FORMER South West TAFE executive manager, Maurice Molan has been ordered to stand trial over an alleged massive education scam.

Years after initially being investigated over patterns of questionable behaviour, Mr Molan has been ordered to front court, along with three others, who face a combined 55 charges.

The charges include conspiracy to defraud, obtaining financial advantage by deception, using and supplying identification information, misconduct in public office, and unauthorised modification of data.

Mr Molan is alleged to have aided his unqualified friend, Ms Rebecca Taylor, to defraud taxpayers of $1.8 million to deliver a bogus engineering course through her company, Taytell from as far back as 2013.

South West TAFE has five key campuses across the south-west region; Hamilton, Portland, Warrnambool, Colac and Sherwood Park (also Warrnambool).

South West TAFE also offers Vocational Educational Training through regional secondary schools and modules through regional adult learning centres.

Victoria's corruption watchdog, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), charged the four people in 2020 as part of Operation Lansdowne.

IBAC alleged the multi-million-dollar training scam exploited supervision failings at South West TAFE.

It is alleged that South West TAFE's then chief executive, Peter Heilbuth, admitted to approving Ms Taylor's contract without knowledge of Taytell, and that he left the responsibility to Mr Molan.

IBAC revealed in 2017 that a total of $2 million was scammed from the State Government under subcontracting arrangements with two TAFEs for training that allegedly never took place at South West TAFE and Bendigo Kangan Institute of TAFE.

Ms Taylor’s daughter, Ms Heather Snelleksz, and associate Nicola Clifford, have also allegedly been implicated in the scam and will face the Melbourne County Court on May 6 for a directions hearing.