Certificate III in Individual Support

120 hours of unpaid practical placement must be completed in a recognised and approved facility. The College coordinates 15 days (the required 120 hours) ideally as a 3-week block of work experience in the final term. The College will support students in securing a suitable work placement provider within 20 km of the campus. Mercury College staff and an Assessor will visit students and their supervisor during placement. Please note that any additional work placement arrangements will incur a $500 fee if the first offered option is rejected.

Prior to commencing work placement, students must obtain a valid Police Clearance Certificate — either an Australian Federal Police (AFP) check or NSW Police Check — which must be no more than three years old. A Working with Children Check and relevant immunisation requirements are also mandatory. These checks must be completed in a timely manner prior to work placement allocation.

Students must demonstrate English language proficiency through IELTS 6.0 overall (no less than 5.5 in each band) or an equivalent test result, or General English / EAP at the Upper Intermediate level from an approved ELICOS provider. Any AQF qualification at Certificate IV or above delivered and assessed in English will also be deemed as meeting both the academic and English language entry requirements.

After achieving the Certificate III in Individual Support, students have a number of pathway options with Mercury Colleges, including the CHC43015 Certificate IV in Ageing Support and the CHC52021 Diploma of Community Services.

As this is a nationally recognised qualification, students must successfully complete all units to a standard so that they are job ready. Each unit contains assessments which include: practical demonstrations observed by an assessor in a simulated environment and at work placement; knowledge-based tests with written short answer questions; and small projects with written tasks to investigate and complete independently. Students must be deemed competent in each unit in order to receive the CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing), which is recognised nationally under the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).