Minimum age

You will need to be at least 18 years old.

If you are below 18 years of age, you might be considered if your 18th birthday is within 6 months of enrolment. You will not be able to commence work placement until you turn 18. 

Please note that specific requirements are applicable if you reside in WA and are below 18 years of age:

• Learners of compulsory school age including those who intend to replace their Year 12 studies with a VET course.
• Learners need to provide evidence of NOA from the department besides the Guardianship approval for enrolling in a VET course.

Open Colleges will not enrol compulsory school age learners from WA if they fail to meet the above requirements.

Education

You will need to have completed year 10, or equivalent. Equivalency can be demonstrated by one of the following:

• A qualification at Certificate II level or higher OR
• 2 years of industry experience in a role that requires the use of written documentation and communication.

English

This course involves reading and undertaking a range of written assessments, as well as engaging in online forums and discussions. Furthermore, the delivery mode relies on the extensive use of written communication. As such, entry to the course requires the successful completion of English to Year 10 level.

If you haven't successfully completed English at Year 10 level, you can demonstrate equivalency through one of the following:

• Successful completion of a Nationally Recognised Training qualification at Certificate II level or higher; or
• 2 years relevant industry experience in a role that requires the use of written documentation and communication

Open Colleges recognises that not all people are able to read, write and perform calculations to the same standard. See the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Considerations section for more information on tools, resources and support services provided to you by Open Colleges.

Computing

You will need access to a computer and the internet and have basic computing skills. Minimum specifications for your computer are:

All users:

• Microsoft Office 2010 or equivalent
• Broadband internet connection
• 2GB of RAM
• CD-ROM or DVD drive
• Adobe Reader XI or equivalent
• Adobe Flash Player 10 or higher.
• Access to printer and associated software
• Access to scanner and associated software
• Digital imaging software
• File compression software.

Windows users:

• Microsoft Windows 7 or higher (Windows 8 recommended)
• 1 Ghz or faster processer (2GHz recommended)

Mac OS users:

• Mac OSX v10.5 or higher (Mac OSX v10.6 recommended)
• 1 Ghz or faster processer (2GHz recommended)

Physical requirements

Learners will need to be reasonably physically fit as the role of an educator involves a variety of tasks that require a reasonable amount of physical activity, such as personal care of children, lifting and cleaning. Some lifting of children and equipment is required. Learners should be fit to undertake this manual lifting.

Learners undertaking unit HLTAID004 Provide first aid requires learners undertaking Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) continuously for a minimum of 2 minutes while kneeling on the floor.

Skills

To successfully complete this course, you will require basic computing skills. This includes:

• Creating, saving and editing Microsoft Office documents.
• Accessing and searching the internet.
• Downloading and saving documents from websites.
• Uploading documents through websites.
• Participating in online discussions.
• Compressing image files.
• Connecting digital cameras and downloading and storing images.

Audio visual requirements

• You will need access to software to view online videos and images. Software such as Adobe Reader, Windows Media Player, Windows Photo Viewer etc. are available as a free download from the internet. 
• You'll also need access to a digital video recording device and/or digital camera and associated software to save and upload video and image files to OpenSpace. Many mobile phones and smart phones include this technology. 

Additional

The unit 'HLTAID004 Provide an emergency response in an education and care' setting is contained within this course. However, Open Colleges only awards this unit via credit transfer. The unit must be undertaken by you with an external RTO at your own cost.

Credit transfer will only be granted if you provide either:

• a Statement of Attainment for HLTAID004 that was issued within the previous three years, OR
• a Testamur for a qualification that was issued within the previous three years, AND
• its transcript which shows the units HLTAID004

In addition, please be advised that your SoA or Testamur for HLTAID004 must not be more than three (3) years old at the date that you graduate from your Open Colleges course. If the SoA or Testamur presented is more than three years old at the date of graduation, you will be required to update your ‘First Aid’ training externally and present Open Colleges with an authenticated copy, in order for credit transfer of that unit to be approved and certification documentation issued.

Other technology requirements

• Office equipment and resources including telephone, photocopier, scanner and printer.

Language, Literacy and Numeracy

Our free online assessment tool can help give you an idea of the language, literacy and numeracy skills needed to study a VET course. This tool can also help you determine your learning level and help you plan your future studies. You can access the Language, Literacy and Numeracy tool here.