Aged Care and Disability Support Short Courses
Six online short courses in aged care and disability support. Four are non-accredited introductory courses that lead to a Certificate of Completion and are designed for non-personal-care support work. Two are built from units of CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support and lead to a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment. All are 100% online and self-paced, with no work placement and no exams.
Two types of aged care and disability short course
Upskilled offers two kinds of care short course. Non-accredited introductory courses build sector knowledge for non-personal-care support work and lead to a Certificate of Completion. Statement of Attainment short courses are three units of the nationally recognised CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support.
| Introductory short courses | Statement of Attainment short courses | |
|---|---|---|
| Courses | Introduction to Aged Care, Introduction to Disability Support, Work in Aged Care, Work in Disability Support | Short Course in Aged Care, Short Course in Disability Support |
| Accreditation | Non-accredited, industry-recognised training | Nationally recognised units of competency |
| You receive | Certificate of Completion | Statement of Attainment issued by Upskilled (RTO 40374) |
| National code | None. These are not AQF products and carry no national code. | Units of CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support |
| GST | Price includes GST | GST free |
| Designed for | Exploring the sector, and non-personal-care or domestic support roles | Starting the accredited pathway with a smaller first commitment |
| Hands-on personal care | Not covered | Not on its own. Personal care work needs the full CHC33021 qualification. |
| Work placement and exams | None | None |
What these short courses do not cover
These short courses are not personal care training. The four non-accredited courses on this page cover non-personal-care and domestic support work: meals, cleaning, transport, companionship, community access and lifestyle assistance. They do not cover hands-on personal care such as showering, toileting, dressing, transfers, mobility assistance or medication support.
To work in hands-on personal care in Australia you need a nationally accredited qualification, specifically CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support. That is the qualification aged care employers and NDIS providers look for in personal care roles, and it includes a supervised work placement that no short course on this page includes.
The two Statement of Attainment short courses are nationally recognised, but a Statement of Attainment is partial completion of CHC33021, not the whole qualification, so the same boundary applies. No course on this page licenses you to work in a regulated role (R8), and no course guarantees employment.
Care work is in demand across Australia
Aged care and disability support sit within Australia's health and community services workforce, one of the largest and fastest-growing parts of the economy.
Health Care and Social Assistance is Australia's biggest employing industry, reflecting the scale of care and support work.
Strong forecast growth across aged care and disability support roles, driven by an ageing population and the NDIS.
New NDIS registration requirements for some providers are lifting demand for formally trained disability support workers.
Figures are indicative and sourced from Jobs and Skills Australia and the ABS. A short course is a foundation; most ongoing care roles expect the full Certificate III in Individual Support.
Aged care & disability short course FAQs
Common questions about the aged care short course, the disability support short course, and studying online with Upskilled.
There are two types on this page. The Introduction to Aged Care Course, Introduction to Disability Support, Work in Aged Care (Bundle) and Work in Disability Support (Bundle) are non-accredited, industry-recognised courses that lead to a Certificate of Completion, and their prices include GST. The Short Course in Aged Care and Short Course in Disability Support are built from units of CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support and lead to a nationally recognised Statement of Attainment, and they are GST-free.
No. The non-accredited short courses on this page are designed to prepare you for non-personal-care support work such as meals, cleaning, transport, companionship, community access and lifestyle assistance. They do not cover hands-on personal care. To work in personal care you need a nationally accredited qualification, specifically CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support. A Statement of Attainment is partial completion of that qualification, not the whole of it. No course on this page licenses you to work in a regulated role.
They are designed to prepare you for non-personal-care and domestic support roles: Support Worker (Non-Personal Care/Domestic Support), Domestic Support Worker, Home Care Worker (Domestic Support Stream), Community or In-Home Support Worker, and Lifestyle Assistant. The work is meals, cleaning, shopping, transport, companionship, community access and lifestyle assistance. Individual outcomes depend on the employer, your experience and local demand.
For non-personal-care and domestic support work, often not, and a short course is a fast way to show an employer you have started. For hands-on personal care, and for most ongoing roles with aged care and NDIS providers, employers expect the full nationally recognised qualification. If that is your goal, compare Upskilled's aged care and disability qualifications, built around CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support.
No. None of the six short courses on this page includes a work placement, and none has an exam. Work placement applies to the full CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support, not to a short course. If placement experience matters for the role you want, that is a reason to look at the qualification rather than a short course.
Every short course on this page is 100% online and self-paced, so you can enrol and start immediately and study around work and family. Access periods differ by product and are shown on each course page. Motivated learners often finish well inside the access period.
Choose by how far you want to go. To explore the sector cheaply, start with the Introduction to Aged Care Course or Introduction to Disability Support. To prepare for domestic support work in more depth, take Work in Aged Care (Bundle) or Work in Disability Support (Bundle). If you already intend to complete the accredited qualification, start with the Short Course in Aged Care or the Short Course in Disability Support.
The three units inside the Short Course in Aged Care and the Short Course in Disability Support are units of CHC33021 Certificate III in Individual Support, so national VET credit transfer rules apply to units you have already completed. This applies inside vocational education and training only, and it applies to those two courses only: the four non-accredited courses on this page are not units of competency and are not part of that arrangement.
Travis Hackett
Head of Vocational Education — CHC, Upskilled
Travis leads the CHC Community Services stream at Upskilled and brings more than 28 years of frontline and leadership experience across the sector. His career spans disability services, child protection casework with FaCS, youth services, harm minimisation programs with NSW Health, youth justice conferencing, and counselling. Travis is also a registered Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner with the Attorney-General's Department. He reviews Upskilled's CHC course content to ensure it reflects current sector practice and prepares students for meaningful, impactful work in Community Services roles.
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