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5.
New guidelines for field
placement: CHC50702 Diploma of
Community Welfare Work |
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The NSW Vocational Education and Training Advisory Board
(VETAB), the state training authority (STA), is experiencing a significant
increase in the number of applications for the CHC50702 Diploma of Community
Welfare Work from new and existing providers of education and training to
overseas students. Students completing this qualification can use it to meet
particular selection criteria when applying for skills assessment under General
Skilled Migration Program, thus attracting points towards permanent
residency. NSW VETAB, the Community Services and Health Industry
Skills Council (CS&H ISC) and the Australian Institute of Welfare and Community
Workers (AIWCW) are increasingly concerned about the appropriateness of
work/field placements being proposed by Registered Training Organisations
(RTOs) seeking approval to offer the Diploma of Community Welfare Work to
international students. AIWCW is a membership organisation for community
and welfare workers and is also the gazetted skills assessment authority in
relation to the community welfare field under the Migration Act 1958. It is
required to assess international students as ‘work ready’ as
‘welfare workers’ for the purposes of permanent residency. Some
field placements have not reflected the content or level of work described in
the Diploma and an increasing number of RTO programs fall short of competency
assessment and AIWCW requirements. These concerns relate specifically to an
RTO’s understanding of: ·
the intended job outcomes of the
qualification and the nature of the work associated with these outcomes; ·
the types of work/field placement appropriate
to support students to achieve these outcomes; and ·
the limited availability of work/field
placement opportunities capable of providing such opportunities. In order to clarify the requirements of the CHC50702
Diploma of Community Welfare Work the CS&H ISC, AIWCW and NSW VETAB have
jointly developed new guidelines for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs)
applying to add the CHC50702 Diploma of Community Welfare Work to their scope
of delivery in NSW. The guidelines define appropriate field placements and
clarify the content and level of work described in the qualification. These
guidelines will be used by VETAB to audit RTOs and deal with applications for
amendment to scope of RTOs. The
AIWCW also uses the guidelines to determine the appropriateness of field
education placements in relation to graduates being eligible for membership
of the professional association and whether overseas students are eligible
for assessment as a welfare worker for migration purposes. The CHC50702
Diploma of Community Welfare Work – Work Placement Guidelines are
available on this link. For further information please contact the CS&H ISC
Research & Policy Team on isc.update@cshisc.com.au
or visit www.aiwcw.org.au
or www.vetab.nsw.gov.au. |