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The Outside of School Hours Care (OSHC) project will transition the 10983NAT Certificate III in Outside School Hours Care course to the CHC Community Services Training Package.

The course aims to meet the growing OSHC sector’s need for qualified educators and improved workforce consistency, and help mobility between OSHC and educational support roles. 

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September to November 2024

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. 

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 are currently establishing 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.

The project terms of reference and the TC membership will be published on the website when finalised.

We will also publish the project consultation strategy.

Fact sheet

November 2024 to February 2025

Details to come.

February to April 2025

Sixteen virtual interviews with employers will be held to discuss current roles, functions and tasks for OSHC workers and ensure that the nuances between jurisdictions and regulatory requirements are identified.  

This will be complemented with a functional analysis workshop with participants  drawn from a range of stakeholders including employers, peak bodies and regulatory authorities, across all states and territories and including metropolitan, regional and remote settings.

April to May 2025

Details to come.

June to September 2025

Details to come.

How to get involved

We encourage stakeholder participation from all relevant sectors across Australia. Please register to stay across project updates and opportunities to be involved.

Project updates

Contact details

Training Product Project Manager, Eleanor Ravenarki

Project Coordinator, Katrina Sewell

To contact the project team, please email [email protected].

Project timeline

  • Project Set Up

    Establish a Technical Committee to provide expert advice for the project.

  • Development

    Undertake functional analysis via 16 employer interviews and a virtual functional analysis workshop.

    Develop draft qualifications, skill sets and units of competency.

  • Consultation

    Delivery of 12 face-to-face and 5 virtual workshops.

    Workshops will be held in all states and territories. 

  • Finalisation and Submission

    Review all feedback.

    Draft qualifications, skill sets and finalise units of competency.  

    Submit final draft materials to Skills Senior Responsible Officers and address any feedback prior to submission to the Skills Ministers for endorsement.  

  • Endorsement and Implementation

    Upload endorsed qualifications, skill sets and units of competency to the VET National Training Register.  

    Update the Companion Volume to reflect changes to the Training Package, identified pathways information and mapping information.  

    Deliver 3 virtual professional development workshops to highlight the features of the new qualifications, skill sets and units of competency.