Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care

VU course code: | Level of study:

Fees

Fee type for this course: Full fee

Location

Applications closed

Overview

Turn your passion for working with children into a rewarding career with a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care CHC30121 at Victoria University (VU).

Get job-ready with hands-on learning in our early-childhood practical rooms, and via two 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 six years old. 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 covers topics such as:

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 in the early childhood practical classrooms on-campus in Werribee, St Albans or Footscray.
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 the purpose-built Victoria University Children’s Centre on our Werribee and Footscray Nicholson Campuses, providing care and education with a varied indoor and outdoor play-based program.
: A key component of this course is three work placements, in which 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.
To open doors to higher-level responsibilities in the sector, after completing this course you’ll enjoy guaranteed entry into our Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care, which can also lead into bachelor-level study at VU.

_{This course is in transition. The course code, title, units, and content may change in future. Further information will be provided on the VU website when available, upon enrolment and/or during your training.}

Entry requirements

When assessing your application, we consider your educational achievements and work experience, as well as your 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 related course or unit(s). We call this a ‘pathway’.

You may also be eligible for course ‘credits’, where you are granted a unit or units towards your qualification for equivalent previous study or work experience, so you can graduate sooner.

Inherent requirements

Inherent requirements are the abilities, attributes, skills and behaviours needed to meet the learning outcomes of the course.

You should carefully consider the inherent requirement statement as a:

guide for your learning during the course
way for you to identify challenges you may have in studying this course.

Find course inherent requirements

Entry criteria

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

Fees & scholarships

Fees

Open the year that you will start your study to discover the indicative (estimated) fees for that year.

: Non-trainee indicative fees
Fee type¹
Tuition²
Materials³
SSAF⁴
Free TAFE $0 $256 (max) $261 (max)
Skills First subsidised $5,142.80 $256 (max) $261 (max)
Concession $1,028.56 $256 (max) $112 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised) $13,975 – –
Trainee indicative fees
Fee type¹
Tuition²
Materials³
SSAF⁴
Free TAFE $0 $142 (max) $261 (max)
Skills First subsidised $5,142.80 $142 (max) $261 (max)
Concession $1,028.56 $142 (max) $112 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised) $13,975 – –
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
Read more about fees
: 2025 non-trainee
Fee type¹
Tuition²
Materials³
SSAF⁴
Free TAFE $0 $271 (max) $256 (max)
Skills First subsidised $4,919.20 $271 (max) $256 (max)
Concession $983.84 $271 (max) $110 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised) $13,975 – –
2025 trainee
Fee type¹
Tuition²
Materials³
SSAF⁴
Free TAFE $0 $182 (max) $256 (max)
Skills First subsidised $4,919.20 $182 (max) $256 (max)
Concession $983.84 $182 (max) $110 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised) $13,975 – –
Fee type – will be decided based on eligibility for Skills First 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 $0.32 (Skills First subsidised) or $0.14 (concession) per enrolled hour, up to the maximum per year
Read more about fees

Fee type¹	Tuition²	Materials³	SSAF⁴
Free TAFE	$0	$256 (max)	$261 (max)
Skills First subsidised	$5,142.80	$256 (max)	$261 (max)
Concession	$1,028.56	$256 (max)	$112 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised)	$13,975	–	–

Fee type¹	Tuition²	Materials³	SSAF⁴
Free TAFE	$0	$142 (max)	$261 (max)
Skills First subsidised	$5,142.80	$142 (max)	$261 (max)
Concession	$1,028.56	$142 (max)	$112 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised)	$13,975	–	–

Fee type¹	Tuition²	Materials³	SSAF⁴
Free TAFE	$0	$271 (max)	$256 (max)
Skills First subsidised	$4,919.20	$271 (max)	$256 (max)
Concession	$983.84	$271 (max)	$110 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised)	$13,975	–	–

Fee type¹	Tuition²	Materials³	SSAF⁴
Free TAFE	$0	$182 (max)	$256 (max)
Skills First subsidised	$4,919.20	$182 (max)	$256 (max)
Concession	$983.84	$182 (max)	$110 (max)
Full fee (not subsidised)	$13,975	–	–

Scholarships

Careers

Take advantage of the opportunity to become one of the more than 11,000 new early childhood teachers and educators the Victorian Government is estimating we will need over the next decade.

With a Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care CHC30121, you could take on roles such as: