Vocational training rort duo Rebecca Taylor and Heather Snelleksz front County Court

A sneaky mother and daughter duo referred to unwitting students as “sasuages” as they fleeced Victoria taxpayers out of $2.2m in a sham education con job.

The mother and daughter fraudsters were brought undone after an investigations

A pair of mother and daughter con artists pocketed more than $2m in an education rort where they referred to students as “sausages”.

Rebecca Taylor and daughter Heather Snelleksz, who ran training company TayTell, fessed up to their rort in the County Court on Thursday to two charges of obtaining a financial advantage by deception and will be sentenced on December 4.

Taylor, 56, who owns TayTell, received $2.2m from the Department of Education and Training but students enrolled in the Certificate IV in Engineering at South West TAFE in Warrnambool and Bendigo Kangan TAFE said they had only received a few hours of instruction, far short of the 1400 hours required to qualify.

The claims began in late 2013 and continued into 2014. The commission began to investigate the matter in late 2015, after a referral by the Victorian Ombudsman.

They enrolled family members in the course as well as those who were not eligible for public funding. TayTell submitted enrolments that incorrectly recorded a group of prospective students as Jetstar employees, including false Jetstar email addresses, and referred to students as “sausages” in coded messages.

TayTell submitted enrolments that incorrectly recorded a group of prospective students as Jetstar employees.

In one case, Taylor’s brother-in-law discovered he had been enrolled in a course as an employee of utility company Zinfra, despite him working at a lavender farm.

The Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission launched Operation Landsdowne which investigated serious suspected corruption in a range of public institutions, including South West TAFE, Bendigo Kangan TAFE, V/Line, as well as several companies.

Former TAFE executive Maurice Molan was fined $2500 by the County Court in September after pleading guilty to one charge of misconduct in public office.

In 2013, Molan engaged TayTell and Taylor to provide third-party training at South West TAFE in Warrnambool for a Certificate IV in engineering.

He entered her into the TAFE’s database as having appropriate qualifications to teach the course, despite not having information to suggest she possessed the minimum certification.

Rebecca Taylor and Heather Snelleksz referred to students as “sausages” in coded messages.

During a plea hearing in court on Thursday, prosecutor Holly Baxter said the offending was a fraud on Victorians who paid tax.

She said the deception came to light after Taylor was “caught out” rather than by the latter’s own admission.

Taylor’s family home and vehicle were forfeited and her family relocated to Queensland during legal proceedings.

Her lawyer Diana Price said in a letter to court, Taylor publicly took responsibility for her actions and prioritised her family by pleading guilty to the charges.

Taylor described her actions as “reckless and selfish” and that she didn’t take into account the damage her conduct would have on family and friends.

She said she has no explanation for a lack of judgment and that her actions were out of character.

Ms Price said despite dropping out of school at the age of 16, Taylor had the gumption and drive to re-enrol and went on to achieve qualifications in business and administration.

Snelleksz’s lawyer Ffyona Livingstone-Clark told the court legal proceedings have had an adverse effect on her client and have limited her capacity for personal growth.

She submitted community work and supervision would be the most appropriate outcome, given Snelleksz’s culpability was lower than her mum’s.