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Choose your qualification
Maybe you’re at the earliest stage of career planning and want a career, or a career change, but you don’t know which career would be best for you. A good website to help you work out your next career step is My Future.
Alternatively, you might want to seek personal help from a career counsellor. A good place to find a qualified counsellor is through the Australian Association of Career Counsellors Inc. On this site you can use the ‘Find a career practitioner’ function.
Now you know what your study choice is. Maybe it’s in IT, fashion, plumbing, graphic design, hospitality, horticulture or many other vocational courses. Your next step is to find what the name of that qualification is under the national training system. For instance, you may want to do community work and the right qualification for you could be a Certificate II in Community Studies.
To find out the name of the best qualification for you go to National Training Information Service (NTIS). Type in the career you’re interested in e.g. ‘retail’ or ‘plumbing’ and tick the ‘qualifications’ box as well as the State/Territory you are interested in. The search will come up with suggestions for qualifications that might suit you.
Some large registered training organisations (RTOs) also have very comprehensive websites which tell you about the qualifications they offer as well as their skills recognition services.
What qualification level should you aim for?
Vocational qualifications come in different levels. Your previous experience may qualify you for skills recognition at one level of the course you choose but not at another.
Here is an explanation of some of the qualification levels you may see. The more advanced levels are at the top of the list:
| Qualification level | Description |
|---|---|
| Advanced Diploma | People working at this level are likely to be senior managers or technical managers. They apply fundamental principles and techniques and significant judgement in planning, design and leadership. |
| Diploma | At this level, people are likely to be managers who plan, initiate new approaches and apply judgement in managing themselves and others. They apply their knowledge and skills with substantial depth in some areas. |
| Certificate IV | Certificate IV level may apply to people who are supervisors or have advanced trade skills. They have a broad range of skills, can evaluate and plan, and can provide some management and guidance to others. |
| Certificate III | People working at this level perform a defined range of skilled operations, using discretion and judgement. They can select, adapt and transfer their skills to different situations. Certificate III is the minimum level trade qualification. |
| Certificate II | At this level people perform a range of functions, involving known routines and procedures with some complex or non-routine activities. This is typically an entry level qualification for people entering an industry or returning to study. |
| Certificate I | People working at Certificate I level perform a defined range of mainly routine and predictable activities. This is typically an entry level qualification for people entering an industry or returning to study. |
For more information about qualifications go to the Australian Qualifications Framework website.
If you find it difficult to work out what qualification level you should apply for, don’t worry. Once you’ve decided what qualification you want, you will search for a registered training organisation (RTO). The assessor at your RTO can help you work out which level is most relevant to your existing skills.
Before you start shopping around for an RTO, take a look at the page on Your skills and gaps. It will help you prepare before you go to the RTO and apply for skills recognition.
