Higher Level Skills Program – CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care

The CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care has been part of the education and care qualification review undertaken by Skills IQ. This qualification is now superseded by CHC50221 Diploma of School Age Education and Care and is currently in an 18-month transition and teach out period which ends in January 2023 and this will be conducted by all Registered Training Organisations that offer this qualification.

ECTARC are currently working on our application to become an approved RTO to offer this new qualification and will be looking to commencing enrolments in early 2022.

What does this mean for new students wanting to enrol now?

ECTARC can still enrol students into the CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care. This qualification remains as an approved qualification by ACECQA.

However, it is important to note that all requirements for the CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care must be completed by January 2023 to be issued with this qualification. If students do not complete by this time and are required to transition to the new qualification bridging and/or additional units may be required to be completed and this will result in additional training fee costs.

Please see the information below regarding this qualification to determine if this is achievable. For students who will not complete prior to January 2023 transition will occur as soon as practicable once ECTARC has received approval to offer the new qualifications. Where possible ECTARC are currently commencing students on units that will receive a credit transfer should they be required to transition to the new qualification to reduce the amount of additional work required.

If you require further clarification on the above, please call ECTARC on 02 4223 1111.

To be eligible to receive government funding under the Higher Level Skills program, individuals must:

• be aged 15 years or older
• be a Queensland resident
• be no longer at school
• be an Australian or New Zealand citizen or Australian permanent resident (including humanitarian entrants), or a temporary resident with the necessary visa and work permits on the pathway to permanent residency
• not hold, or be enrolled in, a Certificate IV level or higher qualification (not including qualifications completed at school and foundation skills training).

Note: The entitlement under the Higher Level Skills program is for one government subsidised higher level qualification only.

Additional requirements: Any person working with children must undergo a criminal history check and be eligible for a Positive Notice ‘Blue Card’. Application forms are available from the Queensland Public Safety Business Agency at www.bluecard.qld.gov.au

There are 25 units in total – 18 compulsory units and 7 elective units must be completed for this qualification.

Compulsory Units

1. CHCECE001 Develop cultural competence
2. CHCECE004 Promote and provide healthy food and drinks
3. CHCECE009 Use an approved learning framework to guide practice
4. CHCECE011 Provide experiences to support children’s play and learning
5. CHCECE016 Establish and maintain a safe and healthy environment for children
6. CHCECE018 Nurture creativity in children
7. CHCECE019 Facilitate compliance in an education and care service
8. CHCECE020 Establish and implement plans for developing cooperative behaviour
9. CHCECE021 Implement strategies for the inclusion of all children
10. CHCECE024 Design and implement the curriculum to foster children’s learning and development
11. CHCECE026 Work in partnership with families to provide appropriate education and care for children
12. CHCPRT001 Identify and respond to children and young people at risk
13. CHCSAC001 Support children to participate in school age care
14. CHCSAC002 Develop and implement play and leisure experiences in school age care
15. CHCSAC003 Work collaboratively and respectfully with children in school age care
16. CHCSAC005 Foster the holistic development and wellbeing of the child in school age care
17. HLTAID004 Provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting*
18. CHCDIV002 Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety

Electives

The following units are suggested electives and the student must choose 7 electives from this list.  Where a student wishes to complete a different elective this may be discussed with their ECTARC Training and Development Officer.

1. BSBLED401 Develop teams and individuals
2. CHCECE022 Promote children’s agency
3. CHCECE023 Analyse information to inform learning
4. CHCECE025 Embed sustainable practices in service operations
5. CHCPOL002 Develop and implement policy
6. CHCPRP003 Reflect on and improve own professional practice
7. BSBINN502 Build and sustain an innovative work environment
8. HLTWHS003 Maintain work health and safety
9. CHCDIV001 Work with diverse people
10. CHCMGT003 Lead the work team

Please note:

• *The unit HLTAID004 Provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting must be completed with an external training provider. ECTARC will guide you through this process. See ‘Fees’ section below for further details.
• First aid certificates expire every 3 years. If your first aid certificate expires during the term of your program, you will be required to complete the unit with an external training provider.

Important Information: Please read the following attachment in regards to first aid changes.

First Aid Information

Work placement requirements – 240  hours

• 180 hours – 6-12 years – School age
• 30 hours – must include a child with additional needs (any age group)
• 30 hours – service management

Please note: Where you are employed in an education and care service that has the required ages/groups, these hours can be completed within your workplace. Where all required ages/groups are not available in your workplace these hours must be completed as a practicum at another regulated education and care service.

Certain units have work placement hours that are required to be completed before the unit is deemed competent. ECTARC Training and Development Officers can provide further information.

Vaccination information

Please visit your state health and/or other government departments websites for current vaccination information and requirements for students, volunteers and employees working in education and care services to see what the requirements are for your state. If vaccination is required, you will need to meet these requirements to successfully complete the work placement and practical assessment requirements of this qualification.

Where vaccination is required and you choose to not meet these requirements, this will affect your ability to complete this qualification. All work placement hours and practical assessments must be satisfactorily completed in an education and care service to be deemed Competent in the units, and where this cannot be achieved a Statement of Attainment/qualification cannot be issued.

The Higher Level Skills program is a self-paced program undertaken via flexible delivery and includes a combination of phone support, free on-line webinars, self-paced learning materials, practical training and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). ECTARC students receive support from their personal ECTARC Training and Development Officer by phone, portal messaging and email.  ECTARC students have access to the online ECTARC Training Portal where they can access learning materials and submit assessments.  Students will require access to a computer and the internet to undertake this course. Through the ECTARC Training Portal students can also:

– message their Training and Development Officer
– upload forms and documents
– view marked assessment tasks – students are notified as soon as an assignment is marked
– access resources – additional information and documentation to support learning.

The ECTARC Training Portal is available through secure market leading technology and students find it very easy to use. The ECTARC Training Portal increases communications with students and ensures valuable information is available when required and provides access to their student records 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If for some reason you do not have access to the internet, please contact our office to arrange an alternative study solution. Hard copies of learning materials can also be provided on request.

ECTARC guarantees that a Training and Development Officer is always available to speak to Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm and Tuesday evenings 5pm to 7pm.

Access to the Training Portal on completion

All participants are required to contribute towards the cost of their training and assessment services. This is called a co-contribution fee. The participant co-contribution fees are calculated at a rate of 0.65c per nominal hour for each unit of competency being undertaken.

MAXIMUM FEES

$1218.75 – Full fee

$609.35 – Concession

The first aid component HLTAID004 Provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting must be completed externally through a registered training provider of the student’s choice. Where eligible, ECTARC will cover the cost on behalf of the student. The nominated registered training provider must invoice ECTARC for the cost of HLTAID004 Provide an emergency first aid response in an education and care setting and reference the student’s name on the invoice. Payments will be made within 7 days of receiving the invoice.

What you need to read…

Students are required to read the following documentation and ECTARC policies prior to commencing the online Enrolment Application Form (this will be sent to you by email from ECTARC) to ensure they understand their rights and responsibilities before enrolling:

• QLD Higher Level Skills Handbook
• ECTARC Fee Schedule
• ECTARC Training and Course Guide

What you need to get ready…

To complete the online enrolment application form, students need to provide:

• a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI) number
• photo identification – driver’s licence, passport or proof of age card – take a photo of the document so it is ready to upload.
• evidence of citizenship – birth certificate, passport or green medicare card – take a photo of the document so it is ready to upload.
• permission on the USI website for ECTARC to view their USI records (if applying for credit transfer only). Note: Where study was completed prior to 2015 or has not yet been reported, the student must provide a copy of their transcript for ECTARC to verify with the training provider.

Foundation Skills Questionnaire

Once you have submitted your online Enrolment Application Form you will be required to complete a Foundation Skills Questionnaire – ‘Foundation skills’ is the term that Australian Government agencies use to cover both Core Skills and Employability Skills. The five Core Skills are reading, writing, numeracy, oral communication, and learning; and the Employability Skills are teamwork, problem solving, initiative and enterprise, planning and organising, self-management, learning, and technology. ECTARC is required to identify needs of students throughout the enrolment application process and to ensure that the qualification is suitable for the student. After ECTARC receives the Enrolment Application Form, students will be provided access to the relevant Foundation Skills Questionnaire on the ECTARC Training Portal, which must be completed for the enrolment process to be finalised. ECTARC will contact the student to complete the oral component and discuss the outcomes of this questionnaire where required.

It’s a regulatory requirement that if you’re studying nationally recognised training in Australia from 1 January 2015, you will be required to have a Unique Student Identifier (USI). Your USI links to an online account that contains all your training records and results (transcript) that you have completed from 1 January 2015 onwards. When applying for a job or enrolling in further study, you will often need to provide your training records and results (transcript). One of the main benefits of the USI is the ability to provide students with easy access to their training records and results (transcript) throughout their life. You can access your USI account online from your computer, tablet or smart phone anytime.

How do you get a USI?

Visit https://www.usi.gov.au/students/get-a-usi

Follow the steps here to get a USI. It is easy and quick to do. When you enrol online you will be required to enter your USI number.

For detailed information on the USI please visit the Australian Government’s Department of Industry website at visit https://www.usi.gov.au/

Identification

On enrolment you are required to upload a copy of photo identification (e.g driver’s licence, passport or proof of age card). Your ECTARC Training and Development Officer will need to sight the original document during your sign up which may occur in person or via webinar.

Evidence of Citizenship

On enrolment you are required to upload a copy of  a document that demonstrates your citizenship such as birth certificate, passport or green medicare card.

Your ECTARC Training and Development Officer will need to sight the original document during your sign up which may occur in person or via webinar.

Previous Qualifications

The Australian Governments’ Standards for Registered Training Organisations (RTO’s) 2015 requires RTO’s, such as ECTARC, to authenticate VET qualifications, Statement of Attainments and transcripts that are provided by students for the purposes of granting credit transfer or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL). To do this students must provide copies of qualifications, Statements of Attainments and/or transcripts to ECTARC and grant permission for ECTARC to view their records on the USI Portal at www.usi.gov.au

Where permission is not granted, ECTARC will contact the issuing RTO for verification.

Please note

ECTARC requires all documentation and relevant information before fully processing enrolments. Training will not commence until all documentation is received. We want to ensure that you get any credit transfer or RPL you are entitled to and that all regulatory requirements are met.

What is RPL?

RPL is an assessment process where candidates provide evidence of previous experience to demonstrate that they hold the required skills and knowledge of one or more units of competency. Previous experience may include (but is not limited to) paid or voluntary work, life experience, professional development or formal qualifications.

Can I apply for RPL?

RPL is suited to candidates who have demonstrated experience in an education and care service or equivalent. ECTARC recommends experience of a minimum of 5 years for those wishing to apply for RPL for a full qualification, in a variety of roles within an education and care service.  This however, is very dependent on the individual experiences, so we encourage anyone wanting to learn more about RPL to contact ECTARC to discuss this further.

What evidence is required?

The candidate must provide sufficient evidence to demonstrate their competence against an entire unit of competency. For each unit, the following tasks provide the candidate with the opportunity to ensure that sufficient evidence can be gathered:

• Competency Conversation – An ECTARC Training and Development Officer (TDO) will discuss with the candidate their previous experiences to determine the extent of their skills and knowledge for each unit of competency. In addition to this, throughout the assessment process, and where appropriate, Competency Conversations may also be used to confirm competence where sufficient evidence has not been provided.
• Practical Assessment – Every unit of competency includes practical skills that must be demonstrated within a regulated education and care service within Australia. The candidate will be observed in the workplace to ensure that they are performing these skills to the standards required. In some cases, simulations may be conducted and evidence may be submitted by video to support the practical assessment.
• Portfolio – The candidate provides a portfolio of evidence of previous experiences, such as testimonials, copies of former qualifications, statements of participation in professional development, photographs and examples of their own work. This evidence is assessed and mapped by an ECTARC TDO to the requirements of a unit.

Credit Transfer

Credit Transfer is different to RPL in that the student already has completed a unit of competency in a previous qualification. To be granted Credit Transfer, ECTARC requires evidence of successful completion of the unit; this can be provided through the USI Portal or a certified copy of a transcript or Statement of Attainment. Once this evidence is verified, Credit Transfer will be granted.

Example: Tania has been working in a primary school as an education support worker for  the past 6 years. Two years ago she completed the CHC40213 Certificate IV in Education Support, which included the unit CHCPRT001 Identify and respond to children and young people at risk. Over the past year, Tania has also been volunteering in the outside school hours care that is provided within the school and has decided she would like to complete the CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care. Tania enrols with ECTARC and has a competency conversation with an ECTARC TDO and an assessment plan is developed for her. Tania is granted a credit transfer for the unit CHCPRT001 Identify and respond to children and young people at risk and the TDO decides that she has sufficient experience to apply for RPL for a number of units relating to the development of children aged 5-12 years, developing relationships with children and supporting the behaviour of children. The remainder of units will be completed through the training and assessment pathway, where Tania will receive her learning materials and assessment tasks on the ECTARC Training Portal and will be supported by her ECTARC TDO to complete these.

Eligible?

If you think you may be eligible for RPL or credit transfer be sure to discuss this with ECTARC and/or provide relevant information and documentation when enrolling as it can save you time and/or money.

Employment prospects for people holding the Diploma of School Age Education and Care qualification include Nominated Supervisor, group coordinator, group leader, outside school hours care coordinator, outside school hours care educator, program leader, team leader or vacation care coordinator.

The CHC50213 Diploma of School Age Education and Care course is for educators who have the responsibility for the day-to-day management of a before and after school care and/or vacation care service, including planning, implementing and managing programs which address licensing, quality rating systems and duty of care requirements. At this level educators have responsibility for supervision of other staff and volunteers.

QLD Skills Assure

ECTARC has been awarded Skills Assure contract to deliver traineeships, apprenticeships and funded training throughout QLD. To enrol your educator in a traineeship or apprenticeship course please call Natalie Fernandes on 02 4223 1111 or email Natalie@ectarc.com.au  For more information on Skills Assure please visit https://desbt.qld.gov.au/training/docs-data/strategies/vet-strategy/skills-assure

User Choice

The Department of Employment, Small Business and Training supports traineeships and apprenticeships under the Further Education and Training Act 2014. The Department is committed to improving education and care for children by assisting people to gain recognised qualifications, through the provision of the QLD User Choice program.

The QLD User Choice program requires the parties to contact an Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) provider to facilitate the signing of a training contract. The State government pays Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) for training, with a nominal fee for training charged to the trainee/apprentice. An Australian traineeship or apprenticeship consists of a combination of training and paid employment, either under the National Training Wage or a workplace agreement. The Queensland User Choice program enables apprentices, trainees and their employers to select a preferred Registered Training Organisation (RTO) from a list of Pre-qualified Suppliers for the delivery of accredited training to meet their specific needs.

The QLD User Choice program also reflects the Department’s priority for supporting the creation of genuine new job opportunities, and for allowing young people the opportunity to more easily make the transition from school to work. Further information about eligibility, rights, roles and requirements for employers, employees, parents and staff is available from the DESBT website https://desbt.qld.gov.au or by calling 1300 369 935.

For more information on ECTARC’s policies such as complaints, refunds and privacy please click here.