If you want to have a rewarding career in the ageing support industry in Australia, then you will need to obtain either a Certificate III or a Certificate IV. While these certificates are similar, they are not quite the same. The course material varies significantly and the jobs that you can be qualified for upon graduation also vary.
In this article, we will break down the key differences between Certificate III aged care and Certificate IV ageing support so that you may decide which is best for you. If you have a passion for helping the elderly and if you know that you want to help them for your career, then this information should be very helpful to you.
Course Material
The Level III course covers all of the basic material that a person needs to know to begin a career in the aged care field. This course provides students with all of the information that they need to know to be able to perform basic jobs in an aged care facility or home care setting. This includes both theoretical and practical skills.
The Level IV course on the other hand dives a lot deeper into training to provide students with significantly more advanced skills. So of the two courses, Level III is the more basic one and Level IV is the more advanced one that provides students with more specialised skill sets. In addition to providing more advanced training to develop more advanced skills, the Level IV course also helps to prepare students for leadership and management positions. This is so that they will have the skills that they need to rise the ranks in the future and move into leadership roles at aged care facilities.
Career Path
The choice that you make when deciding between a Level III course or a Level IV course will have a significant impact on your career path in the aged care industry after you get out of school. As the more advanced course, Level IV tends to lead to higher-paying jobs. However, these jobs also tend to be more difficult in terms of the skill they require. So, if you want a more advanced position with higher pay, then you are better off with the Level IV course. If you want an entry-level position, then the Level III course is a better option for you. Here is a breakdown of the career options for each course:
Level III Certificate
- Home Care Worker
- Residential Care Worker
- Care Assistant
- Support Worker
- Respite Care Worker
- Nursing Assistant
Level IV Certificate
- Residential Caseworker
- Care Service Leader
- Dementia Care
- Daycare Center Manager/Owner
- Community Program Coordinator
- Supervisory and Managerial Roles in Aged Care Settings
Details About the Courses
There are no perquisites for the Level III course. The course combines theory courses with workshops and real-life 150 hours of work placements in a variety of aged care facilities. You can do the theory courses either in-person or online. Many people choose to do them online because it is more convenient. However, the workshops and work placements will have to be done in person.
Technically, there are no prerequisite requirements for the Level IV courses either. However, it is highly recommended to complete the Level III course first. If you do not do this, you will miss out on the opportunity to develop a strong foundation and knowledge base that can serve you for the rest of your career.
Like the Level III course, the Level IV course involves theory classes, workshops, and in-person training in real aged care facilities. Throughout the course, you will learn all of the information that you need to become a skilled professional and leader in the aged care field. Obtaining a Level IV Certificate can be tremendously helpful in starting you out on a journey to a rewarding and profitable career in aged care.
Choosing the Course That’s Right For You
There are many factors that you should consider when choosing which course is right for you. The first is do you want to go on to be a leader/manager with a higher level of responsibility in aged care facilities. If you don’t and if you would like to stick to the lower-level positions, then the Level III course is the better option for you. If you want to have leadership positions in aged care, then the Level IV course is better.
The next thing that you should take into consideration is whether or not you would like to learn advanced skills, such as dementia care. If you would like to do this, then the Level IV course is better for you because it provides you with training for this sort of area.
One other thing that you should take into consideration is salary. Generally speaking, if you want to earn the highest possible salary, you should go with Level IV because a Level IV Certificate can help you obtain higher-paying leadership and specialised roles in the aged care industry. Without a Level IV certificate, these roles are extremely difficult to obtain.
When deciding between a Level III and Level IV certificate, you should also consider how long you would like to be in school. If you want to just get out of school as fast as possible to begin your career, then a Level III Certificate is probably the better option. However, if you don’t mind going to school for a longer period to obtain a higher-paying job, then Level IV is the better option. The reason why a Level IV Certificate can take significantly longer to obtain is that many people choose to complete a Level III Certificate before they even start their Level IV training course.
The Benefits of Taking Either Certificates with Enable College
Hopefully, it is now clear to you which option is the best for you. However, no matter which direction you go in, both options can lead to highly rewarding careers. If you would like the Level III Certificate or the Level IV Certificate, you can earn it at Enable College.
Enable College provides extremely high-quality instruction and has excellent professors. The professors will guide you through the course and help you to learn everything that you need to learn to be a great ageing care professional. Enable College has been delivering nationally accredited training and support in Australia since 1994. You can learn more about Enable College’s Ageing Support Courses here.
