CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

VU course code: CHC30125 | CRICOS: 119575F | Level of study: TAFE

Duration

1 year full time

Delivery mode

Face to Face with eLearning

Fees

Free TAFE

No tuition fees for eligible students

Location

Footscray Nicholson Campus, Werribee Campus, St Albans Campus

All start dates

Overview

Turn your passion for working with children into a rewarding career with a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30125) at Victoria University.

Get job-ready with hands-on learning in our early-childhood practical rooms and practical work placements in industry. You’ll complete this course with the qualification and confidence to work in early-childhood education and childcare centres caring for children from birth to 6 years old.

As part of this course, you’ll:

learn the fundamentals of early childhood development
develop skills to support and nurture babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers
gain expertise to plan and provide enriching educational experiences for children in a range of environments.

Your Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care will cover:

effective interaction and communication with children
appropriate care for babies, toddlers and children
nutrition
first aid, health and safety
working legally and ethically.

: Practise your skills in a simulated early childhood environment at the early childhood practical classrooms in Werribee, St Albans or Footscray campuses.
At VU, you’ll collaborate with your classmates to work through scenarios and debrief with your expert teachers to improve your skills.
Benefit from our close ties to the community, with our purpose-built children’s centre on our Werribee and Footscray Nicholson Campuses, providing care and education with a varied indoor and outdoor play-based program.
: Work placements are a key component of this course. You’ll work alongside experienced professionals to consolidate your skills and put theory into practice.
As a VU student, you’ll benefit from our extensive partner network, which includes schools and community and government organisations, particularly in Melbourne’s north and west. Your placements may also lead to paid employment.
Your teachers are experts in their field and have valuable industry contacts. You’ll also get to hear from guest speakers, and your assessments will be scenario-based with links to the real world.
: This course will give you the minimum qualification and skills to take on paid roles in early childhood centres. It’s also the first step towards further career advancements in early childhood.
After completing this course, you will receive a conditional offer to pathway into our Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50125). This diploma can open the door to higher-level responsibilities in the sector and lead into bachelor-level study at VU.

: This qualification reflects the role of workers in a range of early childhood education settings who work within the requirements of the Education and Care Services National Regulations and the National Quality Standard. They support the implementation of an approved learning framework, and support children’s wellbeing, learning and development. Depending on the setting, educators may work under direct supervision or autonomously.

To achieve this qualification, the individual must have completed a total of at least 160 hours of work in a regulated children’s education and care service in Australia as detailed in the Assessment Requirements of units of competency. Individuals must complete the National Child Safety Training prior to undertaking any work placement hours in a regulated children’s education and care service. The total number of hours may be applied collectively across all units of competency that include the requirement for workplace hours.

Under the Education and Care Services National Law (2011) and the Education and Care Services National Law Amendment Act (2017), the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) publishes lists of approved early childhood education and care qualifications and information regarding regulatory requirements here: www.acecqa.gov.au. This qualification is listed as an approved qualification by ACECQA.

This course is nationally recognised training.

Entry requirements

When assessing your application, we consider your education, work experience, current skills and personal attributes (where relevant).

Applicants for this course will need to meet the entry criteria outlined below. If you don’t meet the entry criteria, you may be able to gain entry by first completing a different course. We call this a ‘pathway’.

You may also be eligible for ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’, which lets you finish your course more quickly when you have gained some of the skills required from past study or work experience.

Entry criteria

Full-Time applicants are required to complete the following to determine suitability:
•Pre-training Review (PTR);
•Literacy and numeracy assessment.
•Meet the Inherent requirements of the course.
•Students will also be required to demonstrate they have the capacity to work with children and families in the highly demanding field of early childhood as set out by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and the Education and Care Services National Regulations by participating in an interview. This may be conducted individually or as a group, at the discretion of Victoria University. Further information is available at https://www.acecqa.gov.au/.

Part-Time (VDSS) applicants are required to complete the following to determine suitability:
•Pre-training Review (PTR)
•Literacy and numeracy assessment.
•Meet the Inherent requirements of the course.
•Students will also be required to demonstrate they have the capacity to work with children and families in the highly demanding field of early childhood as set out by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and the Education and Care Services National Regulations by participating in an interview. This may be conducted individually or as a group, at the discretion of Victoria University. Further information is available at https://www.acecqa.gov.au/.

Part-Time (Traineeship) applicants must complete the following to determine suitability:
•Pre-training Review (PTR)
•Literacy and numeracy assessment
•Evidence of prior study completion
•Must be employed as trainee
•Must have an active Epsilon number prior to commencing the course.
•Meet the Inherent requirements of the course.
Students will also be required to demonstrate they have the capacity to work with children and families in the highly demanding field of early childhood as set out by the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality

Practical Placement
Prior to beginning placement, all students must complete both training modules listed below in a regulated children's education and care service:
•National Child Safety Training
•Victorian State Government EC PROTECT Training
•The vocational sector also requires:
•A current and satisfactory Police Record Check
•Working with Children Check
•Immunisation

The following are suggested to visit are:
•https://www.education.gov.au/early-childhood/about/quality-and-safety/national-child-safety-training (in Gecko)
•https://www.vic.gov.au/mandatory-reporting-training
•Police Record Check - http://www.police.vic.gov.au/content.asp?Document_ID=274•Working with Children Check - http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/

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.

Special entry programs

Special admission programs

If you are from a disadvantaged or underrepresented social, economic or cultural background, you may be eligible for one of our special admission programs. These programs are designed to help you access education more easily.

Learn more about special entry programs

VU Early Entry

If you're currently in Year 11 or 12, our exclusive VU Early Entry program comes with a Conditional Offer to the course of your choosing*, a personalised course plan, special events, exclusive discounts and access to one-on-one course advice.

*Conditions apply.

Learn more about VU Early Entry

Credit & Entry pathways into this course

Victoria University is committed to providing a transparent admissions process. Find out more about how to apply for our courses, and our commitment to admissions transparency. Meeting the minimum admission criteria does not guarantee entry into this course. Past academic performance may be considered.

Course structure

To be awarded CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, 17 units must be completed consisting of:
• 15 core units • 2 elective units of which - 1 unit must be selected from the CHC30125 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care qualification - 1 unit from the electives listed below, elsewhere in the CHC Community Services Training Package, or any other current training package or accredited course.Where the full qualification is not completed, a VET Statement of Attainment will be issued for each unit successfully completed.

Vocational Education and Training Delivered to Secondary Schools (VDSS) students who complete these units of study as part of the VDSS will be issued a Statement of Attainment.

Units

Fees & scholarships

TAFE fees vary, depending on how much the government contributes towards course costs (if anything).

Read below to find out about the fee ‘type’, the estimated yearly tuition costs for this course, and the financial support on offer.

Fees

: 2027 indicative fees (non-traineeship)
Fee type¹ Tuition² Materials³ SSAF⁴
Free TAFE $0 $255 (max) $271 (max)
Skills First subsidised $5,142.80 $255 (max) $271 (max)
Concession $1,028.55 $255 (max) $116 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised) $15,652 – –
2027 indicative fees (traineeship)
What is a traineeship?
Fee type¹ Tuition² Materials³ SSAF⁴
Free TAFE $0 $187 (max) $271 (max)
Skills First subsidised $5,142.80 $187 (max) $271 (max)
Concession $1,028.55 $187 (max) $116 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised) $15,652 – –
Fee type – depends on your eligibility for subsidies and concessions; if you are not eligible you will pay the full fee amount
Tuition – the student tuition fees as published are subject to change given individual circumstances at enrolment
Materials – materials fees for supplies and resources are charged per unit
SSAF – Student Services and Amenities Fees for non-academic costs are charged at $0.35 (Skills First subsidised) or $0.15 (concession) per enrolled hour, up to the maximum per year
: 2026 indicative fees
Traineeship
Fee type¹ Tuition² Materials³ SSAF⁴
Free TAFE $0 $142 (max) $261 (max)
Skills First subsidised $5,143 $142 (max) $261 (max)
Concession $1,029 $142 (max) $112 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised) $15,652 – –
Non-traineeship
Fee type¹ Tuition² Materials³ SSAF⁴
Free TAFE $0 $236 (max) $261 (max)
Skills First subsidised $5,143 $236 (max) $261 (max)
Concession $1,029 $236 (max) $112 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised) $15,652 – –
Fee type – depends on your eligibility for subsidies and concessions; if you are not eligible you will pay the full fee amount
Tuition – the student tuition fees as published are subject to change given individual circumstances at enrolment
Materials – materials fees for supplies and resources are charged per unit
SSAF – Student Services and Amenities Fees for non-academic costs are charged at $0.33 (Skills First subsidised) or $0.14 (concession) per enrolled hour, up to the maximum per year

Fee type¹	Tuition²	Materials³	SSAF⁴
Free TAFE	$0	$255 (max)	$271 (max)
Skills First subsidised	$5,142.80	$255 (max)	$271 (max)
Concession	$1,028.55	$255 (max)	$116 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised)	$15,652	–	–

Fee type¹	Tuition²	Materials³	SSAF⁴
Free TAFE	$0	$142 (max)	$261 (max)
Skills First subsidised	$5,143	$142 (max)	$261 (max)
Concession	$1,029	$142 (max)	$112 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised)	$15,652	–	–

Fee type¹	Tuition²	Materials³	SSAF⁴
Free TAFE	$0	$236 (max)	$261 (max)
Skills First subsidised	$5,143	$236 (max)	$261 (max)
Concession	$1,029	$236 (max)	$112 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised)	$15,652	–	–

Scholarships

Careers

Demand for childcare professionals in Melbourne’s west is set to remain high, with large population growth in the area.

This industry-focused certificate will prepare you for a rewarding career in children’s services. Our graduates find employment in a variety of education and care settings, such as:

early childhood education and care centres
community services
other early childhood education programs.
private homes as a nanny
family day care.

Potential job titles include:

early childhood educator
outside school hours care assistant
playgroup supervisor
recreation assistant
family daycare worker
nanny
childhood educator/assistant.

After completing this course, you will receive a conditional offer to pathway into our Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50125).

Start dates

TAFE coursework

On campus – Melbourne Footscray Nicholson Campus

Course starts 01 February 2027

Applications close 17 January 2027

On campus – Melbourne Werribee Campus

Course starts 01 February 2027

Applications close 17 January 2027

On campus – Melbourne St Albans Campus

Course starts 01 February 2027

Applications close 17 January 2027

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information on this page, please note that dates are subject to change. Some courses may close early due to an earlier start date or there being limited places available.