Outside School Hours Care

Finalisation and Submission

Project closure

The primary objective of this project was to transition the nationally accredited course 10983NAT Certificate III in Outside School Hours Care to the CHC Community Services Training Package. The functional analysis research and consultation conducted during this project served to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the current accredited Certificate III and attempted to promote its transition to stakeholders. Relevant stakeholders involved in this process and subsequent consultation included individuals from relevant sector associations, community education providers, employers (large/medium/small), government agencies, group training organisations, higher education, peak bodies, RTOs (enterprise/public/private), state/territory training authorities, and suppliers.

During this process it became apparent that this was not an effective solution nationally. Consultation with stakeholders identified that:

• the Certificate III was more in line with AQF level IV than level III,
• the sector may need three qualifications: Certificate III, IV and Diploma to meet the unique needs of each jurisdiction across Australia, and
• there are not sufficient units currently available to create the required qualifications to meet workforce needs, both at varying AQF levels and in response to emerging cross sector pathways.

Given these findings, it was determined that this project should be finalised as an implementation, promotion, and monitoring activity. A full review and redevelopment of the complete suite of qualifications and units of competency required by the sector will be progressed as a new project, expected to commence as soon as funding has been approved.

Consultation

Thank you to everyone who attended an in-person or online consultation workshop for our Outside of School Hours Care (OSHC) project.

We met with training organisation managers, faculty leaders, head teachers, teachers, subject matter experts, assessment designers, learning designers and quality assurance officers in Hervey Bay, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Devonport, Hobart, Wollongong, Darwin, Melbourne, Berri, Adelaide, Perth and online from Thursday 27 March to Tuesday 6 May 2025.

All the feedback and comments received have been documented in the Consultation Log. A summary of the feedback provided can be reviewed in the Consultation Summary Report.

Development

A Technical Committee of relevant experts has been established and has provided specialised advice for the project and communication and consultation strategies. They also provide technical advice on the skills and knowledge required to meet graduate outcomes and workforce needs.

We will also undertake:

• desktop research
• a review of available information on industry standards, working conditions and employer recruitment selection criteria
• virtual workshops to:
  • explore the skills that organisations need
  • identify career pathways for employees
  • discuss foreseeable changes in the sector.

Set Up

The Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) workforce has grown rapidly. In 2023, there were 27,491 educators serving 553,690 children across 4,954 services. Many OSHC staff are employed on a casual basis with short shifts and part-time hours. University students make up a significant portion of this workforce.

This is a multi-year project that is expected to be completed by September 2025. The OSHC sector faces challenges related to qualification requirements, casual employment and career progression, prompting the need for a nationally accredited Certificate III course to address these issues and support workforce consistency and mobility. The aim to create a Certificate III in Outside School Hours Care within the CHC Community Services Training Package.  The purpose of this qualification is to support a specific occupation.

A final report will reflect the outcomes of a functional analysis workshop and requirements identified through interviews. The report will inform the development of draft units of competency, qualification and a consultation discussion paper.  The development of the qualification and associated units of competency will be in accordance with the process detailed in the Training Package Products Development and Endorsement Process Policy. 

Project Scope

We will review and transition the nationally accredited 10983NAT Certificate III in Outside School Hours Care to the CHC Community Services Training Package. The new qualification will support training for the following occupations:

• Outside School Hours Care Educator
• Outside School Hours Care Assistant
• Play Leader
• Recreation Assistant (Children’s Services).

Project governance and consultation strategy

We have established a Technical Committee (TC) of experts to provide advice for the project. TC members are selected for their relevant expertise on the diverse aspects of the project.