ACT Traineeship – CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

There are 17 units in total – 15 compulsory units and 2 elective units must be completed for this qualification.

Compulsory Units

1. HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an education and care setting *
2. CHCECE056 Work effectively in children’s education and care
3. CHCECE055 Meet legal and ethical obligations in children’s education and care
4. CHCPRT001 Identify and respond to children and young people at risk
5. HLTWHS001 Participate in workplace health and safety
6. CHCECE031 Support children’s health, safety and wellbeing
7. CHCECE033 Develop positive and respectful relationships with children
8. CHCECE034 Use an approved learning framework to guide practice
9. CHCECE035 Support the holistic learning and development of children
10. CHCECE030 Support inclusion and diversity
11. CHCECE054 Encourage understanding of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples’ cultures
12. CHCECE032 Nurture babies and toddlers
13. CHCECE038 Observe children to inform practice
14. CHCECE036 Provide experiences to support children’s play and learning
15. CHCECE037 Support children to connect with the natural environment

Electives

The following units are suggested electives based on consultation with the Education and Care sector. Where a student wishes to complete a different elective this may be discussed with their ECTARC Training and Development Officer.

1. HLTFSE001 Follow basic food safety practices
2. CHCDIV001 Work with diverse people

Please note:

For a full list of electives, please visit training.gov.au/Training/Details/CHC30121

* First Aid Unit

The unit HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an education and care setting must be completed with an external registered training provider at your own cost, but this fee will be reimbursed by ECTARC up to the amount of $160. A copy of the invoice and a Statement of Attainment must be forwarded to ECTARC before the completion of the course. Credit transfer will be granted for this unit provided the first aid certificate is current on completion of the enrolled qualification.

To find an external registered training provider, please visit https://www.myskills.gov.au

Please note:

• Reimbursement will only be paid if the First Aid course has been completed after the ECTARC sign up date and in the term of the traineeship.
• First aid certificates expire every 3 years. If your first aid certificate expires during the term of your traineeship you will be required to complete the unit with an external training provider.

Work placement requirements – 160 hours

• 20 hours – Birth-12 months – Babies
• 20 hours – 13-23 months – Babies
• 40 hours – 2-3 years – Toddler
• 80 hours – 3-5 years – Preschool

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. Employers must agree to release a student during work hours to complete this requirement.

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 on this.

ECTARC trainees receive support from their personal ECTARC Training and Development Officer by phone, email, live webinar study sessions and face to face visits in the service.  ECTARC trainees have access to the online ECTARC Training Portal where they can access learning materials and submit assessments.  Trainees will require access to a computer and the internet to undertake this course. Through the ECTARC Training Portal trainees 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 students will have 14 days access to the ECTARC Training Portal after their course completion date to download content and any completed assessments for future reference. To download completed assessments, go to the relevant unit and click on the ASSIGNMENTS link to view your assessment tasks. Click on the assessment task you wish to copy and then right click on your mouse and choose the PRINT function. Change the destination from your printer to the PDF setting and click SAVE. If you have any questions regarding the saving of your online content, please call 02 4223 1111.

The completion time for traineeships varies depending if employment is full time or part time. The nominal duration for a full time traineeship is 24 months, and part time is 36 months to complete the CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. A training plan is provided as part of the traineeship contract to guide the trainee and set assessment submission dates.

ACT New Entrant and Existing Worker Traineeships

This training is subsidised by the ACT Government, however a one-off fee of $350 applies to this course. Payment is due on enrolment and fees may be paid upfront in full or a direct debit plan must be arranged.

Please see the ECTARC Fee Schedule for current fees and further information.

First Aid Unit

The unit HLTAID012 Provide First Aid in an education and care setting must be completed with an external registered training provider at your own cost, but this fee will be reimbursed by ECTARC up to the amount of $160. A copy of the invoice and a Statement of Attainment must be forwarded to ECTARC before the completion of the course. Credit transfer will be granted for this unit provided the first aid certificate is current on completion of the enrolled qualification.

To find an external registered training provider, please visit https://www.myskills.gov.au

Please note:

• Reimbursement will only be paid if the First Aid course has been completed after the ECTARC sign up date and in the term of the traineeship.
• First aid certificates expire every 3 years. If your first aid certificate expires during the term of your traineeship you will be required to complete the unit with an external training provider.

ECTARC receives notification through AVETARS and a Notification of Business that we have been nominated as the training provider for a traineeship.

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:

• ECTARC Training and Course Guide
• ECTARC Fee Schedule
• ACT Traineeship Information Handbook

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.
• give 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 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 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.

The CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care is an entry level qualification for anyone wishing to commence a career in the early childhood sector or for someone who has been working in the industry for a number of years who wishes to formally recognise their knowledge and skills.

The Education and Care Services National Regulations state that an educator at a centre-based service who is educating and caring for children preschool age or under are required to meet the relevant educator to child ratios for the service must have, or be actively working towards, at least an approved Certificate III level education and care qualification (Section 126 b). A family day care educator must have, or be actively working towards, at least an approved Certificate III level education and care qualification (Section 127).

ECTARC has been awarded ACT Australian Apprenticeship contracts to deliver traineeships throughout the ACT. To enrol your educator in a traineeship course please call Natalie Fernandes on 02 4223 1111 or email Natalie@ectarc.com.au

For more information on ACT Australian Apprenticeships, visit the ACT Government Skills Canberra website at: www.skills.act.gov.au/apprenticeships

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