In Australia, our ageing population accounts for over 4 million people, many requiring daily support to live happy, healthy lives.
Personal Care Workers form part of the answer to our nation’s aged care problems and, as such, are a job in high demand across all states and territories. If you’re already working in this type of role, you might be wondering what comes next – perhaps managing a team of care workers or moving into a position that’s more about planning than providing care.
In this article, we look beyond the Personal Care Worker role to explore where your career might take you next, and what qualifications can help get you there.
Advancing in Personal Care Work
Becoming a Personal Care Worker (PCW) is ideal for people who like supporting others, specifically older adults. Whether in a care facility or an individual’s home, it can be deeply rewarding to provide the precise care your clients need to complete daily tasks many of us take for granted – like bathing and toileting or visiting the shops for essential groceries.
Yet even when you enjoy your job, you will likely find yourself ready to advance your care worker career after a while. That could be because you want to:
- Specialise in a sub-area of care work – for example, supporting people with dementia.
- Increase your opportunities to take on additional higher-level responsibilities.
- Develop and lead others working in the sector by managing a team.
Or perhaps you are brand new to care work and want to enter the profession with a broad set of skills, some highly specialised and perhaps with added responsibilities like people management.
Getting ahead in care work can often require additional skills to complete the necessary tasks. For this, you will need relevant qualifications.
Why You Need to Study for Aged Care Work
The Aged Care sector can be complex. Clients in your care will vary greatly from one to the next, with entirely different needs for support. Expectations are different, too, depending on whether you’re looking after someone yourself (providing direct care) or supporting a team that delivers the care. Also, many front and back-office administrative roles help drive the care sector along and you might be interested in one of these types of job.
The Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) and the Certificate IV in Ageing Support cater to different levels of expertise and job responsibilities. There are three main differences between the two qualifications:
1. Level and Focus
| Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing): | Certificate IV in Ageing Support: |
| Entry-level qualification designed for those starting their career in Aged Care. Focuses on providing direct, personal care to older adults. Emphasises foundational skills like assisting with daily living, supporting independence, and understanding basic health and safety. | Advanced qualification aimed at those who wish to take on leadership or specialised roles in Aged Care. Includes a deeper understanding of care planning, managing services, and coordinating teams. Prepares graduates for roles with more responsibility, such as team leaders or case managers. |
2. Typical Job Outcomes
| Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing): | Certificate IV in Ageing Support: |
| Residential Support Worker Personal Care Worker Aged Care Worker Home Care Assistant | Aged Care Team Leader Care Coordinator Program Coordinator Residential Services Officer |
3. Core Skills and Training
| Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing): | Certificate IV in Ageing Support: |
| Basic care tasks: assisting with meals, hygiene, and mobility. Communicating effectively with clients and families. Understanding the principles of person-centered care. | Advanced care tasks: creating and managing care plans. Supervising and mentoring junior staff. Navigating complex needs and working with allied health professionals. |
In short, the Certificate III serves as a stepping stone for those wanting to gain basic skills and perform entry-level Personal Care Worker duties. It also provides a pathway to Certificate IV for further career development when you’re ready.
The Certificate IV is designed for those looking to advance into leadership roles or specialise in care coordination. As well as preparing you for these types of jobs, it can lead to further studies, such as a Diploma of Community Services or university-level courses.
Advanced Personal Care Worker Qualifications
Empathetic, caring and patient people are the ideal candidates to work in the Aged Care sector. Yet it takes more than these natural personal skills to support older adults, many with complex age-related conditions like dementia.
Anybody entering the profession requires formal training and must complete the Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) as a minimum. However, this training equips you for entry-level positions and some students want to enter the profession with broader, highly specialised skills. Additionally, there are many PCWs who have already completed the Certificate III and want to advance further. If this is you, then the CHC43015 Certificate IV in Ageing Support is ideal.
CHC43015 Certificate IV in Ageing Support
This qualification prepares you to perform specialised tasks in aged services, empower older individuals, support people with dementia, deliver care with a palliative approach, and lead a team of aged care workers. On completing the course, you can take on work in aged care facilities, community health centres and home care services.
About the course
You will complete 18 units of study – 15 core and three elective – which take an average 12-18 months to complete, depending on your other life commitments.
These units teach you multiple skills, like how to facilitate the empowerment of older people, support independence and wellbeing, coordinate services for older people and follow safe work practices for direct client care. You will also learn highly specialist skills including how to support people living with dementia and delivering care services using a palliative approach.
The course includes an extensive practical placement of 120-150 hours where you will focus on learning supervisory skills.
Why study this course?
The course suits individuals already working in aged care and looking to improve their skills, or those who have passed the CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) and want to continue their studies to the next level.
Finding employment in Aged Care
Once you have completed your Level IV Certificate, you will be equipped for many positions in the aged care sector, with an abundance of opportunities waiting for you!
Popular employment sites like Seek and Indeed post lots of jobs in this field, allowing you to drill down by job type and location to help you find roles that match your skills. Alternatively, you may prefer to approach aged care providers directly – either local ones in your area or larger, national organisations like St Vincents, who are likely to hire skilled care workers regularly.
Studying Aged Care
There is one place aged care workers look to train: Insight Training!
As a leading Registered Training Organisation in WA, Insight Training offers flexible, affordable study to prepare people for a fulfilling career in Aged Care.
Speak to a Course and Career Advisor for more information about our courses. Or, if you want to get started with your studies immediately, enrol today!
Sign up to study the CHC43015 Certificate IV in Ageing Support
