Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

To achieve this qualification, the individual must have completed a total of at least 160 hours of work in a regulated children's education and care service in Australia. The total number of hours may be applied collectively across all units of competency that include the requirement for workplace hours, and work placement can only be undertaken in an accredited early childhood education and care service.

A range of assessment and evidence gathering methods are used, including 2–4 or more methods for each unit of competency. These include: Assessment Task 1 (written assessments including short-answer questions and research tasks), Assessment Task 2 (practical activity including simulated work practices/demonstrations, logbook and third-party reports), Assessment Task 3 (research tasks and case studies), and Assessment Task 4 (roleplays and presentations).

Prior to commencing work placement, students will be required to undertake a Criminal Record Check (CRC) to obtain a National Police Certificate, and students will need to meet the cost of this. A Working with Children Check is also listed as a work placement requirement.

During the work placement, students will be supervised and assessed by CHC Services' qualified trainers and assessors. The CHC Services trainer/assessor will visit each student on a minimum of 4 occasions, although more frequent visits will be conducted if necessary.

A range of support services are available free of charge to students and are confidential. These include counselling (general or personal, support and referrals), study assistance as required, language, literacy and numeracy support, and accommodating work and study. Any identified support needs will be recorded on the Individual Training Plan. All students are also required to attend an induction session prior to commencement, where all policies and procedures are explained in full.