What Qualification Should You Take On?

Certificates, Diplomas and Bachelor degrees can be excellent ways to further your education and development – but how can you decide which qualification will best suit you? And what’s the difference between them all? 

Certificates are available in 4 levels – I, II, III and IV. Certificate I is the most basic and Certificate IV is the most advanced. The higher level the Certificate, the more in-depth the content and the longer the duration. There’s also a huge range of Government Funded Courses at Certificate and Diploma level.

Some courses will start with a Certificate I short course or a Certificate II and are considered to be entry-level courses; they usually don’t require pre-requisites (or prior knowledge or education). 

Certificate I & II courses are ideal places to start if you’re new to studying (or haven’t taken on a course in a long time) or if you need a very basic introduction to a particular field. It’s a great place to begin to get a taste of what an industry has to offer and are very popular among people wishing to upskill to improve their employment opportunities. 

A Certificate III is also a great starting point if you want to start a new career or develop skills in a specific area. To gain entry into a Certificate III course, you will usually need to have completed one of these:

These requirements will vary depending on the type of course/industry involved. Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is  a popular method of gaining entry into a Certificate II if a course has been done before, with the possibility of credit being gained towards the course based on your previous qualifications.

In some areas, such as Fitness, a Certificate III is considered to be the entry-level certificate and so no Certificate II exists or is required.

If you’re asking yourself, ‘What’s the difference between a Diploma and a Bachelor Degree?’, you’re not alone. While a Bachelor Degree is a higher level qualification, a Diploma is very valuable to anyone wanting to get a better understanding of the industry, the skills needed in a career and the practices and responsibilities that are needed to be successful in whichever industry you’re looking to pursue a career in.

A Diploma or Advanced Diploma is essentially one step up from Certificate IV and involves more in-depth studies and assessments. In some cases, you may need to complete a Certificate IV before you can take on a Diploma. In other cases, you may be able to gain direct entry into a Diploma course. 

Diplomas will usually require you to apply your technical and theoretical knowledge in a range of contexts to equip you for work in the ‘real world.’ They usually take around 1-3 years to complete and can be perfect if you want a more focused and involved level of study. Many Diploma courses also have a work placement component, ensuring you have the ability to gain crucial experiences under industry professionals.

A Bachelor’s degree is one of the most popular degrees you can undertake and is most commonly offered through universities. They usually take 3-4 years of full-time study to complete.

Entry into a Bachelor’s degree can be competitive, depending on the field of study, and often requires a high school certificate or extensive work experience.
When studying a Bachelor’s Degree, you will usually specialise in one area and work on increasing your education, knowledge and experience in that field.
Bachelor’s degrees are globally recognised and can be mandatory for many jobs in the workforce.

Beyond the Bachelor level of study, there are also many further options open to you, including Honours Degrees, Graduate Certificates/Diplomas, Masters of Arts and PhDs/Doctorates.