Why study aged care in Melbourne for your free TAFE equivalent course?

If you’ve been following this blog (or have simply been doing your homework in anticipation of a career change), you’ve no doubt heard about the Victorian Skills First funding scheme, and how it offers highly-subsidised or free TAFE/Vocational courses in Victoria.

If you’ve also determined that you’re eligible for a free TAFE equivalent course, there are just two questions left:

Which course should you choose as your free TAFE/Vocational course?
Can you complete your free TAFE/Vocational course online?

Both of these are important decisions – you’ll want to ensure that you make the right call.

Today, we’re here to answer both of these questions, and explain why one of our aged care courses in Melbourne is the right call for you!

First thing’s first: free TAFE equivalent course eligibility

Am I eligible?

So you want to study aged care. However, there are a couple of things you’ll want to sort out first.

As with most things, this isn’t a blanket program that covers everyone – there are specific criteria you’ll need to meet before you can apply.

What are they?

You must be an Australian citizen or Permanent Resident, or a NZ citizen, AND
Live in Victoria at the time of your studies, AND
- You must be under the age of 20, OR
- If you’re over the age of 20, you must be be applying for a qualification higher than your current qualifications

Of course, not all courses are eligible, either – the selection of available courses is based on areas that are expected to see high demand for qualified workers in the near future.

And aged care is explicitly listed as one of the eligible courses!

Let’s start with the first question – why study aged care in Melbourne for your free TAFE/Vocational course?

You might not have put much thought towards studying aged care in Melbourne – and that’s totally fine. After all, there are many different pathways you can choose, and many different courses that are eligible for Skills First funding.

If you ask us however, aged care is one of the most promising ones!

Why’s that?

Plentiful job opportunities

Luckily, when it comes to opportunities, aged care offers plenty thanks to Australia’s ageing population.

The typical Aussie is getting older and we’re living for longer – something that directly correlates with an increased demand for aged care services in the near future.

And that in turn means heaps of job opportunities, new openings and chances for promotion.

Not only that, but it also offers fantastic job security as well. Aged care is the type of work that will never be automated or done by computers – there will always be demand for carers.

It’s rewarding work

Many find their mental health and wellbeing suffering as they age.

Not only do they lose their mobility – and the freedom and independence that goes with it – but they can also lose many of their social connections as a result.

Needless to say, both of these things can do a real number on someone’s mental health.

As an aged care worker, you aren’t just a caretaker – you’re also responsible for ensuring that your residents can continue to enjoy a high standard of living and that they continue to enjoy healthy social relationships.

It’s an important job – one that has a tangible effect on someone’s standard of living. If you’re looking for work that allows you to genuinely help people, you can’t go past aged care.

Academia’s aged care courses in Melbourne

Certificate III in Individual Support

Every journey starts somewhere – your journey towards becoming a qualified and experienced aged care worker starts here.

With a focus on teaching you both the theory and practice you need to succeed, you’ll come out the other end of this course with all the skills you need to thrive in a variety of aged care environments, from aged care centres to in-home care.

Click here to learn more about Certificate III in Individual Support.

Certificate IV in Ageing Support

So you want to take your career even further – luckily for you, we have aged care courses in Melbourne that can help you do just that.

This aged care course in Melbourne combines the content of a Certificate III in Individual Support with additional content tailored to prepare you for a more senior aged care role.

Whether you’re a current aged care worker who wants to take their career even further or you want to “skip” a couple of steps when you start your career, this Certificate is just what you’re looking for.

Click here to learn more about Certificate IV in Ageing Support.

Free TAFE/Vocational courses online

Not only are our aged care courses in Melbourne available for free, but they can also largely be completely online.

Our online learning system is set up to replicate the in-class experience as much as possible.

We don’t just record lectures – our instructors make use of virtual whiteboards to facilitate collaboration.

Not only that, but each of our online classes can be split into private groups and chats on-demand for group work.

And we haven’t even gotten started on how we let you stay in touch with fellow students and your instructors after-hours. Forums and instant messaging let you ask questions, work on projects and more.

Due to the current global pandemic, the practical components of your qualification have been shuffled to the end of your studies so you will complete them at a later date.

Practical tuition followed by work placement ensures you are truly job-ready at the end of your studies.

Academia will arrange mandatory work placement at an aged care facility to ensure you can put your newly acquired skills into practice and enjoy real-life experience in the workplace.

Study aged care in Melbourne with Academia

Choose aged care for your free online TAFE/Vocational course

You want to make a change. You’ve discovered that you’re eligible for a free TAFE equivalent course. And you’ve decided that aged care is the pathway for you.

Next, you need to choose where you’re going to study.

Academia is focused on turning you into a work-ready aged care worker.

Whether you’re a recent school-leaver or making a late career change, our aged care courses in Melbourne can help you achieve your goals!

As a proudly medium-sized institution, we’re able to offer you the best of both worlds: