Overview
Develop practical skills and knowledge in a fast-growing industry with a Certificate III in Civil Construction.
This trade certificate is delivered in the following specialisations:
- civil construction general
- road construction and maintenance
- tunnel construction.
You will gain knowledge and skills in:
- planning and organising work
- workplace communication and safety
- reading and interpreting plans and specifications
- measurements and calculations
- operation of a small plant and equipment
- manual excavation and levelling
- concreting
- implementing a traffic management plan
- installation of signs and roadside fixtures
- repairing damaged surfaces, and
- maintenance of bitumen surfaces.
You will also learn how to safely use and maintain tools and equipment used in civil construction, including:
- hand and power tools
- concreting material and equipment
- road surfacing equipment, and
- elevating work platforms.
Course duration
- Domestic: 0.5 years.
- Apprenticeship: 3 years.
- Traineeship: 1 year.
- Industry group: 1.5 years.
Free TAFE 2021 – apply now
Eligible students won’t pay tuition fees for this course in 2021.
Free TAFE courses align with skills and jobs that are in high demand from Victorian employers.
Find out more about Free TAFE.
Specialisations
The road construction and maintenance specialisation is open to the general public to apply.
Apprenticeship and traineeship applicants must be currently employed under a training contract and referred by their employer and registered Apprenticeship Network Provider (ANP) for the following specialisations:
- general construction
- road construction and maintenance
- tunnel construction.
Hands-on training & industry links
You will have access to state-of-the-art simulators and machines at our Werribee Campus (Werribee East). As part of your course, you will undertake 150+ hours of operating machinery, including our eight-tonne wheeled front end loader, in a controlled environment. Learning with us means you’ll get the hands-on training to operate equipment safely and be job-ready when you graduate.
Industry partners are also co-located at Werribee East, allowing for closer industry contact during your training.
Learning advice
VU's Learning Hubs are welcoming spaces where you can improve your study and employability skills.
Our students can attend Learning Hubs at one of five VU campuses.
We offer maths, writing, careers and English-language advice, and show you effective ways to study and manage your time.
Our programs include:
- workshops
- drop-in sessions
- peer mentoring
- maths and writing resources
- resume and career guidance.
We also have accessibility support services and counselling services available for all students.
Library & computer facilities
Our campus libraries have photocopying, computing and printing facilities as well as electronic and print resources.
You'll also have access to a rich collection of online resources at any time of the day or night, including:
- databases
- e-learning content for courses
- student email
- student software packages
- social networking tools.
On campus, we make sure that all of our students have access to digital resources. We offer:
- excellent WiFi networks
- more than 4000 computers (PCs and Apple Macs) across our campuses
- a central IT helpdesk for technical help.
Need some advice?
Request a call back from one of our experienced Victoria University Polytechnic course advisers to get your questions answered.
Request a call backTAFE resources
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Free TAFE 2021
No tuition fees for eligible students. - Fee subsidies
Develop a broad range of road construction and maintenance skills to pursue a career in civil construction with the Certificate III in Civil Construction.
Careers
Graduates from this qualification in their specialisation will have the skills and knowledge to undertake roles within the civil construction industry such as:
- road construction specialist
- road maintenance specialist
- skilled operator working in specifically in tunnelling or general civil construction work.
Nationally recognised training
This course is nationally recognised training.
Course structure
QUALIFICATION COMPLETION RULES:
The course structure has been chosen from the following core and elective units as listed offered by Victoria University Polytechnic. The qualification has core and elective units of competency that cover the skills for the following two (2) specialist and one (1) general civil construction streams:
Specialisations
- Road Construction and Maintenance
- Civil Construction General
- Tunnel Construction
Additional completion requirements apply to courses delivered under an Australian Apprenticeship or Traineeship agreement. The apprentice/trainee must achieve all the competencies in their training plan and their employer must provide written confirmation to Victoria University Polytechnic the individual is competent in the workplace.
Course structure and units
VU Polytechnic delivers the electives listed in the ‘course structure and units’ below. These electives have been selected based on industry needs, graduate pathways and/or student and teacher feedback. Alternative suitable electives are only available via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) and Credit Transfer (CT).
Specialisation: Road Construction and Maintenance To be awarded the Certificate III in Civil Construction (Road Construction and Maintenance), a student must successfully complete a total of 25 units of competency, comprising of: * 7 core units * 18 elective units, of which: nine (9) must be chosen from Group J at least two (2) must be chosen from Group K at least two (2) must be chosen from Group L up to five (5) may be chosen from the electives below, elsewhere within this training package, or from another endorsed training package, or from an accredited course At least five (5) of the eighteen (18) elective units chosen must be road construction and maintenance (RIICRC) units.
Core Units
Elective Units
Group J
Group K
Group L
Group Y
Imported Units
Specialisation: Civil Construction (General) To be awarded the Certificate III in Civil Construction (General), a student must successfully complete a total of 25 units of competency, comprising of: 7 core units plus 18 elective units, of which: at least ten (10) must be chosen from Group Y at least three (3) must be chosen from Group Z up to five (5) may be chosen from the electives listed below, elsewhere within this training package, or from another endorsed training package, or from an accredited course.
Core Units
Elective Units
Group Y
Group Z
Imported Units
Specialisation: Tunnel Construction To be awarded the Certificate III in Civil Construction (Tunnel Construction), a student must successfully complete a total of 25 units of competency, comprising of: 7 core units plus 18 elective units, of which: eight (8) must be chosen from Group P at least three (3) must be chosen from Group Q at least two (2) must be chosen from Group R up to five (5) may be chosen from the electives listed below, elsewhere within this training package, or from another endorsed training package, or from an accredited course. At least two (2) of the eighteen (18) elective units chosen must be tunnel construction (RIICTC) units.
Core Units
Elective Units
Group F
Group P
Group Q
Group R
Recognition of Prior Learning and/or Credit Transfers
Previous completion of units at the Polytechnic or any other Registered Training Organisation and/or previous attainment of skills and knowledge may be credited towards this course. Units must satisfy the completion rules of the qualification and be assessed as appropriate by the Polytechnic.
Learning outcomes
This qualification reflects the role of a skilled operator working in civil construction, who applies a broad range of skills in a varied work context, using some discretion and judgement and relevant theoretical knowledge.
The qualification applies to specialist occupations in bituminous surfacing, bridge construction and maintenance, pipe laying, road construction and maintenance, road marking, tunnel construction, timber bridge construction and maintenance, civil construction general and traffic management occupations. The individual may provide theoretical advice and support a team.
Fees & scholarships
Fee type for this course: VET
Fee type definitions
The amount you pay for your course depends on whether you’re offered a government subsidised place or a full fee-paying place.
Students who enrol in a:
- government subsidised place pay subsidised tuition fees (the government contributes the rest), and may be required to pay a Student Services and Amenities Fee along with any material fees
- full fee-paying place pay the full fee tuition rate (which includes Student Services and Amenities Fee and any material fees).
Calculate your VET course fees.
Find out more about:
- the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF)
- ways to pay your fees
- important fee dates
- how to apply for a VE/TAFE refund
Scholarships & assistance
Apply for a scholarship to help with your study costs.
We can help with fee assistance and advice.
Admission & pathways
Meeting the minimum admission requirements does not guarantee you entry into this course. Some courses receive more applications than the number of places available. In this situation we will also assess your education, work and other relevant experience.
If you do not meet the minimum requirements you may be eligible for one of our special admission programs. We also encourage you to explore our study pathways to help you reach your goal.
Find out more about how to apply for our courses, and our commitment to admissions transparency.
Entry requirements
Pathways from VU courses
There are many ways you can start your education journey at VU. Pathways offer an easy transition between courses at different levels, so that you can start with a certificate and progress right through to postgraduate study.
Find out more about pathways and credits.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)
You may be able to complete your qualification sooner through formal recognition of your existing skills. This is known as Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
To receive RPL, we assess your previous work, education and life experiences against recognised qualifications. Applications for RPL can be made prior to enrolling.
Call us on 1300 TAFE VP (1300 823 387) to discuss RPL options with the course manager.
How to apply
Prior to enrolment, all applicants will be required to complete a literacy and numeracy assessment to assist with determining eligibility and to identify learning support needs.
Before you apply
Before applying, you should consider whether you also want to apply for:
- Special admission programs: Depending on your life circumstances you may be eligible for special consideration of your application.
- Advanced standing: If you have significant experience or studies elsewhere you may be eligible for credit for some units of your course and not have to undertake them.
Find out more about applying for our courses.
Apply direct to VU
Apply direct to VU using our admission centre, submit applications for one or more courses, track and save your progress and upload additional information.
Already a VU student?
If you are already a VU student, apply direct to VU using our Admissions centre to transfer into this course. Remember it’s best to be accepted into your new course before withdrawing from your current one.
After you apply
- It’s important to check for emails from us (which may go to your spam/junk folder).
- Complete any requests for information by the given dates, otherwise your application may not be considered
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Contact VU Polytechnic
Please note that if changes to this course occur, VU will notify students as soon as possible.
At Victoria University, we aim to display accurate and complete course information online. However, we are unable to guarantee that every course change is currently displayed. You may contact the University directly on +61 3 9919 6100 to confirm the most up-to-date course fees, pathways and credit transfer, recognition of prior learning, admission and enrolment procedures, examinations and services available to our students.
