Penalties for dodgy training providers

Dodgy training providers may be slapped with potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines under a new penalty regime.

From Friday, registered training organisations face fines if they fail to provide clear information to prospective students about the course they're signing up for, where they'll be studying and how long the course will take, among other details.

Penalties range from a couple of thousand dollars to $10,000 for a single breach by organisations marketing Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses.

For multiple breaches there is the potential for the ultimate fine to be hundreds of thousands of dollars, assistant minister for education Simon Birmingham said in a statement on Thursday.