Qualifications for aged care and disability support
Get qualified to start in care, or step up into a senior role. And if you are already doing the work, you may be able to have your experience recognised instead of sitting the whole course.
Check which one suits me See both qualificationsCommunity and Care Courses
One gets you into the industry. The other moves you up in it.
Certificate III in Individual Support
To get into care work
The standard entry qualification for aged care, home care and disability support. This is the one most employers ask for before they will put you on.
- Structure
- 15 units — 9 core and 6 electives
- Work placement
- 120 hours. If you already work in care, your current work may count.
- Specialisations
- Ageing, Disability, or Ageing and Disability
- Suits you if
- You are new to care, or you have been doing the work for years without the paperwork to prove it.
Certificate IV in Ageing Support
To step up in aged care
The next level for people already working in aged care who want more responsibility — care planning, coordinating support, supervising and mentoring other workers.
- Structure
- 18 units — 15 core and 3 electives
- Work placement
- 120 hours. Your current aged care work may count.
- Where it leads
- Senior personal care worker, team leader, care supervisor and similar roles.
- Suits you if
- You are already working in aged care, ideally with a Certificate III behind you, and you want to move up.
Two ways to get there
Both qualifications can be done either way. Which one applies to you depends entirely on whether you are already working in the sector.
Recognition of Prior Learning
- You are already doing the work — personal care, home care, aged care, disability support.
- Instead of sitting the course, you prove what you already do: payslips, position description, a supervisor reference, work samples.
- Triscott's assessor reviews your evidence and may have a short competency conversation with you.
- Anything genuinely missing is filled with targeted gap training — just that part, not the whole qualification.
- Usually the faster and cheaper route if your experience is current.
The full course
- You complete all the units with Triscott — 15 for the Certificate III, 18 for the Certificate IV.
- Includes the mandatory 120 hours of work placement in a real care setting.
- Triscott manages and approves the work placement requirements.
- You finish with the same nationally recognised qualification.
- The right path if you have no paid experience in care yet.
Choose your specialisation
The Certificate III can be awarded with a specialisation shown on the certificate. It comes down to which electives you do. The Certificate IV is aged care specific, so it does not have specialisations.
Ageing
Residential aged care and home care for older people.
Disability
Supporting people living with disability, including NDIS settings.
Ageing and Disability
Both, which keeps the most doors open when you apply for work.
The things people ask before enrolling
Who issues the certificate
Triscott Educational Services Pty Ltd, RTO 6937. Not A&B.
Is it nationally recognised
Yes. Both are on Triscott's scope of registration at training.gov.au.
What you will need
A USI (Unique Student Identifier) — free, and we help you get one. Most employers also want a police check and NDIS worker screening.
What it costs
We go through the cost with you personally when we speak, so you get a straight answer for your situation. You will have it in writing before you commit to anything.
What happens after you enquire
We call you
A short chat about your work history so we can tell you honestly which qualification fits, and whether RPL is realistic for you.
We refer you to Triscott
We help you get your paperwork in order and refer you to Triscott Educational Services, who enrol you as their student.
Assessment or training
Triscott's assessor reviews your evidence, or delivers the course and manages the placement requirements.
Certificate issued
Triscott issues your nationally recognised qualification, provided you meet all assessment and evidence requirements. We stay in touch to make sure nothing stalls.
Which one suits me?
Six questions, about a minute. You will get an honest answer on screen — including if the answer is "start with the full course".
Free pathway check
Question 1 of 7
Common questions
Who actually gives me the certificate?
Triscott Educational Services Pty Ltd, RTO 6937. They do the assessing and issue the qualification. A&B First Aid Training refers and enrols you with them. We do not issue these qualifications — we only issue our own first aid and CPR certificates.
Is it the same certificate as going directly to Triscott?
Yes, identical. Same code, same RTO, same nationally recognised qualification. Going through us just means someone walks you through it instead of leaving you to work it out alone.
What does it cost?
We do not publish a price, because it depends on which pathway you end up on and how much of the qualification you can already evidence. We will go through it with you when we call, and you will have it in writing before you commit to anything.
I have been in aged care for years — do I really have to do the whole course?
Probably not. That is exactly what Recognition of Prior Learning is for. Do the pathway check above and we will tell you where you stand.
Should I do the Certificate III or the Certificate IV?
If you are not yet working in care, start with the Certificate III — it is the qualification employers ask for. If you are already working in aged care and want to move into care planning, coordination or supervising others, the Certificate IV is the step up. The check above will point you to the right one.
How long does RPL take?
It depends how quickly you gather your evidence. The assessment itself is not the slow part — collecting payslips, your position description and a supervisor reference usually is.