Certificate IV in Training and Assessment

This is an entry level program designed for any person who wants to become a trainer and assessor, but who currently:

• Doesn’t work in an RTO as a trainer and assessor
• Doesn’t have any experience working as a trainer and assessor in the VET (Vocational Education and Training)  industry.

If you are transitioning in your career to becoming a trainer for the first time, and you want to share your existing skills and knowledge with others coming into your industry, then this is the perfect program for you.

This entry level program has 12 “units of competency” and during the course you’ll learn the foundational skills required to work within the VET sector as trainers and assessors. This means that by the time you graduate, you’ll be able to confidently design, deliver and assess an accredited training, conduct assessments both face-to-face and online, and participate in validation activities.

While you may not know what all of that means exactly, but we promise that by the time you finish, you will.

Note: If you used to work as a Trainer and Assessor and/or have a Certificate in Training and Assessment that is no longer valid, our course that includes RPL or credit transfer may be better suited for you. Our RPL and Credit Transfer program will be launched in May 2023.

Experience tells us that most people usually take about 10 to 12 months to complete their course with the right support, which is why we’ve created 3 different support package options (which we’ll talk about shortly).

These people are usually working full-time and juggling families, pets, holidays and all the other things that seem to complicate our lives; they usually take a few nights each week to work on their course and then an extra few hours on the weekend… The lucky ones also get some time to do it at work!

Our quick response times also help to reduce the total time it can take making 10 months an achievable time frame; after all, getting your assessment marking done in less than 4 days (or 8 if you choose the Standard Support Package) makes it a lot quicker than if it took the 20 – 25 business days many other RTO’s take.

To make sure you have all the time you need, we offer a 12-month enrolment period and if you need to, you can extend it further (additional costs apply).

At the end of the day, the speed is largely determined by you. How many hours you dedicate to your study and how quickly you can get unstuck by accessing support when you need it most, will ultimately determine how long it takes you.

You’re going to learn loads about what it means to work in an RTO, what it means to train AQF Qualifications, and what it means to deliver and assess “competency based” training, including (but not limited to):

• How to Operate in the VET Sector
• How RTOs work and the importance of ASQA to RTOs
• How to create a Trainer Profile
• How to schedule and maintain professional development
• How to design session plans, how to use training packages and accredited courses to consult with clients, and identify the best possible formal competency standards for their needs
• Many different principles and theories of adult learning
• Foundational skills and Unit of Competency structure
• How to deliver training in a face-to-face environment
• How to assess learners for training and assessment and RPL assessment pathways
• How to identify core skill demands in the training and assessment context
• How to access and integrate foundation skills resources, strategies and advice in vocational training and assessment
• How to conduct and participate in validation and moderation activities
• How to assess the competence of learners
• What RPL really means
• What synchronous and asynchronous learning and assessment means
• How to deliver and assess in an online learning environment

The Units of Competency we offer in our entry level program are “clustered” together (you’ll learn about clustering), so you don’t end up doing repeats of the learning and assessments that can happen if you just learn them one by one (as it used to be done).

Here is how we’ve put them together:

Cluster 1: Work within the VET sector

• TAEPDD401 – Work effectively in the VET sector (Core unit)
• BSBAUD412 – Work within compliance frameworks (Group C elective unit)

Cluster 2: Designing and packaging training and assessment 

• TAEDES411 – Use nationally recognised training products to meet vocational training needs (Core unit)
• TAEDES412 – Design and develop plans for vocational training (Core unit)

Cluster 3: Delivering , assessing and validating vocational training and work based mentoring (face to face)

• TAEASS413 – Participate in assessment validation (Core unit)
• TAEDEL311 – Provide work skill instruction (Group A elective)
• TAEDEL411 – Facilitate vocational training (Core unit)
• TAEDEL412 – Facilitate workplace-based learning (Group A elective)
• TAEDEL414 – Mentor in the workplace (Group A elective)
• TAEASS412 – Assess competence (Core unit)

Cluster 4: Delivering and assessing online training

• TAEDEL405 – Plan, organise and facilitate online learning- current elective of TAE40122 (Group A elective)
• TAEASS404 – Assess competence in an online environment- current elective of TAE40122 (Group A elective)

It all depends on which support package you choose… We’ve set them up so you don’t pay for anything more than what you need.

They start at $2797 but click on each one below, you’ll want to see what all of your options are and what they include.

This package is perfect for people who are able to focus and motivate themselves for the most part, who are really comfortable with doing anything online, naturally have good study habits and generally did alright when learning at school or doing any other course.

These people are typically able complete their online study with the videos and written instructions alone, needing very little to no additional help from trainers.

For this reason, this package doesn’t include any direct trainer support calls, other than via the fortnightly trainer evening support block. This is where you book into one of the 10 minute slots. It’s 1-on-1 and great for quick questions if you need it.

But if you choose this package and find yourself needing a little more help than that, don’t worry, you can pay-as-you-go for access to a trainer so you’ll always be able to access any support you need, and it’s also highly cost effective! (Trainer support rates are included in the table further down.)

Find Out more about the STANDARD SUPPORT PACKAGE here

This package is perfect for people who maybe struggled in school, who know they tend to need some extra help and support when learning new things, but are still pretty ok with navigating online.

This is also perfect for the person who has a lot going on outside of studying. When we have a lot of distractions and demands from work, family, partners (or dating), friends and hobbies, the brain struggles to take in new information and learn new skills.

So while you may have been a decent student before, with the load of life, you may need extra support to get your head around new concepts and complete the tasks for your assessments. We get it. That’s why we added this “extra” support package!

The bonus of this package is that you don’t have to worry about finding extra cash just to get the support you need when you need it, particularly if you have one unit where you need more help in a short period of time (which is not uncommon), it can add up!

It’s also the first package to have the faster 4-days-or-less, turn around time for assessment marking. 8 days is still pretty fast within this industry but 4 is lightning fast!

find out more about the EXTRA SUPPORT PACKAGE here

This package is perfect for people who aren’t very comfortable with learning online, or who really struggled with learning in the past and are maybe even dreading this “going back to school” thing because of it, or it’s just been a really long time and you’re concerned you won’t be able to do it.

We get it. We’ve seen it all and we’ve helped a lot of people just like this, get all the way through to .

This package is the ultimate together-we’ve-got-this package with unlimited access to a trainer. This is kind of like having your trainer walking right beside you, guiding you all the way through to graduation and into your new job and life.

This package is also perfect if you’re lacking self-confidence and could really use the encouragement to feel like you can actually do this. We all need that sometimes, but it’s included in this package. Our trainers are pretty awesome like that.

It breaks our hearts when we hear about people struggling with learning and not get the support they need. Not on our watch. So this package comes with UNLIMITED trainer support included!

Get the support you need anytime you need it, as often as you need it.

There’s also no need to worry about having to find more funds when you’re struggling with either the course work, or even just mentally on the day, sometimes that’s the support we end up doing.

We just want to see you graduate so your life can completely change, which it does when you suddenly have more job opportunities, a better work/life balance and for many of you, a lot better working conditions.

It’s hard not to have a new lease on life when you enjoy going to work. Just think, when you’re done you’ll get to positively guide and support the next generation of people coming into your industry. Just like we get to do with you.

find out more about the ULTIMATE SUPPORT PACKAGE here

We want to make sure that you are the right fit for us and that we’re the right fit for you. Here are a few things for you to consider:

• Fortress Learning is not a “tick and flick” RTO. If you want the fastest and cheapest, we probably won’t be a good fit because we don’t take short cuts on your learning.
• We only put trainers out there that are really prepared and KNOW what they’re doing… We focus on high quality, not how quickly we can get students in and out.
• Our students finish their training with a high level of knowledge, competence and confidence because we have gone to great lengths to make our training as close to what it’s like to work as a trainer in the real world. Many RTO’s haven’t done this depth of work.
• Other RTO’s hiring trainers know if they’re a Fortress Learning student, they are more prepared and knowledgable than students from many other RTO’s teaching the same qualification.

But before we take any student on, we have to make sure the course is actually suitable for them and for us to be their trainers. Which is why we do an Enrolment Interview which includes a Suitability Assessment.

Find out more about the enrolment interview further down.

Firstly, let’s get clear about the reality of  face-to-face training in the way some RTO’s are offering them so you know what questions to ask when you are shopping around to find the right course fit for you…

1. Face-to-face usually happens in larger blocks of time (a week or more). Some RTO’s use these blocks to just do the assessments though, which are the practical parts of the certificate, not including the theory work and this is what you need to clarify.
2. All of the theory; reading, watching videos and absorbing the concepts and content, still has to be done either before or after the face-to-face weeks if they are doing it this way, which means it’s on your own time and not within the blocks of time you’e taking off to do it.  Make sure you ask about this so you know exactly how much of a time commitment you really need to make.
3. Some RTO’s don’t do the theory learning and then the assessments straight after so you complete the learning and can move on. This is something many people don’t think about. The best way to really learn something complex like the Cert IV TAE is to do it in a logical order where you learn then do the assessment for it, and move on.  The TAE40122 is designed to layer in the more complex parts as you learn the basics. Ask about when the assessments are ordered in relation to the course theory work.

So while doing big face to face blocks may seem like the “faster” way to do it, if you can’t take that huge amount of time off to attend the face-to-face blocks and you still need to fit in the large amount of study to cover the theory work, then a much better fit will be doing it online at your own pace (even though we help pace you so you actually get it done).

We prefer to still enjoy having a life while you study to build an even better one.  Don’t you?

We definitely think so but this is why…

While technically we do only online, it’s still actually face-to-face, just face-to-face in a video call and the beautiful thing is, it’s 1-on-1 trainer support!

1. You don’t have to compete with other students to get the help and support you need
2. You don’t have to worry about upsetting other students just because you are taking up a lot of the trainer’s time
3. And you can take all the time YOU need

We think THIS is the kind of support that really makes it easier and faster for each and every student.

Just like the previous Certificate IV in Training & Assessment qualifications, the latest TAE40122 also requires people enrolling in the course to be able to:

demonstrate vocational competency in their proposed teaching and assessing area. Vocational competency is defined as broad industry knowledge and experience, and may include, but is not limited to, holding a relevant unit of competency or qualification.

What this means is that you need to come into the Cert IV with some kind of work history and experience in the industry you plan to be a trainer in.

If you’ve spent years in your profession and plan to be a trainer for new people coming in, great! But if you’ve been long time unemployed or just out of school with no work experience in any particular industry that you can teach from, you can’t learn to be a trainer at this time.

When you do the Suitability Assessment, this is one area that you will be asked about.

If you haven’t finished the course within 12 months, you can purchase an extension.

We do our best to help pace you so this doesn’t happen, but sometimes life happens and things get in the way that are beyond your control and you just need a little bit more time.  We get it.

Here is what it will cost if you really need it but let’s work together so you never need to use this, ok?

• 1 week $75
• 1 month $300

The flexibility of our online approach means that if you need to take a break from studying, we’ve got that covered too.

We offer the option to defer (pause) your studies. Whilst you are deferred, your enrolment is inactive, and we pause your enrolment duration. Then, when you are reactivated from deferment, you pick up exactly where you left off and carry on.

Here is what you need to know about deferring:

• You can defer a maximum of two times. The first deferment is free. The second deferment has a $45 fee.
• Payment plans continue on deferment, and your payments must be up to date before we can defer you.
• You won’t have access to your trainer or learning platform while you’re status is “deferred”.
• If you have at least 6 weeks remaining in your enrolment, you can defer for up to 3 months. After that, you can defer for twice the amount of time remaining in your enrolment (for example, if you have 1 week left in your enrolment, you can defer for 2 weeks.)

The most important thing is to contact us if your enrolment isn’t working out as you had planned, so that we can offer you the best support options as and when you need them.

Since this course is delivered online, it’s essential that students are fully aware of the IT requirements before enrolling to this course is suitable and possible for you to do.

To enrol for this program, you must be able to answer YES to the following questions;

• Do you have access to a computer regularly?
• Does your computer have – a broadband internet connection – Laptop or PC – a video camera, either built into your device or a separate webcam – a microphone, either built into your device or in the webcam?
• Do you have the ability to open web pages, view videos on youtube, download and extract zip folders, open and download pdf documents, and open, edit, save and upload documents created in Word?

If your answer is NO to any of the above questions, please contact us on 1300 141 994 so that we can provide the best advice for your circumstance.

Once you hit “apply now”, you will pay your deposit, which includes your $150 non-refundable application fee, and book your enrolment interview.

Your deposit amount will depend on what payment plan you choose. If you want to pay upfront, we take a $1500 deposit once you hit “apply now”.

If you want to do a payment plan, depending on the support package and frequency of your payment plan, your deposit varies from $150 up.  This includes your application fee even if the deposit amount is only $150.

Then our accounts department will contact you to finalise your payment plan setup before your enrolment interview.

You’ll book this just after making your deposit payment and an email will be sent to you that details everything you need to have prepared, in order to be ready for that interview.

The interview can be booked on the same day but there is a minimum of a 4 hour gap from applying to being able to do the enrolment interview, this is so you have time to get prepared.

HEADS UP: You will need your USI (Student Identifier) before you get to your interview.

This is done via Google Meet where you can ask any additional questions and clear up anything you’re not sure of before enrolling.

This is also where we both get to make sure you have chosen the right course pathway and support package for what you really need.

During the interview we’ll confirm your understanding of the most important aspects of your course with us, this is be sure that have read and understood what you need to know before you formally enrol.

The Suitability Assessment is a series questions that will help us determine if you can meet the technical, practical and skill requirements needed for you to be able to complete this course online, but also the confidence level.

The technical requirements are things like having regular computer access as well as knowledge and confidence navigating things like email, logins and websites.

We will also ask questions to make sure you have access to the human and physical resources you need to complete the practical requirement of your course (as outlined in the course pathway options above).

We will ask additional questions to work out if this course is suitable for you based on your goals, your online experience including your comfort level in learning online, your learning ability and your availability to study.

All of this will make sure that you’re placed in the right course before enrolling formally and give you more confidence that you can absolutely get all the way to graduation.

What Happens If This Is Determined As Not Suitable For Me?

If during your Enrolment Interview we discover this course is not suitable for you, we’ll offer other alternative solutions or refund all fees paid, including the application fee.

Once your enrolment is finalised, this is when you are set up with a login to your Learner Portal and sent an email with everything you need to have and know to get started.

We offer flexible payment options. For more details please check out the support package detail pages for each of the support packages above.

Because a lot happens on the back end once someone sends in all their information to apply for a course, and when people don’t show up, it’s a cost to us and not fair to other people who could have booked an earlier time with us to go ahead with their course.

If during the enrolment interview we find that this course isn’t suitable for you, we will refund your application fee.

If an emergency happens and you can’t let us know you won’t be able to make it for some reason, we’re generous when it matters most so there are circumstances where this application fee will also be refunded, but this is only on a case by case basis.

If you are over 40, you may be eligible to receive 50% of your course fees from the government’s Skills Checkpoint for Older Workers (SCOW) program. Another funding option is the Mid Career Checkpoint which offers funds of up to $3,000 to students who return to the workforce.

More information is available HERE.

Upon Application

• If you are found not to be suitable for entry into any of our programs, we will refund all monies paid.
• If you choose not to continue with the enrolment interview or application, we will refund monies paid, excluding the $150 application fee.

After Enrolment

• Fortress has a 7-day cooling-off period.
• This 7-day cooling-off period starts from the activation of your learner portal.  For example, if your learner portal is activated on March 1st, the 7-day cooling-off period ends on March 8th
• If you choose to withdraw within the 7 days cooling-off period, then a full refund of fees paid(excluding the application fee of $150) applies.
• If you choose to withdraw at any time after the 7-day cooling-off period ends, no refund is applicable, and the full balance of course fees will be due.

Please refer to our Refund Policy here for additional information.