevant child-protection authority within the required
  timeframe.
• Reasonable privacy is maintained for everyone involved, consistent with the primacy of the child’s
  safety.

If you have a concern about a young person

Contact ALIT immediately on (03) 9917 5018. If a child is in immediate
danger, call 000. In Victoria you can also contact the Child Protection Crisis Line on
13 12 78, 24 hours.

If our position changes

The position on overseas students under 18 is a current operational decision, not a permanent exclusion. If
ALIT decides in future to enrol overseas students under 18, a full policy must be approved before any such
enrolment proceeds — covering approved welfare and accommodation arrangements, Working with Children
Checks, age-appropriate orientation and support, ongoing welfare monitoring, and child-safe practices. This
page would be updated at that time.