Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) CHC33015

This course is perfect for people who want to start a career as a Support Worker. It's also beneficial for those already working in the area but need to formalise their qualifications in order to take the next step in their career.

If you are an existing worker or have experience in the related industry, please inform our enrolment consultants during your enrolment conversation. You may be eligible to enrol as an existing worker and complete your studies faster. Please note - limitations do apply.

During the course, you will learn:

• About the human body and how to support its healthy functioning.
• Important skills to comply with infection control.
• How to facilitate the empowerment of older people.
• How to work with diverse people
• Legal and ethical requirements for working in a care role
• The skills to meet personal client support needs.
• How to tailor support to meet the needs of individual clients.
• How dementia can affect a person, as well as strategies for communicating with, supporting, and monitoring a client with dementia.
• How to support client independence and wellbeing.
• How to work effectively within the health and community care sector.
• How to implement behaviour support strategies
• How to assist and support clients to participate in community settings.
• How to work safely when providing direct client care

The duration for the course is self paced - maximum of 12 months. As a self-paced online course, the time it will take you to complete is flexible and dependent on ability and time available.

• By undertaking a work placement you’ll get a chance to put the knowledge you’ve learned on your course into practice.
• You’ll also develop practical, on-the-job skills and could make contacts that could help you find a job once you graduate.
• Work placement is often the most rewarding part of a student’s course. Working face-to-face with clients and colleagues in your chosen field makes a huge difference to your career confidence.

You’ll need to find a work placement yourself and ensure it’s approved by Open Colleges. When looking for a suitable work placement host organisation, have a think about the following:

• Are you already working or volunteering in the industry your course is related to? You could potentially do your work placement at your current place of work or have contacts that could recommend a suitable work place. Ask around!
• If you’re entering a new industry, do some research and start thinking about organisations you could approach. We have plenty of resources available to help with approaching and finding a suitable work placement organisation.

All costs of work placement, including any placement fees charged by the host organisation (whether to the student or Open Colleges), cost of statutory checks and vaccinations, travel, accommodation, and uniforms are the responsibility of the student. These fees will vary and are dependent on your location within Australia.

• Costs for statutory checks will range between $0 - $100 dependent on the type of check you select and your state.
• Costs for vaccinations will very between practitioners, please refer to your GP for approximate costs.
• Placement fees will vary, please discuss this with your intended host organisation for approximate costs.

You will need to undertake your work placement in an aged care organisation such as residential aged care facilities, group homes, and respite care. The specific requirements of the workplace are outlined in the Workplace Assessment Guide which can be found in OpenSpace.

Work placement hours can be done part time or as a block, depending on the host organisation's requirements and availability.

You will not achieve any units of competency unless you have completed your work placement hours.

Open Colleges will need to ascertain whether the workplace you have chosen is appropriate before you commence your work placement hours. In some cases, you may be required to complete your hours at more than one host organisation.

Please note that your host organisation may require you to provide an up to date immunisation history prior to the commencement of your work placement. Open Colleges has no control over this requirement so if you are unable to provide this, you will need to discuss it with your intended Host Organisation.

It should also be noted that some immunisations, such as Hepatitis B and COVID-19, need multiple injections to be administered over a specific time period before you are deemed immune. It is important that you consult with your GP as soon as possible to avoid delays in starting your work placement.

The workplace supervisor will need to:

• Must be currently employed in delivering aged care services in a relevant workplace
• Minimum of 3 years experience in the Aged Care sector in a supervisory or team leader role.
• Must hold a minimum qualification of CHC33015 Cert III in Individual Support - Ageing or equivalent