Understanding Mandatory Work Placement Requirements for Aged Care and Childcare Courses

In Australia’s vocational education and training sector, work placement is not an optional component for aged care and childcare qualifications. It is a mandatory requirement embedded within nationally endorsed training packages and regulated through the ASQA Standards for RTOs. For students, placements are essential to course completion. For Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), they represent a key area of compliance risk. For industry providers, they reflect a responsibility to support workforce development while maintaining safety and quality standards. Understanding how placement requirements operate, and where common gaps occur, is critical for all stakeholders involved.

Aged care and childcare qualifications are designed to ensure graduates are job-ready and capable of performing competently in real workplace environments. While classroom-based learning builds foundational knowledge, vocational competence can only be demonstrated through supervised, practical experience. As a result, work placement forms a core component of assessment and training delivery across both sectors.

Training packages such as the Certificate III in Individual Support and the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care specify minimum placement hours that must be completed in approved workplaces. These hours are prescribed by the training package and cannot be reduced, substituted, or completed in non-approved settings. Placement hours must be undertaken under appropriate supervision and must expose students to tasks and responsibilities that align directly with unit of competency requirements.

From a regulatory perspective, ASQA requires RTOs to demonstrate that assessment evidence, including placement activities, is valid, sufficient, authentic, and current. Work placement plays a direct role in satisfying all four rules of evidence, as it provides real-world confirmation that students can apply skills and knowledge consistently and safely in an industry context.

Although specific placement requirements vary depending on the qualification, most aged care and childcare courses require between 120 and 160 hours of structured workplace placement. These hours must be completed in an approved aged care facility or childcare service, supervised by suitably experienced staff, aligned to relevant units of competency, and recorded accurately through attendance logbooks and supervisor verification. Where placement hours are incomplete or poorly documented, students may be unable to complete their qualification, and RTOs may be exposed to non-compliance during audit.

Under the ASQA Standards for RTOs 2025, RTOs remain fully accountable for placement compliance, even when third parties are engaged to coordinate placements. This means RTOs must be able to produce clear and consistent evidence demonstrating placement agreements, student eligibility and safety checks, accurate attendance records, supervisor feedback linked to unit outcomes, and ongoing monitoring of student progress throughout the placement period.

ASQA auditors increasingly expect placement evidence to demonstrate systematic oversight rather than retrospective collection. Placement records that are inconsistent, incomplete, or compiled after the placement has concluded are unlikely to meet audit expectations. Evidence must show that placements were actively monitored and managed as part of the training and assessment process.

In practice, placement requirements often fail due to avoidable issues. These may include students commencing placement without complete compliance documentation, logbooks missing signatures or task details, aged care or childcare services being unclear about supervision expectations, evidence being collected only at the end of placement, or poor alignment between workplace tasks and unit requirements. Such gaps place unnecessary pressure on RTOs and frequently result in delays to course completion for students.

A structured placement process, supported by clear workflows, standardised documentation, and regular monitoring, significantly reduces compliance risk. When placements are coordinated systematically, evidence is collected progressively, issues are identified early, and responsibilities are clearly understood by students, RTOs, and industry providers alike. This approach supports smoother course completion for students, greater audit confidence for RTOs, and consistency and clarity for aged care and childcare services.

Mandatory work placement should not be viewed as a requirement to be simply “ticked off.” It is a regulated, evidence-based component of vocational education that must be managed carefully and deliberately. As ASQA continues to strengthen its focus on outcomes, student safety, and evidence quality, the importance of structured and compliant placement processes will only continue to grow. Understanding these requirements, and implementing them effectively, is essential to maintaining quality, compliance, and integrity across both the aged care and childcare sectors.