Australian Cruise Academy Scholarship Partners

---

"VOCATIONAL PLACEMENT" REGULATIONS UNDER AUSTRALIAN FAIR WORK LAWS:

Internships that are vocational in nature, assessed, supervised and are a learning experience, meet the definition of a "vocational placement" under the Fair Work Act. Therefore, it is a lawful unpaid learning experience whereby the student can apply the skills and knowledge from their training provider:

• ACA -  "Diploma of Travel and Tourism Management - Cruise Ship Operations" 
• UTAS - "Maritime Deck, Engineer, Integrated Rating"

to a professional workplace (onboard commercial ships - supervised by ship's officers.) 

These programs are acceptable internships as they are a legal and structured framework based on a course, which the students are completing for credit. 

 ACA cooperates with the Owners and crew of our host cruise ships to ensure that our internships meet all the requirements of the Fair Work Act.  All our associate cruise ships are foreign-registered. We can admit students from any nation to our Cruise Intern programs. Foreign students can visit Australia when in port with a  Marine Crew Visa but they must return to the ship when it leaves port. Australian students will need an Australian Passport with Marine Crew Visa to enrol and enable them to go ashore at foreign ports of call.

Students are under the supervision of an ACA Academy Master for the performance of the required training and logged industry experience as part of their internships. Students will work with ship's crew members for their regular cruise ship roster as part of their enrolment agreement with ACA Academy.  As part of their continuing accredited training for extension certificates, we have arranged for our students to undertake a normal ship's crew roster mentored by ship's crew members in their regular tasks as part of the student intern agreement. 

The Cruise Company agreement with ACA Academy provides considerably reduced Cruise Fares based on "evidence of need" to assist students with Academy Internship and accommodation fees. 

There is neither suggestion nor intent of offer of employment from either the Academy or the Cruise company in the enrolment agreement. However, this does not preclude either the Academy or the Cruise Company from such an offer.

PRE-ENTRY REQUIREMENTS  - Intern's responsibility to provide documented evidence of:

1. COVID-19 vaccination 
2. Cruise Travel Insurance including assurance of safe travel home
3. Australian Marine Crew Visa  -  (MCV) - a simple online application
4. Purchase of ACA ship intern uniform clothing as directed for the internship period
5. Ships are cash-free. Credit arrangements must be made for the ship's debit system.

INDUCTION TRAINING ON FIRST ENTRY TO SHIP: 

1. Academy Master - Allocation of berths,   intern team expectations, ACA deck duty rosters, Maintaining Intern's Log, settle in,
2. Introduction to the ship's Captain, officers, and mentor crew
3. Ships plan and walk the ship
4. Basic shipboard safety, life jacket drill, Muster stations, Ship fire control systems, Infection requirements, Crowd management, Guiding
5. ACA Trainer - Provide Advanced First Aid, (physical injury and mental health)

EXTENSION CERTIFICATES TRAINING: - 

As negotiated on enrolment OR as an extension of time onboard, there will be an opportunity to gain extra certificate level qualifications in maritime (EG Coxswain 1) to operate the smaller ship's boats for excursions, tours, and adventure activities guide. These units of competency will be from the Outdoor Recreation training package.

Tourism, Hospitality, and Care Services students will gain their industry experience under the general supervision of the Academy Master and their delegate crew member mentors They will participate in all activities associated with the hotel functions onboard the vessel. 

As a negotiated skills extension training, there will be an opportunity to gain extra certificate level qualifications in maritime (Coxswain 1) to operate the smaller ship's boats for excursions, tours, and adventure activities guide. These units of competency will be from the Outdoor Recreation training package.

ACA Academy provides essential University entry requirement English coaching. It is expected the student will gain a score of at least 6.5 on the IELTS test. The best way to learn English is to spend time with English-speaking people and to participate in English language reading and writing. A range of these opportunities will be available on the ships with language teachers and in communication with other students and the ship's passengers. ACA Academy expects all students to maintain a regular daily journal, in English, of relevant activities undertaken while onboard. This journal will be co-signed by the Principal and the Captain.

All students from Maritime training colleges (small boat Coxswain/Engine driver - - - > Advanced Diploma, Master Unlimited/Chief Engineer) are required to undertake quite extensive "Supervised Sea Time" to complete their qualifications. Most Maritime training Colleges provide a "Task Book" to be completed during their sea time as required coursework. Using a Supervised Task Book reduces the required Sea Time by 50%.  ACA Academy offers volunteer enrolled students Supervised Logbook Seatime scholarships for maritime students of other maritime colleges. 

ACA Academy student conditions apply for Lower level qualifications, both deck and Engineer (Cert 2 Coxswain ->12m TO Cert.4 Master/Engineer ->35m).  Seatime industry experience at these levels requires a wide range of activities onboard the ship. 

The ship's Captain may invite senior-level students to share accommodation in the officer's quarters.   (Diploma = Various Master/Mate roles, Engineer 3 /watchkeeper  OR   Advanced Diploma = Master Unrestricted, Engineer 1)

The Captain will delegate members of the ship's crew to supervise their industry task book requirements. and sign the log books after satisfactory completion.

It is well recognized by industry that documented evidence of real work experience beyond completion of certificates and diplomas is the real evidence of competency required by employers. ACA requires interns to maintain a personal log of all relevant experiences during their internships. This log is countersigned and attested to as true evidence of experience and forms part of the ACA Internship Parchment. For most students, this folder is of greater value than the qualifications parchment itself.

There are a range of scholarships available and are subject to an interview with the Principal. 

Potential interns are invited to contact the Principal by email, principal@acacollege.org.au using a job interview style application including their strengths and reasons for requesting consideration of a student scholarship placed on the Australian Cruise Academy ships. The dot point letter format is good. 

Put your best bid forward in your letter of application. Make it brief and to the point.

We admit both Australian and International students as "special persons" to our full range of internship programs. Enrolment can be accepted from students at Cert. 4 or Diploma level. Our focus is on Tourism, Hospitality, Care Services, and Maritime Seatime experience.

There is no limit to the time necessary to achieve the accreditation required competency in the tasks in the ACA student training programs. Competency is not a function of time on the task.

Internship scholarship can last as long as is required for the students to gain competency so long as students' contributions to scholarship continue. Parchments indicate assessed competency, not experience time on tasks. Students need signed log experience time to build the strength of their resumes.

As a condition to the intern scholarship, all students with the Academy will participate in the ship's operation. The general time expectation is a standard ship's watch working with and helping a crew mentor in their specific tasks.  This is a normal working week onboard a ship and times are noted as industry experience in student course reporting. 

ACA provides student work experience insurance for interns. Ordinary Cruise travel insurance should also be held by all interns.

There is no implied offer or expectation of future employment with either The Academy or Australian Pacific Cruise Lines.  However, this does not preclude such an offer from being made by either.

Academy Masters are responsible to both the Academy Principal and the Ship's Captain to provide management of the students and their relationship with the ship's crew and commercial passengers. Students are not permitted to enter Crew spaces or Passenger cabins except when they are under the mentoring supervision of a crew member. 

Students will wear ACA ship's student uniforms and name badges at all times when on rostered duty. 

Quality casual clothes and name badges must be worn in the ship's public spaces during student leisure time.

During student free time, students sharing a cabin are required to main the safety and cleanliness of their cabin and their personal bed space to the satisfaction of their academy masters. 

Rostered teams are also required to main the standards of the Academy space on the ships as required by their Academy masters.   The expectations are high.

All students, 18 years or older seeking a scholarship with Australian Cruise Academy,  are required to make an application for scholarship enrolment. A simple letter of application to the Principal,  in a format similar to a job application, identifying their training strengths and reasons why the internship scholarship is requested. These reasons should indicate a specific career future expectation.

Applications are accepted from both Australian and foreign students for entry at a study level supported by their previous experience and qualifications on the understanding that the scholarship is an accredited extension of their training programs and not a volunteer work situation. Student graduates at Cert. 4 or Diploma level can be admitted to an internship.

The ACA scholarship provides financial assistance. All students are expected to make a financial donation to the ACA DGR Scholarship fund that pays for their accommodation.  These contributions negotiated with the Principal are similar to onshore residential student boarding fees and emergency bond funds. They are an addition to their coursework fees.