AGED CARE COURSE MELBOURNE

Skills Training College’s aged care program takes at least three weeks to complete. The exact time to complete the course depends on a student’s own skill level and commitment to completing their at home theoretical study and work placements.

The classroom based training consists of a minimum of 15 sessions. Training is full time, starting at 9am and running until 5pm each day, for three weeks. The self-paced, theoretical knowledge study takes approximately 30-60 hours, depending on the student’s own outputs. Students must also complete a minimum of 120 hours of supervised work placement in their own time.

Certainly. To work in aged care in Australia, a Certificate III in Individual Support, especially through the aged care elective stream, is essential. This ensures that students are well-equipped to work effectively in the aged care industry.

While providing personal care to a family member is possible without certification, it’s not recommended. Without completing the course, caregivers may lack a full understanding of requirements, safe work practices, and legal responsibilities.

No. While a portion of this course must be completed online in students’ own time, working in aged care requires skills sets which can only be achieved through practical training. As such there is no online training or distance learning available for aged care courses.

Necessary skills include practical training in infection prevention and control policies and the ability to assist clients with taking their medication, among others.

Yes. On an emotional level aged care work involves caring for patients with unique, challenging, or confronting needs. However, for a compassionate and motivated person whose heart is in the right place, the career outcomes can be just as rewarding.

Aged care workers face difficult situations no matter their specialty as they provide direct client care to people facing some of life’s most confronting challenges. Palliative care workers are constantly exposed to death as they make people comfortable at the end of their lives, and provide grief and loss support to both patients and their loved ones.

How easy it is to find work, work placement, or volunteer opportunities in ageing support depends on where you want to go in your career. Searching online is an easy way to find aged care residences, hospices, retirement villages, and other aged care facilities. Locations such as these often have volunteers in high demand, providing an easy first step into community services.

The facility in which you perform your practical placement may allow you to stay on as a volunteer. They may even be one of your potential future employers. If you’re struggling to find aged care work, or a location to perform your work placement’s hours, your trainer may be able to point you in the right direction.

Yes, work placement is integral to a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing). A simulated workplace environment can’t substitute real workplaces in ensuring you’ve embodied the care outcomes of an aged care course.

If you’d like to do more than just provide ageing support to people in need, you can expand your specialty by undertaking further study to advance your career. Healthcare requires a diverse range of skill sets, and the best opportunities for further studies include some of the following:

• Disability courses. Disability support is an alternative elective stream to aged care and provides an alternative community care career.

• Manual handling. Healthcare offered requires moving patients safely, a skills taught in a manual handling course.

• First aid. First aid provides a wide range of useful skills, notably CPR.

• A blue card. A working with children check is essential to expanding your healthcare career to work with children. Please note this course is not offered through Skills Training College.

• A Certificate IV is the next step after a Certificate III level, and there are many opportunities each instructing students with different health skills. Currently, Skills Training College does not offer any Certificate IV courses in healthcare.

A Certificate III can be tax deductible if you already work with elderly people in a position where self-education can be considered either upskilling or maintaining your position. In these instances, your course expenses are tax deductible. Check with an accountant or tax specialist for more information.

This certification can also be paid for through government subsidised training.

You’ll be required to attend a minimum of 5 in-person, practical workshops throughout the duration of your course.