Certificate IV Disability 2020

Working or volunteering in the disability sector?

Our Certificate IV in Disability will allow you to take your career to the next level with all fees covered by Free TAFE and Skills Victoria if eligible. Our Certificate IV in Disability Program focuses on ensuring optimum outcomes for your clients.

The Certificate IV Disability allows graduates to forge their career in this challenging and rewarding field, particularly in the context of the NDIS rollout. It includes campus-based workshops run approximately every three weeks, connecting students with sector professionals and consolidating on-the-job learning.

The Future Social Service Institute (FSSI) were previously advocating for Free TAFE and until this was introduced in 2019, FSSI offered scholarships covering tuition fees.

These were offered through our VCOSS-RMIT partnership with the support of the Victorian Government, aiming to tackle the overwhelming demand for skilled professionals in the disability sector, particularly in the context of the rollout of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

If you are currently working or volunteering in the disability sector and are eligible for subsidised training the FSSI program delivered RMIT School of Vocational Design and Social Context ensures training is tuition fee free other than SSAF, the student services and amenities fee.

From January 1, 2019, the Victorian Government is waiving tuition fees for students commencing priority government subsidised non-apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs.

If you are eligible, the tuition fees for your whole program will be paid for by the Victorian Government through the ‘Free TAFE for Priority Courses’ scheme.

You will need to however cover the SSAF and any materials fees that may apply yourself. In 2020, you will be charged on a pro-rata basis at the rate of $0.43 per nominal student contact hour, up to a maximum of $308 for the year.

You can find RMIT’s full list of eligible programs at Free TAFE for priority courses. Visit this page to learn more about the scheme and whether it may affect you.

We have regular guest speakers and input from organisations such as Women with Disabilities Victoria and the Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (VACCHO) and people with a disability. Our program team includes teachers who have a disability and we encourage students with a disability to also apply.

We work with industry to ensure graduates have the skills and competencies required by employers.

‘The students from FSSI are really values driven and understand the importance of person-centred support.’ – Joan Cooney, Annecto

Certificate IV Disability – CHC43115

The Certificate IV Disability allows graduates to forge a career in this challenging and rewarding field. Campus-based workshops run every three weeks, connecting students with sector professionals and consolidating on-the-job learning.

FSSI encourages the following eligible people to apply:

• People working or volunteering in the disability sector who wish to upskill and gain a qualification to better equip them for the NDIS.
• People who have the support of their employer to attend on-campus workshops every three weeks and validate their work practice.

For more information contact:

Gwen Cawsey
Program Manager
RMIT University
gwen.cawsey@rmit.edu.au
Phone: 03 9925 4581

FAQs

Who is eligible for the FSSI Program?
Eligibility is open to anyone interested in working in the social service sector. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, those aged under 30, and people with a disability or from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds, are encouraged to apply as are older people wanting a career change.

Applicants must be eligible for government-subsidised training.
To check your eligibility

Use the eligibility checker to get an indication of your eligibility for government-subsidised training.

Your eligibility will be determined by your training provider when you enroll, but the eligibility checker will give you an indication of your eligibility.

Are you:

• an Australian citizen; or
• a holder of a permanent visa;( need to supply PR number or subclass
  number on visa or passport)
  or
• a New Zealand citizen?

Free TAFE eligibility

• aged under 20 (regardless of any other qualifications they might hold); or
• are 20 or older and enrolling in a course that is a higher qualification than the highest qualification previously attained.

I have a higher qualification, am I still eligible for free TAFE ?
Yes, no matter what level of education they have already achieved , if you are eligible for subsidised training, and not already claimed Free TAFE as this is a priority program.

Will studying at FSSI impact on my ability to claim Free TAFE elsewhere?
Yes. People can only claim Free TAFE once and a FSSI course counts towards this, so you should be clear this is the course you want to be in. Click here for details on Free TAFE.

How likely am I to get a job after completing this course?
Trained and qualified disability support workers are in great demand with a predicted skills shortage over the next few years, ensuring you are well placed to continue a long and rewarding career.

For more information contact:

Gwen Cawsey
Program Manager
Future Social Service Institute
gwen.cawsey@rmit.edu.au
Phone: 03 9925 4581