Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care

The tuition fee is $7,500 for domestic students. However, this program is delivered with Victorian and Commonwealth government funding to eligible candidates. For eligible trainees, the government funded traineeship fee is $250 for Regional VIC delivery or $3,400 for Melbourne Metropolitan delivery. Additional costs include textbooks ($110) and an MCIE T-shirt ($40). Eligibility criteria applies.

This program is delivered in the workplace with approximately 6 hours of structured workplace training per month over 52 weeks. All trainees are provided with a designated trainer who will devote 1:1 instruction and guidance throughout their traineeship journey. Assessment tasks and strategies may include writing tasks, questions, projects or reports, practical demonstrations, group tasks, oral presentations, problem-solving tasks, case studies and discussions. The work placement requirement of this qualification is 280 hours, which will be completed with your employer over the course of the traineeship.

Entry to this qualification is open to individuals who hold either a CHC30121 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care or a CHC30113 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care. Students must also complete a Pre-Training Review, meet the Language, Literacy and Numeracy (LLN) skill standards for this program level, and demonstrate they are a suitable candidate for this program.

Yes, Credit Transfer (CT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) are available. Credit Transfer is free of charge. RPL application fees are $145 per hour. For additional service fees, such as re-assessment fees or Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL), please refer to the Domestic Student Handbook.

Graduates may work as an Authorised Supervisor, Child Development Worker, Group/Team or Room Leader, Childcare Centre Manager, Children's Adviser, Children's Services Coordinator, Children's Services Director, Educational Leader, Early Childhood Educator, Assistant Centre Director, Out of School Hours (OOSH) Care Educator, or Family Daycare Operator or Approved Provider. According to the National Skills Commission, this occupation has considerable future growth of 21.8% and average weekly earnings of $1,494.