School Based Education Support Qualification Review

Development

Student Roundtable

We're inviting interested learners to join our student roundtable discussions and share their thoughts and experiences on the School Based Education Support qualifications and units. Discussions about the relevance of the qualifications, the skills and knowledge they deliver, and how well they reflect what is required to work in school based education support settings will really help inform the project.

The roundtable will focus specifically on the qualifications and are not intended to gather feedback about individual training organisations, trainers or training delivery methods.

Date: Thursday 19 November 2026
Time: 4 PM - 5.30 PM AEDT
Location: Online

Please register your interest in attending by COB Thursday 12 November 2026.

‍

Vocational Educators, Trainers and Assessors

We’re calling on trainers, educators and assessors of vocational qualifications in school based education support to provide feedback on existing qualifications, skill sets and units of competency before Friday 7 November 2026. We want to know what’s working, what’s not working and where things could change or improvements could be made.  

Please submit your feedback by completing this survey.

Your feedback will influence the design of national qualification training products and contribute to resolving current workforce issues.

Draft materials will be developed and available for feedback during the Consultation Stage.

‍

Information Sessions

We held 2 online project information sessions (08/09/26 and 11/09/26) to discuss the latest updates to the CHC Community Services Training Package. The sessions provided an overview of the review process, the factors influencing the proposed changes, implementation timeframes, available support resources, and opportunities to ask questions. They were specifically designed for schools, RTOs, teachers, and other stakeholders involved in delivering school-based education and training.

View the information session presentation.

‍

Functional Analysis

We are undertaking a comprehensive review and updating school-based education and support training products to ensure they align with current industry practice, regulatory and legislative requirements, modern educational approaches and the evolving needs of schools, students and education support professionals.

We have engaged in the following information gathering activities as part of the functional analysis:

• desktop research
• review available information on industry standards, working conditions, and employer recruitment selection criteria
• 20 virtual workshops to:
  
  • explore the skills organisations need
  • discuss foreseeable changes in the sector
  • other details regarding workshop specifics to be finalised.

Functional Analysis Interviews

Between Monday 24 August and Friday 16 October 2026, we conducted employer interviews to gain insight into the current and emerging workforce needs across the school-based education support sector. We explored workforce roles, day to day responsibilities, required knowledge and skills, emerging practices and career pathways. We'll also identify common functions performed across different school settings and specialist roles and practices unique to individual schools, education systems or jurisdictions.

The interviews will help ensure that training products accurately reflect modern industry practice and support a skilled, adaptable workforce. They will also help us to structure qualifications and ensure training is closely aligned with industry and sector requirements.  

‍

The school based education support workforce accounts for a large share of the children’s education and care sector. In 2025, there were 134,800 education support workers employed in Australia, compared to 164,300 primary school teachers. These numbers demonstrate the crucial nature of school based education support roles for schools, children and families.

This project aligns with the Commonwealth’s 2025 Review of the Disability Standards for Education which called for stronger implementation of inclusive education and reasonable adjustment across schools and vocational education and training. The review notes that many educators lack awareness and resources to meet their obligations under the Standards. The School Based Education Support qualification review will directly support improved educator awareness of these issues by incorporating person-centred and rights-based  practices, which will strengthen the workforce’s ability to support students with disability to participate like everyone else.

This is an 18-month project that is expected to be completed by January 2028.

Project scope

We will review 2 qualifications and 29 units of competency. There is an expectation that there may be new units required to ensure the qualifications are fit for purpose.

Qualifications and units of competency

• CHC30221 Certificate III in School Based Education Support: supports a single occupation and reflects the role of workers who assist teachers and support student learning in a range of classroom settings. They complete general administrative as well as operational tasks to support students under the guidance of a teacher or other educational professional. Work requires use of discretion and judgement within the boundaries of established policies and procedures.
• CHC40225 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support: reflects the role of workers in a single occupation who assist teachers and support student learning in a range of classroom settings under the guidance of a teacher or other educational professional. At this level, workers may be involved in assisting learning for a range of instructional groupings, including students needing additional support. In these roles, the education support worker finds and analyses information from diverse sources, may work with limited direct supervision and could provide guidance to other workers.