Last updated: November 23, 2022
Thinking about making a career break into the aged care sector? This industry is projected for enormous growth in the near future. And the right aged care course will equip you with the skills, resources, and training you need to improve your employment prospects and take on this incredibly fulfilling role.
The Australian demographic is shifting as people are generally living longer. In fact, the Aged Care Royal Commission Report has predicted that the number of Australians aged 85 years and over will grow from around 500,000 in 2019 to over 1.5 million by 2058 [1].
Essentially, you’re looking at a massive hike in demand for aged care workers due to the growing ageing population. There’s a vast sea of opportunities in this field. But on top of that, you’ll be undertaking a largely rewarding role that brings about a tremendous sense of satisfaction.
But how do you go about getting into this sector? Well, the most common entry route into the aged care industry is via a Certificate III or Certificate IV aged care course. Many training institutes, universities, colleges, and online course providers offer both Certificate III and Certificate IV aged care courses.
Having these under your belt will expand your job prospects and boost employability. They’re also a fantastic way to build your fundamentals before furthering your studies in that field. Generally, these courses will guide you to pick up the skills and knowledge you need to provide quality care services to older adults.
There are some areas in which Certificate III overlaps with Certificate IV, but the two are distinctly different.
Firstly, Certificate III courses serve as a great entry point for those looking to make a break into the aged care sector. After finishing this course, you should be equipped with the basic skills, knowledge, and training needed to kickstart your career in an aged care facility or community care setting.
The good news is that you don’t need any specific form of experience in the aged care sector to take on this course.
Certificate IV courses will train their students to develop more advanced skills and offer specialised units. Essentially, these will give you that extra leverage if you wish to carry a supervisor, team leader, or managerial role in the aged care sector.
These courses will likely include various specialised subjects, such as caring for older people with dementia, designing aged care facilities, or supporting palliative care patients.
Many Certificate IV course providers will allow you to customise and select units that better suit your career goals, interests, and future pursuit.
Generally, you don’t need to have any relevant experience or qualifications to get into a Certificate IV course, either. However, someone starting on a blank slate may better appreciate and benefit from a Certificate III course covering the fundamentals of aged care.
Here are some factors that can affect how much you’ll benefit from a course. It’s always a great idea to plan a consultation with a representative to clear any inquiries you may have before enrolment.
We’ve done all the heavy lifting for you and rounded up some of the best aged care courses available in Australia. We’ve prioritised online courses in this guide due to the convenience and flexibility offered.
If you’d like more information about physical courses in your city, feel free to get in contact with us. We’d love to help you find a course that checks all the right boxes.
15 Months
Blended, Online, In-class
~$4000 Approximate fee
The Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) is designed to give you the practical and technical skills and knowledge you need to provide care to older adults in homes, aged care facilities, and healthcare centres. They provide two options for learning, namely in-class and online. The online route will take 15 months to complete instead of 9-12 months. Nonetheless, it provides a highly-flexible, self-directed learning experience where you will be able to fit your studies around your current schedule.
Their units train you to provide individualised support and communicate effectively. You may undertake electives that cover a range of topics, such as caring for patients with dementia and understanding palliative care. Because TAFE has formed strong community partnerships, you can expect to pick up valuable skills while undertaking your workplace training at one of their partner institutes
12-18 monthsAverage
Blended, Online
~$4500Approximate fee
This Upskilled course focuses on preparing you for entry-level work in the community services industry. It runs on self-paced learning but comes with a training plan that helps keep you on track. How quickly you finish this course depends on your existing skills and knowledge and how many hours you’d like to commit per week.
During this course, you can expect to receive access to a customised learning platform, dedicated student support, online tutorials, and Interactive Learning Activities. You will have to source a suitable organisation for work placement yourself. But if you face any issues with this, an Upskilled Work Placement Officer will assist you.
12 months
Online
Funding available
This nationally-accredited Certificate III prepares you to provide individualised support and facilitate the empowerment of the elderly and people living with a disability. Essentially, it will help you jumpstart a rewarding career as a care assistant, disability support worker, or community care worker.
This online course has a fixed study period of 12 months, where you’d have to complete a total of 13 units of competency to attain your certificate. The units will delve into relevant areas, such as supporting independence and wellbeing, communication in health or community services, and fostering the community participation and social inclusion of people living with a disability.
10-14 months
Blended, Online
~$3600 Approximate fee
Via this Certificate IV course, you will gain specialised skills and knowledge to provide aged care services in residential, home, or community-based environments. The first phase consists of virtual classroom sessions, self-paced learning, and theory-based assessment, while the second phase is conducted in the workplace, where you’ll complete day-to-day tasks under the guidance of your supervisor.
You can expect one-on-one coaching support provided and 16 hours of flexible, self-paced learning each week. Two virtual classes will also be organised per week. All in all, you can expect the course to take anywhere between 10-14 months, depending on your prior experience and qualifications.
Do you already have specific relevant qualifications under your belt? Maybe you’ve spent years working in this sector, and you’re looking for a course that hones specific skills or expands your field of expertise.
If so, these are some aged care courses you may wish to consider.
Fully accredited by the International Association of Therapists, this course focuses on psychology related to older age. The areas covered throughout the course include Alzheimer’s, dementia, mental health, substance abuse, memory-related issues, depression, and loneliness.
You’ll have lifelong access to a library of 23 informative lectures that helps you understand the older population’s needs, challenges, and concerns, especially in unseen areas such as mental wellbeing. The entire course is based on online study and materials.
If you’re interested in providing healthcare services in home settings, this is one fantastic course that fits the bill. Students will learn personal care tasks and core routines undertaken in a home healthcare setting and acquire skills in caring for the elderly and people with chronic health conditions.
You can expect the content to encompass nutrition, meal planning, basic anatomy, and pharmacology and prepare you to perform effective patient monitoring at home. All materials are available online, and you’ll have lifelong access to all these resources. All in all, there are 20 comprehensive modules you’ll complete in this certification program.
According to the National Skills Commission Skills Priority List, there is a shortage of aged care workers and high expected demand for workforce in the aged care field [2].
If you’d like to hop onto this bandwagon early, completing an aged care course can grant you better access to various career pathways and opportunities in aged care. After completing an aged care course, these are some common job undertakings you can consider.
An aged care support worker provides both emotional and practical support to older adults who require assistance with daily activities. Your day-to-day tasks may include helping your client with cleaning, washing, shopping, paying bills, and cooking. You may help with logging and monitoring the mental and physical wellbeing of your client and tending to simple healthcare needs. A support worker also provides emotional support and friendship to their client and family and helps facilitate involvement in recreational and leisure activities. Some support care workers may even assist with applying for houses, jobs, or grants and provide counselling. The salary of a support worker in Australia averages around $60,000 annually.
A personal care assistant’s daily tasks overlap largely with a support worker’s. If you choose to pick up this role, you’ll help your client perform basic housekeeping tasks, assist with personal care and hygiene, administer medications as prescribed, and provide companionship. You’ll also act as an important point of monitoring, informing their doctors of any unusual events and acting quickly in an emergency. A personal care assistant will also help clients engage in suitable recreational activities and manage payments, bills, and errands. The average salary of a personal care assistant in Australia is around $60,000 annually.
As stipulated by the job title, a care supervisor or team leader in aged care involves leading a team of carers to ensure that the highest standard of care is given to each client. Your tasks typically include monitoring the quality of care provided by your team members, collaborating with health professionals, managing your team’s roster, developing care plans, ensuring your workplace meets legislation guidelines, and taking charge of team meetings. The average salary of a care team leader in Australia is approximately $110,000 per annum.
There is currently no formal qualification or entry requirements to work as a personal care worker in Australia [3]. Essentially, it isn’t a must to attain a Certificate III or IV from an aged care course. But it will be a massive advantage if you’re new and fresh, with no relevant industry experience or expertise.
In 2020, facilities have reported that more than 60% of their personal care workers had at least a Certificate III or Certificate IV in a relevant field, while another 2% were studying to attain that certification [4]. With proper qualifications backing your cause, you will have a much higher chance of landing your dream career in this sector.
Some highly sought after skills and characteristics of an aged care worker include:
Of course, some of these skills can only be learned and developed on the job. Importantly, you are passionate about helping those who need assistance, as well as supportive, sensitive, and understanding. It will take commitment and resilience to understand your client’s unique needs and concerns.
Working in this sector is unarguably straining—physically, emotionally, and mentally. You will be assisting individuals who have different needs, challenges, and concerns.
Additionally, you have to be comfortable performing housekeeping, cleaning, and hygiene-related tasks, such as bathing your client. Looking after elderly individuals with certain chronic conditions such as dementia, urinary incontinence, heart issues, or diabetes may also present its unique set of challenges. Ultimately, working with patience, empathy, and resilience is vital for both you and those under your care.
That said, your career will come hand-in-hand with a lot of fulfilment as you are genuinely making a difference in someone else’s life. You’re helping them perform tasks they won’t be able to do alone and opening up opportunities for them to receive companionship and participate in social activities. Essentially, the work you do significantly increases their quality of life.
Say you’re looking for a career that fosters a greater sense of purpose and personal resilience. Or maybe you enjoy meeting new people, caring for them, and love hearing the stories of those who have walked before you. In that case, a job in the aged care sector is a rewarding career you can consider.
