Induction

This course contains a minimum of 40 hours of work placement.

What are the benefits?

• By undertaking a work placement you’ll get a chance to put the knowledge you’ve learned on your course into practice
• You’ll also develop practical, on-the-job skills and could make contacts that could help you find a job once you graduate
• Work placement is often the most rewarding part of a student’s course. Working face-to-face with clients and colleagues in your chosen field makes a huge difference to your career confidence

How do I find a work placement?

You’ll need to find a work placement yourself and ensure it’s approved by Open Colleges. When looking for a suitable work placement host organisation, have a think about the following:

• Are you already working or volunteering in the industry your course is related to? You could potentially do your work placement at your current place of work or have contacts that could recommend a suitable work place. Ask around!
• If you’re entering a new industry, do some research and start thinking about organisations you could approach. We have plenty of resources available to help with approaching and finding a suitable work placement organisation

Cost of work placement

All costs of work placement, including any placement fees charged by the host organisation (whether to the student or Open Colleges), cost of statutory checks and vaccinations, travel, accommodation, and uniforms are the responsibility of the student. These fees will vary and are dependent on your location within Australia.

• Costs for statutory checks will range between $0 – $100 dependent on the type of check you select and your state
• Costs for vaccinations will very between practitioners, please refer to your GP for approximate costs
• Placement fees will vary, please discuss this with your intended host organisation for approximate costs

Host organisation

Work placement hours can be done part time or as a block, depending on the host organisation’s requirements and availability. You will not achieve any units of competency unless you have completed your work placement hours.

You will need to undertake your work placement in an organisation involved in professional community services, such as residential facilities, group homes, respite care services, and community support settings. The specific requirements of the workplace are outlined in the Workplace Assessment Guide, which can be found in OpenSpace.

Open Colleges will need to ascertain whether the workplace you have chosen is appropriate before you commence your work placement hours.

Immunisations

Please note that your host organisation may require you to provide an up to date immunisation history prior to the commencement of your work placement. Open Colleges has no control over this requirement so if you are unable to provide this, you will need to discuss it with your intended Host Organisation.

It should also be noted that some immunisations, such as Hepatitis B and COVID-19, need multiple injections to be administered over a specific time period before you are deemed immune. It is important that you consult with your GP as soon as possible to avoid delays in starting your work placement.

Supervisor requirements

The workplace supervisor will need to have:

• Hold a Certificate III in Community Services qualification or equivalent
• At least 1 years’ industry experience