Basics of the study program
On July 1, 2015, the Adult Education Act came into force, which requires the submission of a business activity registration notice for operating as an adult education institution.
Adult Education Institution’s legal name: SMARTFUL Growth OÜ
Registration code of the Adult Education Institution: 14903024
Business activity registration notice number: 215826 (since 06.05.2020)
Curricula registered with the business activity registration notice: philosophy and ethics, personal development, management and administration, psychology, social work and counseling, marketing and advertising, practical skills, occupational health and safety
1. General provisions
1.1. SMARTFUL Growth (hereinafter referred to as Smartful) organizes continuing education programs aimed at adults.
1.2. Smartful operates following the Adult Education Act, the quality assurance guidelines for adult continuing education institutions, the guidelines for developing continuing education curricula, the continuing education standard, and the operational principles established by the company.
1.3. Training sessions take place in suitable classrooms. In-house training is conducted either at the premises provided by the commissioning party or in rented facilities.
1.4. Training volume is measured in academic hours, where one academic hour is 45 minutes.
1.5. Training primarily takes place in groups. For individual learning, training is conducted based on an individual curriculum tailored to the learner’s needs.
1.6. Instruction is provided in Estonian, English, or Russian.
1.7. Smartful is not responsible for the health condition of the participants or any potential injuries during the training.
2. Admission, registration for training, and group composition
2.1. Registration for training
2.1.1. Registration for public training must be completed in advance. Registrations can be made via Smartful’s website, email, or phone. All registered individuals will receive a confirmation of their registration via email.
2.1.2. Registration for public training is simultaneously treated as confirmation of invoice payment. Generally, Smartful will send an invoice to registered individuals after registration. For large-scale training programs, a payment schedule can also be arranged.
2.1.3. Learners have the right to request additional information via the email address indicated on Smartful’s website (info@smartful.ee). Registrations for training available in the Unemployment Insurance Fund portal can be made directly through that portal.
2.1.4. For in-house training, the registration is organized by the training client, i.e., the employer providing the training. Smartful has a legitimate interest in collecting the personal data of all participating trainees during the registration process to fulfill legal obligations.
2.2. Composition of the learning group
2.2.1. The learning group is formed based on the order of registration for public training. The sizes of the learning groups vary and depend on the continuing education program.
2.2.2. A list of learners enrolled for the training is prepared to commence the training. Before each training session, Smartful will send registered individuals more detailed information about the organizational aspects of the training (for example, exact location, access to the training venue, parking options, information about breaks, lunch, etc.).
2.2.3. Smartful reserves the right to make changes to the planned schedule of public training sessions. Registered participants will be notified of changes immediately.
2.2.4. Smartful has the right to cancel or postpone training if there are not enough participants to form a viable group. Registered individuals will be informed by phone or email of the cancellation or postponement of training, at least one day in advance. In the event of cancellation, the training fee will be fully refunded or transferred to another training of the participant’s choosing.
3. Commencement of training and participation in training
3.1. Participants who have been accepted into the training group by Smartful and have paid the tuition fee may begin learning in public training sessions. By agreement with the training company, the payment of the tuition fee may also be made based on a payment schedule or after participating in the training.
3.2. Participation in the training is confirmed by the participant’s signature on the training registration form.
3.3. For public training sessions, participants will be contacted one week before the training to confirm their attendance. Upon confirmation, an invoice for the training will be sent to the registered participant. The invoice must be paid no later than two days before the start of the training.
3.4. No less than one working day before the start of the training, organizational information regarding the training (schedule, exact address, parking, catering, etc.) will be sent to the participants via email.
3.5. If more individuals wish to participate than there are planned spots, they will have the option to register on a waiting list or for the next training.
3.6. For in-house training, the training client will decide on the participants or compile the list of attendees.
4. Establishing tuition fees, payment, and refund procedures
4.1. The amount of tuition for public training is set by Smartful and published on its website alongside the respective training description. For in-house training, the price is determined through a confidential price quotation that is not shared with other parties.
4.2. The tuition limits for public training organized by the training company are set individually for each session. The tuition fee will not be increased during the training but may be reduced as part of promotional offers.
4.3. When considering discounts related to the tuition fee, factors such as the number of individuals registered for the courses, completion of previously organized training by Smartful, and client benefits may be taken into account.
4.4. Payment for training is made via bank transfer based on the issued invoice according to the invoice’s due date. The invoice will be sent via email.
4.5. Payment for training can also be made in installments based on a payment schedule if a separate written agreement is made with the payer. The training company reserves the right to refuse the option for installment payments.
4.6. The price of training includes classroom instruction and usually also includes learning materials and a certificate unless otherwise stated for the training. The availability of lunch and coffee breaks for public training depends on the specific training, with more specific information provided for each training session. For in-house training sessions, lunch and coffee breaks are not included in the price and will be organized by the training client unless otherwise agreed.
4.7. Please note that Smartful operates on a four-day work week, and Fridays are not considered working days. Working days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
4.8. If a registered individual can’t participate in the training, Smartful must be notified in writing no later than four working days before the training begins. If notified in time, 100% of the training fee will be refunded.
4.9. If cancellation occurs 2-3 working days before the training starts, 50% of the paid amount will be refunded. If the invoice issued at the time of cancellation has not been paid, 50% of the invoice amount will be due.
4.10 If the client cancels the training 1 working day before the start of the training, cancels his/her participation in the training, or does not notify his/her non-participation at all (does not attend the training), the training fee already paid will not be refunded or the invoice issued will be 100% payable.
4.11 Withdrawal from and modification of in-house training courses will be subject to special arrangements. If the training company incurs additional costs in this respect (for example, but not limited to – time spent preparing for the training, cancellation of another training course requested for the same day, etc.), these are payable by the customer.
4.12 The amount paid for the DiSC profile is not refundable if the DiSC questionnaire for the creation of the DiSC profile has already been sent to the registrant by e-mail. In this case, a DiSC profile will be created for the enrollee and sent by e-mail, regardless of whether or not the enrollee participates in the training.
4.13 Smartful is liable to VAT and VAT will be added to the price of the services.
5. Termination of the training and withdrawal procedure
5.1 A learner will be admitted to training based on a personal or corporate training order.
5.2 A learner will be withdrawn from a public training group based on a written request or if the invoice submitted to the learner is unpaid two days before the start of the training. To cancel the registration, a written request must be sent by e-mail to info@smartful.ee.
5.3 The training company has the right to exclude a participant from a study group if the participant behaves in an inappropriate manner and/or disturbs or endangers other learners or the trainer. A participant who is excluded from a study group for the reasons mentioned in this point will not be refunded the tuition fee for public training and, in the case of in-house training, no settlement will be made per participant.
5.4 Depending on the curriculum, to receive a certificate, the learner must attend at least 81-100% of the auditorium hours and successfully pass a test or any other graduation requirement specified in the curriculum.
5.5 Upon completion of between 51% and 80% of the training, a certificate of attendance for these hours may be obtained upon request.
5.6 In the event of the loss or destruction of a certificate, a duplicate certificate will be issued on request at a later date, for 5 euros (plus VAT).
6. Conditions and procedures for ensuring the quality of curricula
6.1 Curricula are drawn up based on the Adult Education Act, the Standards for Continuing Education, and the guidance material approved by the Ministry of Education and Research.
6.2 The curricula of the training courses provided by Smartful are published on the company’s website under the short description of the training course. The curricula are available to the learner on the company’s website from the opening of the training registration until the start of the training and for longer courses up to two days after the start of the training. During and after the training, the curricula for the specific training are available from the trainer.
6.3 The training company’s curriculum shall provide at least the following information:
- the name of the curriculum;
- the name of the curriculum;
- learning objective;
- learning outcomes;
- the basis on which the curriculum was drawn up;
- target group;
- the conditions of access to the studies, where these are a prerequisite for the achievement of the learning outcomes;
- the total volume of learning, including the proportion of classroom, practical, and independent work;
- the content of the course;
- description of the learning environment;
- learning method;
- a list of learning materials, where learning materials are prescribed for the program of study.
- graduation requirements and documents to be issued;
- a description of the qualifications, educational or professional experience required to undertake the training.
6.4 The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the specific target group, and each training course is practical, and designed to help the target group achieve the learning objectives and outcomes set.
6.5 Curricula are approved by the Smartful CEO. The curricula are regularly reviewed and updated to ensure that they comply with the formal requirements of the legislation, are fit for purpose, appropriate in terms of topics, volumes, and materials, and that they meet the needs of learners and employers.
6.6 Curricula for public training courses are published on the training company’s website under the relevant training information.
6.7 Curricula for in-house training courses are forwarded to the client together with a quotation. If necessary, changes to the training program will be made to the specific training needs of the client. The changes made will be confirmed by e-mail.
7. Conditions and procedures for ensuring the quality of trainers
7.1 Training courses shall be carried out by trainers who are recognized in their field and who possess both theoretical and practical professional competence. All the trainers involved by Smartful have a higher education (minimum of a bachelor’s degree, most have a master’s degree). All trainers have professional experience in the field they teach and, preferably, hold a qualification as an adult educator or have undergone training as a trainer. The competencies of all trainers will be assessed before the conclusion of training agreements.
7.2 All trainers will be contracted before the training, based on the training company’s internal quality criteria and data protection legislation.
7.3 The performance of the trainers will be evaluated after the training based on oral and written feedback from the participants. If necessary, suggestions for improvement will be made to the trainers and further training or mentoring will be offered. If necessary, the cooperation with the trainer will be terminated if the service provided does not meet the Smartful quality standard.
7.4 Trainers regularly undertake professional and training development. To maintain quality, internal training is also provided on an ongoing basis at Smartful to develop the competence of trainers.
7.5 Smartful shall not be liable for any damage to the participant or the client resulting from the trainer’s presentation skills.
8. Conditions and procedures for ensuring the quality of the learning environment
8.1 The teaching takes place in a learning environment adapted to group work and cooperative activities, where everything necessary for the training and participation is available. During the training, every effort shall be made to create a physical, social, and psychological environment that is as supportive as possible of adult learning.
8.2 People with special needs will be accommodated to the extent of their competence and ability. Please inform us of any special needs when registering for the training so that we can take them into account as far as possible in the planning and organization of the training.
8.3 For each training course, learning material is prepared in paper or electronic format. The materials are free of charge for all participants. In the case of training based on a DiSC profile, a separate fee is payable for the creation of a DiSC profile. The corresponding fee is indicated in the training information. Payment for the DiSC profile will be made based on the invoice provided.
8.4 The provision of coffee breaks and lunch varies from course to course. Details will be sent to participants by e-mail before the start of the training. In the case of in-house training, coffee breaks and lunches are subject to the agreement of the client.
8.5 Training group sizes will vary depending on the content of the training, but the aim is to ensure individual development of participants during the training and to maintain motivation to learn.
9. Procedures to ensure the quality of customer communications
9.1 Customer service is provided in Estonian or English.
9.2 Contact details for customer service are indicated on the Smartful website. We will normally respond as quickly as possible but within no more than 2 working days. Please note that Smartful operates on a Thursday working week basis and Fridays are not working days at Smartful. Therefore, at the end of the week, there may be a delay in responding. Working days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
9.3 In the event of any complaints or queries, please contact Smartful’s customer service.
9.4 All registrations for public training will be contacted individually before the start of the training to clarify the learning objectives and specific training needs. As far as possible, an effort will be made to select training groups based on similar learning needs. To identify internal training needs, a separate discussion with the training contractor will take place before the training. Smartful reserves the right to use a pre-training questionnaire to gather more specific training expectations from participants to provide in-house training.
9.5 All registrants for training will receive a minimum of one working day before the start of the training by e-mail the organizational information of the training (training schedule, exact address, parking, catering, etc.).
9.6 Learner data will be processed and stored in compliance with data protection requirements (see separate privacy policy).
10. Procedures for collecting feedback on in-service training
10.1 At the end of each training course, participants will fill in an anonymous feedback form, in which they will evaluate the content of the training, the trainer, and the organization of the training, and make suggestions for improving the training.
10.2 A summary of the feedback will be sent to the Smartful CEO and the trainer for conclusions. The Smartful CEO analyzes the feedback received and, if necessary, modifies the content of the training, improves the organization, or interviews the trainer for improvements. The trainer will be offered development opportunities and mentoring. If the feedback to the trainer is poor for several trainings in a row, the replacement of the trainer will be considered. Summaries of feedback from training sessions are kept to monitor the impact of suggestions for improvement.
11. Income tax refund on training costs paid
11.1 Income tax refunds on training costs for participants in adult continuing education courses and learners in recreational schools are governed by the Income Tax Act.
11.2 It is possible to receive an income tax refund on training expenses if the purpose of the training program is to achieve the vocational, occupational, or professional competence contained in the curriculum of the level of education or described in the professional standard, or to learn a language. If the curriculum does not have such an objective, no income tax refund is available for training costs.
Further information
E-mail address: info@smartful.ee
Telephone: +372 55617100