Certificate III in Individual Support

Overview

Make a positive difference to others with your career in Aged Care or Disability Work! Complete the new Certificate III in Individual Support, specialising in either Ageing or Disability, and become qualified with skills and experience to work in one of Australia's most rapidly growing work sectors.

You will find employment opportunities in the community, home, or residential care settings, where you will work as part of a team to provide person-centred care and facilitate the empowerment of people receiving support.

Your work may involve using discretion and judgement in relation to individual support as well as taking responsibility for your own outputs. As an employee you will have a range of factual, technical, and procedural knowledge, as well as theoretical knowledge of the concepts and practices required to provide person-centred support.

Delivery Methods

• Blended – Teaching and assessment will be conducted on-campus and online.
• Traineeship – Teaching and assessment will be required to be conducted as part of a traineeship
• Workplace/Blended Industry - A mix of on-campus and teaching/assessment conducted at your workplace and during timetabled sessions

Locations

• McKoy Street, Wodonga Vic (Main campus)

When You Can Enrol

• On-campus/blended- Apply via the ‘Apply now’ button. Note: If the course is not available for online application, register your details via the ‘Enquire Now’ form to be notified when future dates are scheduled.

• Workplace/blended industry for disability stream (Available to people employed minimum of 15 hours per week in industry) Note: If the course is not available for online application, register your details via the ‘Enquire Now’ form to be notified when future dates are scheduled.

• Traineeship: You will enrol with Wodonga TAFE as part of your traineeship with your employer. The Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) is your first point of contact

Duration

Ageing specialisation: Full-time 10 months | Disability specialisation: Full-time 12 months (incl end of year term break)

Schedule

Ageing specialisation

• Start February 2025, Wednesday & Thursday, 9:15am-3pm, on campus. Full-time 10 months.

Disability specialisation

• Start February, Tuesday & Thursday. 9.15am-3.30pm, on campus. Full-time 12 months.

Workplace/blended for disability industry:

• Start anytime, Wednesdays 4pm-8pm. Placement is completed in the workplace. Students must be working a minimum of 15 hours per week in industry. Full-time 12 months.

Traineeship delivery for both specialisations

• Traineeship - Individual training plans will be developed in consultation with your employer, as part of your traineeship.

Requirements

This course is delivered as a combination of course work, recognition of knowledge and skills demonstrated in the workplace, online learning, and weekly intensive workshops. There is an expectation that students complete up to 10 hours per week additional study in their own time.

Disability specialisation Practical classes will require closed in shoes, t-shirts, long pants to be worn, jewellery to be removed, and nails short.

Field Placement

Ageing specialisation

• Students must be a minimum of 17 years of age at the time of their first clinical placement.
• Prior to placement students are required to have a current National Police Records Check; applications are at student’s own cost and the price and process varies depending on the state they reside in. Students will also need to obtain a Victorian Working with Children’s Check and NDIS Worker Clearance Check depending on venue.
• Prior to placement students are required to show evidence of up-to-date immunisation status for the following: Fluvax and 3 x COVID vaccines, however this varies depending on the placement venue and their requirements. Immunisations and serology test may be required at student’s expense. Any concerns can be raised with the course coordinator.
• Students must complete a minimum of 120 hours of work placement. This will be undertaken in 1-week blocks, as negotiated with the course coordinator. Please consider whether you can undertake the placement component as it is a key requirement of the qualification. Work placement will be discussed in more depth at the interview stage and at the orientation session.

Disability specialisation

• A Working with Children Check (Victoria and New South Wales), and a NDIS Worker Clearance Check will be required to undertake your field placement for this course.
• Students must be a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of their first field placement.
• Students must complete a minimum of 120 hours of field education undertaken via 1-day per week placement starting Term 2 of your enrolment. Please consider whether you can undertake the placement component as it is a key requirement of the qualification. Field placement will be discussed in more depth at the interview stage and at the orientation session. Students who have worked or are working in the disability sector can discuss recognition of their skills and knowledge as part of their placement hours. The specific aims of the practical placements are to apply knowledge and skills learned during your studies in the workplace; make contact with employers and become familiar with employers’ expectations; increase your employment options and employability skills; and gain skills recognised by industry.

Assessment

The method of assessment varies and can include (but is not limited to):

• Observation in the workplace or simulated environment
• Written tasks, including quizzes
• Research tasks, including projects
• Portfolios
• Oral presentations
• Group work

Other Information

Regional Disability Worker Scholarships The Victorian Government is offering new scholarships to support students to complete their unpaid placements. Students studying in 2025 may be eligible for future rounds of the new Regional Disability Worker Scholarships. Payments of $3,500 are available to support student completing the Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability). Students with disability and from First Nations communities are encouraged to apply. To find out more, visit (www.dffh.vic.gov.au/regional-disability-worker-scholarships)

Skills developed

In addition to all core units completed as part of the qualification, students will also complete all units from their chosen specialisation (15 units in total as listed below).

Compulsory Units

Certification

By successfully completing this course and chosen specialisation you will receive a nationally recognised AQF qualification.

Fees

From 1 January 2019, Free TAFE for Priority Courses is a Victorian Government program that will pay your tuition fees to study in this selected course at Wodonga TAFE, if you’re eligible, subject to minimum numbers.

Government Funded $2,777.75 (Tuition $2,543.75, Materials $234.00)
Concession $742.75 (Tuition $508.75, Materials $234.00)
Fee For Service $4,859.00 (Tuition $4,625.00, Materials $234.00)

Fees Additional Information

Additional course costs that may apply
Please note depending on individual circumstance there may be additional costs that apply throughout the completion of your qualification. These will be discussed further with your Course Coordinator, and may include:
- First Aid certificate
- National Police Check, and Working With Children Check
- NDIS Worker Clearance Check
- Workwear requirements for applied learning and placement
- Vaccination requirements
- Travel to placement service providers.

The student tuition fees published are indicative only and can be subject to change given individual circumstances at the time of enrolment. Funding may be made available to eligible individuals by State and Commonwealth Governments. If funding is utilised, this may affect opportunities to access additional funding in the future. For more information see ‘Fee information and eligibility’ under the ’How to Apply’ tab on the Wodonga TAFE website.

Materials Fees

Material Fees include:
- Name badge
- Placement logbook
- Text book (Ageing specialisation ONLY)
- Placement uniform shirt (Ageing specialisation ONLY)

Please note Materials Fees differ for each specialisation:
- Disability specialisation $64
- Ageing specialisation $234

Careers

Depending on the specialisation completed, students may find career opportunities in roles such as: Senior Personal Care Assistant, Care Assistant, Accommodation Support Worker, Residential Support Worker, Community Access Coordinator, Community Care Worker, Community House Worker, Residential Care Worker, Food Services Deliverer, Transport Support Worker, In Home Respite Worker, Disability Service Officer, Care Worker, Client Assistant, School Support Officer (Disability), Family Support Worker, Care Service Employee, Planned Activity Assistant, Residential Aide, Field Officer (Community Services), Nurse’s Aide, Home Care Assistant.

Pathways

• There are many course pathways open to graduates to extend their career opportunities. This includes (but is not limited to) higher level studies in community services or health, and also specific qualifications such as Certificate IV in Community Services, Certificate IV in Leisure and Health, Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance, and Diploma of Nursing.
• Successful completion of Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability) CHC33021 is an entry requirement for the new Certificate IV in Disability CHC43121. Graduates may also consider upskilling options with short skillset courses to build their capacity to enter support coordination or team leader roles. Study pathways with Wodonga TAFE

How to apply

Note: Please take care to select the correct specialisation (Ageing OR Disability) when applying for this course. As highlighted throughout this course information, each specialisation has different course delivery schedules, units of study, and job outcomes.

Apply online now via the ‘Apply Now’ button. If the course is not available for online application, register your details via the ‘Enquire Now’ form to be notified when future dates are scheduled, or to chat to our friendly Customer Experience team.

Once you submit an application for this course you will receive a separate email from LLN Robot to complete both a Digital Assessment and a Learning, Reading, Writing, Oral and Numeracy Assessment (LLN Assessment) online.

Please check your junk mail if this does not come to your inbox. All students are asked to complete the Digital and LLN assessments to determine any support requirements and to ensure the course and mode of delivery is suitable for the student.

Please allow one hour to complete the Digital and LLN assessments. You will need a computer with speakers or headphones as there is an audio section in the LLN assessment.

Your LLN and Digital assessments will need to be completed one week after receiving it to progress your application to the next stage, or your application may be withdrawn due to inactivity.

If you are unable to access the LLN assessment or the Digital assessment links please contact our Customer Experience team as soon possible.

Note: Completion of the LLN and Digital assessments does not guarantee a place in the course at Wodonga TAFE. Numbers are limited and selected applicants will be contacted to attend an interview. If an applicant is not accepted into their preferred course they will be contacted and provided information on alternate pathways and/or courses.

For traineeship information and enrolments, [the Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) is your first point of contact] (https://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/about-aasn)

Please note: We reserve the right to close course intakes early. Many courses have limited places and high demand. Early applications are recommended. We reserve the right to cancel intakes and courses if there are insufficient student numbers.