Hi IGS,
All courses are 'approved' in that a flying school may only teach courses to the flying school level they are approved. Basically that is PPL or PPL+NVFR or CPL or CPL+NVFR (can also add instructor &/or instrument rating)
Mandetory syllabus items are promulgated by CASA. A school then has to write a course around those items. There is plenty of scope for variations not only apart from these items but also in when or how they are taught.
We have 2 basic roads to a CPL: 150 hr course ie 150 hrs of training base around the Day VFR syllabus.
Alternatively, the 200 hr minimum CPL is also available. This includes any training & flying you have done and starts with an assessment flight which is used to determine your shortfalls in skill & experience. An individual syllabus is then written for you by the CFI & this becomes your course of training.
The road to a 150 or 200 CPL may or may not involve PPL, night VFR, Instrument or whatever. It depends on how that school's courses were structured.
Clear as, huh? But then that's how I feel about the UK system with its 1179's & perf A or C etc
