How long does it take to complete the TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training and Assessment?

This is certainly one of the most common questions and I wish I had a nice simple answer for it! Here are some common timeframes that people take to complete the course.

What the AQF says

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) guides us on volume of learning. It describes how long a student would take to develop all the required skills and knowledge and be assessed on those, if they had no prior knowledge. Visit this link for more info.

The AQF states the volume of learning for a Certificate IV qualification is 6 months to 2 years (or 600 – 2400 hours).

There are of course allowances for shorter course durations for more experienced cohorts. We find many of our clients for example, already have experience in teaching and training. For experienced people we tailor a learning plan that allows them to not spend time learning things that they can already do. Subsequently they take less time than the AQF suggests.

Being a truly effective and competent trainer can be a bit like juggling and riding a unicycle. Those with years of experience make it look easy and breeze through that part of the course. Those with no experience can take many hours to ‘get the hang of’ being in front of a group and helping a diverse group of human beings achieve their own learning objectives.

Can you give me a rough idea of how long it might take me?

Here’s a rough break down of how long the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment might take someone. I’ve allowed for clustering and efficiencies found where there’s skills and knowledge that are common between units when doing the whole qualification.

There’s no way of predicting precisely how long someone will take so it’s easier to speak from experience, and give a few generalised examples to help you get an idea.

Below indicates the number of hours for four different people.

• 1000 hours: almost no relevant experience but no significant difficulties or barriers to learning
• 400 hours: experience in training, coaching, mentoring others in the workplace
• 300 hours: significant general educator experience and maybe a teaching or training related qualification from over 15 years ago
• 150 hours: significant VET and experience training and assessing in an RTO with a few knowledge and skills gaps

Note: someone who gets RPL for almost the whole qualification would take only a couple of hours per unit to prepare their evidence.

You may also want to read about Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) here if you have significant experience.

This is just a guide. Remember we are working with human beings and we are all different. There are so many factors that influence how long someone might take to do a course. Common things that result in people taking longer to do a course are:

• Experience less relevant to the course than anticipated
• Experience gained a long time ago and not practiced recently
• Struggle with using technology to get course work done
• Language, literacy or learning difficulties
• Busier than expected with work
• Unexpected life and family commitments
• Illness and mental health difficulties including stress and anxiety from over-committing oneself
• Less willing to seek help and guidance, taking a ‘DIY’ approach and finding themselves off track
• Attempting assessments too soon or producing careless/rushed work, requiring resubmissions and major rework.

Ways to complete it sooner

People are often surprised that they might complete sooner for reasons such as:

• Their experience being more relevant and useful than they realised
• The discovery of gifts and natural talents that allow them to develop the skills and understanding sooner
• Integrating learning and assessment activities with their job
• Gaining employment in a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) or training environment while completing the course resulting in daily immersion into the world of VET training and assessment
• Some people are just “fast learners” or less resistant to new ideas and concepts
• More willing to seek help and guidance more often allowing them to stay on track
• A more regular and consistent study habit which typically results in less total hours of learning than someone who does the course “here and there” when they get time.
• Working closely with an experienced friend or colleague who provides additional regular support and coaching (above and beyond our already amazing level of support!)
• Supplementing online learning with face to face workshops
• Networking and sharing resources with friends made during our face to face workshops
• Doing the course with a friend or colleague, sharing resources, teaming up and supporting each other

This is why we believe it is better to choose a provider who genuinely cares about your needs and helping you personally through the course, each step of the way. Life is too short to waste time doing courses with providers who don’t care about recognising your experience, flexibility, and personal 1-on-1 support.

Are you interested in working with a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment provider who genuinely wants you to graduate?

We’d love to hear from you