How long will the course take?
The Education Support Combo takes about 6–12 months to complete. Completion time is not fixed and can vary depending on each student’s background, weekly study routine, confidence, support needs, placement arrangements and personal circumstances.
Students may complete closer to 6 months where they have:
- relevant education support, school, childcare, disability support, community services or related-role experience
- substantial experience with children through parenting, volunteering, school involvement or community involvement
- transferable workplace skills, such as communication, teamwork, WHS, following policies and procedures, confidentiality, documentation and time management
- prior study experience, such as completing another certificate, diploma or degree
Students who are newer to study, school settings, workplace documentation, online learning or professional English may take closer to 12 months. Some students may require an extension beyond the standard enrolment period.
All students must complete the required learning, assessments, workplace evidence and placement requirements for both qualifications to the required standard before either qualification can be issued.
Jasmine – about 6 months
Jasmine is 37 and has two children at school. She has years of child-related life experience through parenting, school involvement and supporting her children’s learning. She has also worked in administration and customer service at a school and elsewhere, giving her a strong foundation in communication, organisation, confidentiality, WHS awareness, following procedures, teamwork and documentation. Jasmine holds a Certificate IV in Youth Work and has completed several tertiary level units in business and finance.
Many course concepts are familiar to Jasmine, including school routines, communication with teachers, student safety, behaviour support, inclusion, literacy and numeracy support. She studies consistently, organises placement early and completes her 100-hour school placement across 6 weeks. For Jasmine, completing in about 6 months is realistic.
Bonnie – about 12 months
Bonnie is 19, has completed Year 12 and has several years retail experience as well as a Certificate II in Community Services and partial completion of an early childhood course. She is reliable and motivated, a natural with kids, but needs more time to build confidence with school policies, learning support concepts, additional needs and behaviour support.
Bonnie moves through the course steadily and consistently. For Bonnie, completing in about 12 months may be more realistic.
Amina – longer than 12 months
Amina is 31 and has substantial experience supporting children, mainly in her home country of the Philippines where she worked as a nurse. Amina holds a Bachelor of Nursing but no longer wishes to work in healthcare. She is capable and motivated, but needs more time with professional English, written assessments, school policies, and the terminology used in Australian schools.
Amina may understand the practical work but need longer to read policies, complete written responses and prepare workplace evidence. She may need an extension beyond the standard enrolment period due to the additional time required for English language, written assessment and documentation tasks.