Education Support Professional Certificate
Make a positive impact in the lives of children with disabilities by working as an Educational Support officer (Integration Aide or Teacher Aide). Register NowProgram is delivered over 5 days.
Next course available Feb 2025, Online via zoom
About this Course
Increasingly, more children with disabilities are enrolled in local schools and Educational Support staff (Integration and Teacher Aides) continue to play an important role in inclusive education.
Not only will you gain invaluable knowledge, but you’ll also develop a strong skillset to help children with disabilities to learn and develop.
Certificate
On completion of this course, participants will be awarded an Education Support Professional Certificate
Who is this course for?
If you’d like to increase your understanding of, and involvement with, children with disabilities then this course could be for you.
No entry requirements are needed so we encourage anyone that’s interested to apply. Our students come from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences including those who are:
- already working as Integration or Teacher Aides
- parents or care givers of children with disabilities
- looking to change careers
- students out of school who’d like to gain further skills and learn more about education
- ex- teachers who have out-of-date qualifications but who’d like to return to working with children
- parents who’ve been raising children and would like to re-enter the workforce in a job that offers flexible working hours.
- Deakin University students
Aims
As a well-recognised program in both government and non-government schools, this course will help you develop your understanding about children with additional needs and the practices and processes which may support their development. This program also build knowledge and skills in relation to working with teachers and students in a collaborative student support approach to improve students outcomes.
Specifically, you’ll:
- gain knowledge and skills about inclusive learning practices for children with disabilities
- develop an understanding of a wide range of disabilities and their impact upon learning and social development
- increase your skills in assisting teachers to implement inclusive education practices
- enhance your knowledge and skillset in the employment roles of Integration and Teacher Aide positions
- further your understanding of the current state-wide curriculum and education sector initiatives.
Course topics
This program will teach you current practices of working with children in schools and the latest approaches to learning. Whilst a formal qualification isn’t yet compulsory to work in this field, your career will benefit from the wealth of knowledge and insights that the course presenters – Deakin’s academic staff from the School of Education – can share with you.
Our presenters are highly experienced in the disability field and have worked as both teachers and school principals. They’ve been training Integration Aides for many years and cover course topics such as:
- attitudes towards disability
- specific kinds of disability
- impact of disabilities upon learning and social development
- childhood development and learning styles
- current initiatives in the state-wide curriculum (VELS)
- inclusive learning and teaching strategies
- ITC in the schooling context
- behaviour management strategies
- working in professional teams
- applying for Aide positions.
Approach
We focus on offering a friendly and supportive learning environment, which especially helps those who’ve not studied for a while to feel comfortable and relaxed.
Sessions involve lots of small group work and discussions, encouraging students to work cooperatively. Instead of exams and tests, assignments are used to gauge your understanding, with plenty of individual support offered to each student. Assignments are highly practical and we offer flexibility around submission dates.
Course dates
The Course is held over 5 days,
9.30am – 3pm
Course 1 2025, Online. Cost: $867.36
- Wednesday 19th Feb
- Thursday 20th Feb
- Monday 24th Feb
- Tuesday 25th Feb
- Wednesday 26th Feb
Registration
To register for this course, visit our online payment system and follow the prompts.
The total cost is $867.36 and payment via credit card is required upfront before the course begins, using our online payment system.
Refund and withdrawal
To be eligible for a full refund, we need to receive an application to withdraw from the course at least 4 weeks before it begins. Participants withdrawing outside of this notice period or after the course has started will have to pay a $150 administration fee.
Cancellation of courses
Deakin University maintains the right to cancel the course if minimum participation numbers aren’t reached. In this case, participants will be notified before class begins and payments already made will be fully refunded.
Entry Requirements
- No prerequisites are required for this course.
- Participants must attend all sessions unless exceptional circumstances are demonstrated.
- Practical assessment tasks are set. You must possess a satisfactory level of English written and communication skills to complete the assessment tasks.
- We expect you to have basic computer skills to support your learning.
Certificates
On completion of this course, participants will be awarded an Education Support Professional Certificate.
Recognition of prior learning
At the end of this professional learning course, Deakin University students who are currently undertaking an undergraduate teaching program can elect to do a formal assessment task to accrue one credit point towards an elective unit.
The cost is $200.
Please contact Professional Learning Education Hub on pledhub@deakin.edu.au
Testimonials
- Taking part in the Education Support Professional Certificate course has been a game-changer for me after a 20-year career in another field. Now, it’s my purpose to support children with learning difficulties and assist teachers in creating inclusive classrooms. Landing a full-time position at a local primary school is a dream come true, and I’m eagerly anticipating the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in the lives of students. This course equipped me with the skills and knowledge I need for this new chapter, and I can’t wait to embark on this purposeful career journey. Louise Johnson
- I applied for a full-time secondary role on the last day of the course and the knowledge I was able to bring to my answers in the interview was purely because of what I had learned.
Raoul - I would definitely recommend this course to anyone who is wanting to understand but also broaden their perspective on children with disabilities. This course offers lots of content and can teach the key principles in becoming a teacher aide. Nadia
- Completed the course in 2021 and applied for a position at a school locally and was successful.
Justin
FAQs
- Is this program accredited?
Accreditation normally refers to VET course accreditation. Deakin University is not a VET provider, but a tertiary education provider. A formal qualification is not currently required to work in this field in Victoria. However, study in this area will greatly benefit your career prospects. - Is there a placement requirement for this course?
Mandatory school placement is not compulsory in the Education Support Professional Certificate. This course is approved by the Board of Faculty of Education
Facilitator

Dr Kaye Scott
Facilitator and Lecturer
Dr Kaye Scott is a casual academic at Deakin University, teaching and researching in the areas of literacy, deaf education and inclusion. Her doctorial thesis focuses on the relationship between reading comprehension, Theory of Mind and reading metaknowledge skills in deaf and hard of hearing students. Kaye holds a special interest in linking research to policy, a passion sparked when completing an Executive Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Melbourne.
As a teacher, Kaye has worked in various educational roles in country and city locations, in general and special education. She has held positions as a generalist teacher, specialist teacher and as a leader in schools. Her experience includes an extensive period as a literacy specialist and as a visiting (itinerant) teacher of the deaf. She established the Brighton Hearing Unit in Melbourne and was a founding member of the Victorian Deaf Education Institute (VDEI) in the Department of Education in Victoria.
Kaye is an Associate Review Editor for the Deafness & Education International journal and reviews articles for several international journals. She is the current chairperson of the National Association of Australian Teachers of the Deaf, and over the past ten years has presented at a number of national and international conferences.