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Study a qualification that open doors to a range of job opportunities in the direct care industry, whilst giving back to the community. This formal qualification provides the skills and knowledge to empower people with disability to achieve greater levels of independence.
This qualification builds on the skills and knowledge you would have gained in Certificate III in Individual Support or Certificate III in Disability.
Want to find out more about this industry?
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Good news!
This course is going to transition to a new training package in 2023. This means that students starting in 2023 will transfer during their study to new units developed to meet current and future industry needs.
- working effectively in the direct care industry and caring for people with disability
- enabling clients to maintain independence
- safety procedures and ethical behaviour
- infection control practices
- working with cultural diversity
- workplace health and safety
- using augmentative and alternative communication strategies
In order to make an informed choice about the suitability of this course, you must take into account the essential skills and knowledge required to undertake this study.
- excellent observational skills - to be able to identify changes in behaviour, abilities and environment
- good communication skills to liaise/work with a range of people
- good listening and writing skills
- be able to deal with physical demands of manual tasks including personal care work and lifting
- basic problem solving skills and the ability to respond to immediate safety risks
- Tolerance, patience and the willingness to work with people from different backgrounds and cultures
Have you got what it takes to be successful in this career? Our Core Skills guide lists the skills and attributes necessary to study and work in this field.
This qualification is directly aligned with priority industry areas where the jobs are today, and into the future. As part of the state government Lower fees, local skills initiative, from 1 January 2020 through to 31 December 2025 you'll only pay half the course fees, capped for each year at $1,200; or $400 (plus resource fee) if you're aged 15—24 or eligible for a concession. Find out more
| School Leaver | Non-School Leaver | AQF |
|---|---|---|
| C Grades in Year 11 WACE General English, and OLNA; or NAPLAN 9 Band 8 | C Grades in Year 11 English and Maths or equivalent | Certificate II or Certificate III |
Please note that this course is currently only available to students who are working in the industry.
- Applicants must have completed a Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability) and be over 18 years old
New students who have not studied the Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability) must apply instead for the lower level qualification due to pre-requisite skills/knowledge requirements. Students that have already completed Certificate III in Individual Support (Disability) are eligible to apply for a credit transfer to reduce the study load and overall course cost.
This course is available as a traineeship.
Entrance requirements for traineeships
You must be employed in a training contract by an appropriate organisation to study an apprenticeship or traineeship.
In a traineeship you also gain hands-on skills and work experience, and improve your employment prospects, while earning a wage. On successful completion you will gain a nationally recognised qualification which can lead to rewarding career options. The difference between a traineeship and an apprenticeship is that a traineeship can be either a full time or part time employment based training arrangement, usually for a nominal duration of 12 months or more, generally in a non-trade related area.
To find out how to arrange a traineeship and study at South Metropolitan TAFE, please contact the Jobs and Skills Centre closest to you.
Online study
Students completing the online study option will complete two units at a time, with progress monitored by their lecturer. This can be done at a pace suitable to you but for each group of units you have 4 months to complete, so we recommend you use our schedule provided to you at enrolment to assist you in avoiding having to re-enrol in the unit.
Students must be able to demonstrate practical skills to achieve this qualification when studying fully online. Lecturers may arrange sessions for students that wish to access face to face support.
You will need to have the basic technical requirements for at-home study. If you don’t have access to a computer and WiFi at home, we recommend using our library computers during library hours.
The nature of online study can involve a significant investment of time and the ability to be a focused, self-motivated learner. You should consider your personal circumstances and past study history before committing to study online. Find out more in our online study info pack below.
Online study info pack (334 KB) (PDF document - opens in a new tab)
Work placement
120 hours of work placement is mandatory for completion of this course. Full-time students who are not in suitable employment will need to complete an equivalent work placement. This will be arranged by SM TAFE.
Your work placement requires you to be available to attend during weekdays and you may need to rearrange personal or work commitments to be able to attend.
To work in the industry, an NDIS clearance is required at an additional cost of $11.00. SM TAFE will support you in applying for your clearance in-class before you graduate.
You may be required to obtain a Working With Children Check and National Police Clearance prior to a supervised work placement. This will depend on the organisation you are placed with.
For more information visit:
https://workingwithchildren.wa.gov.au(opens in a new tab)
https://www.police.wa.gov.au/Police-Direct/National-Police-Certificates(opens in a new tab)
Vaccination requirements
This course requires you to undertake a mandatory work placement with an employer associated with an industry outlined in the COVID-19 mandatory vaccination policy. This means that you must be triple dose vaccinated prior to your work placement. For the latest information on vaccine requirements for students visit our COVID-19 update page.
Please note this list should be used as a guide only as job titles and qualification requirements may vary between organisations.
SM TAFE actively promotes the employment availability of course graduates to key industry partners and organisations. We also seek expressions of interest from organisations for the placement of our students into work experience. In addition, this course involves work placement, giving you further opportunity to develop relationships with potential employers. We endeavour to assist students into a career pathway, but please be aware that employment is not guaranteed by us.
To access free career planning and job search assistance, visit the Jobs and Skills Centres page.
Select your preferred campus and apply
Click on your preferred campus and study mode below to get started with your application.
All year round
eCampus - Online
| Duration | 1 Semester |
| When | All year round |
| Where | eCampus |
| How | Online |
Traineeship
| When | All year round |
| How | Traineeship |
Indicative fees and charges
The fees quoted are estimates only and are for all units in the course for students enrolling on a full-time basis. If you're a student that has successfully completed a lower-level qualification that is a prerequisite for this course, you'll only pay for the units that you need to enrol in to complete this course. Please view the full list of fee disclaimers.