Diploma of Community Services

The following units are included in this course, and all are required for the award of the qualification. Students who only complete some units will be awarded with a Statement of Attainment for units successfully completed.

This course is delivered face-to-face in a classroom-based setting, as well as through structured self-study and in the workplace. All classroom-based training will take place at ACVET’s training facilities.

The timetable for this course will be advised in your Offer Letter and Student Agreement.

You are required to attend classes for 14 hours of classroom training per week and complete structured self-study of 6 hours per week for 80 study weeks (8 terms of 10 weeks each).  Holiday breaks are as indicated in your timetable.

Class sessions include a mix of theory and practical activities with a focus on creating a real-life workplace.  

You will also be required to complete 100 hours of work placement and we will assist you to find a work placement or you can find your own. This placement is to be completed during Weeks 11 of terms 2, 4, 6, and 8. You must complete 25 hours of work placement during each block and your trainer and assessor will visit you during this time to discuss any issues concerning the placement or questions you have, as well as to conduct observations for assessment purposes.

In addition to classroom based study, structured self-study and the work placement, you will also need to complete approximately 5 hours of additional, unsupervised study per week including research for assessments, completing assessments outside of class/work placement time and general reading.

You will also need to complete assessments for this course which may include:

• Written questions
• Projects
• Presentations
• Reports
• Role plays/observations

At the beginning of each unit, your trainer and assessor will outline the assessment tasks that must be completed.

Your classes will be conducted in modern classrooms, and you will be able to access Wi-Fi. There are also areas for you to relax, as well as conduct additional study. 

You will be provided with learning and assessment materials that will be used to develop your knowledge and understanding. You will also be provided with a range of learning support options and resources to help achieve competency.

Satisfactory course progress and attendance is very important. Please read the Student Handbook carefully for more information. You will also be provided with further information about course progress and attendance requirements at your orientation. 

Course credit

You can apply for recognition of existing qualifications or skills, knowledge and experience (credit transfer or recognition of prior learning) as per the information included in our International Student Handbook, which is available at www.acvet.edu.au.

If you are granted course credit, this will affect your course fees as well as the duration of your course.  We will advise you in writing of changes to fees or course duration as a result of the credit. You will also be issued with a new Confirmation of Enrolment.

For any questions about course credit, contact us.

We offer the following in relation to support and welfare.

• one-to-one support from the trainer/assessor
• support with personal issues
• access to additional learning resources
• reasonable adjustment in assessment
• social events
• information about external sources of support.

You may not have studied for a while, may have English as a second language or need additional assistance with literacy or numeracy.

We will identify any additional support needs you may have at the time of application and enrolment and may prepare a Student Support Plan for you based on those needs.

You are required to bring your own laptop with Office 365 (or similar program) to all classes. These costs are not included in your course fees. Specifications for laptops and associated costs are included below.

PC

MacOS:

ACVET has the following entry requirements:

You must:

• be at least 18 years of age and have completed the equivalent of Year 12.
• participate in a course entry interview to determine suitability for the course and student needs.
• have an IELTS* score of 5.5 (test results must be no more than 2 years old).  English language competence can also be demonstrated through documented evidence of any of the following:
  • educated for 5 years in an English-speaking country; or
  • Completed at least 6 months of a Certificate IV level course in an Australian RTO; or
  • successful completion of an English Placement Test.

Note that other English language tests such as PTE and TOEFL can be accepted. You are required to provide your results so that we can confirm they are equivalent to IELTS 5.5.

The costs for this course are as follows:

Course fees do not include laptops or software – see information above.

A detailed payment plan and payment arrangements are provided in the Offer Letter and Student Agreement. You must pay all of your course fees and on time. Non-payment of fees may result in cancellation of enrolment. 

Please note that you will need to pay for costs associated with a police check and any immunisations required by the workplace.

Please also note that the placements that we can organise for you may be in a variety of locations and you may need to factor in additional costs such as getting to the location and possibly staying in the area for the duration of the placement.

You are also required to take out Overseas Health Insurance Cover before arriving in Australia. ACVET provides details of OSHC providers in the International Student Handbook. You can approach any of these providers to find out costs and organise your cover.

Additional costs associated with living in Australia are outlined in the International Student Handbook. You should carefully review these costs in relation to budgeting. Further information can be found at https://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/english/live-in-australia/living-costs.

To apply for this course, you are required to complete an enrolment form and submit all required supporting evidence including copies of your:

• High School Certificate
• proof of English language proficiency as specified in the entry requirements.

Where to from here?

If your application is successful, we will send you an Offer Letter and Student Agreement. You should make sure you read through this document carefully to make sure you are happy with all of the terms and conditions. If you are, then simply sign the document and send it back to us.

Once we receive this, we will issue you with a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) letter and an invoice for the first payment.

The first day of each course will include orientation and induction. Orientation will include information about the campus, living in Australia, accessing our support services and methods for achieving success throughout the course, including course progress requirements.

This course outline should be read in conjunction with ACVET International Student Handbook. This can be found online at www.acvet.edu.au.