Volunteer traineeship

To be eligible for our volunteer traineeship you must:

• have permanent residency in Australia and an Australian address
• be a full voting member of the Australian Breastfeeding Association
• be committed to the philosophies and principles of ABA
• agree to abide by the ABA Code of Ethics
• have no conflicts of interest and address and manage any potential conflicts of interest
• have no criminal convictions, such as fraud, any violent offences in the last 5 years or any offence involving children, that would preclude or prohibit you from working with children or babies
• commit to working as a volunteer with the Association - both during your training and for at least two years after qualifying.
   

To be appointed as a breastfeeding counsellor you must also have:

• personal experience of breastfeeding a baby, reflecting ABA philosophies and principles
• breastfed a baby for 6 months and continue after introducing solids.
   

To be appointed as breastfeeding educator you:

• must have awareness of the importance of breastfeeding and understand the mother-baby relationship
• can be a male or female.

To achieve the qualification 10998NAT Certificate IV in Breastfeeding Education, you complete 9 units:

• 6 core units
• 3 electives

Read more about the course structure.

We deliver blended training year-round (although Dec/Jan are quieter months) supported by a learning management system. Your course content will be covered by e-learning modules and you will participate in live sessions (webinar or face to face) and on-the-job training to develop the skills you need.

Our blended training delivery supports learners to complete their training within 12 months. Most trainees complete the course part-time and may take 18 months or more. However, your completion date depends on your own training progress.

To measure your performance, we use competency-based assessments, like:

• observations
• oral tasks: demonstrations and role plays
• portfolios
• practical projects
• simulated workplace activities
• written tasks.
   

Your assessor will need evidence over a period of time that you are competent in a variety of volunteer tasks. This means we collect evidence about your work and judge you against set criteria for each task or assignment. We also look at how you apply your knowledge and skills to meet the standards within your work environment.

You are required to have a computer/laptop and internet access during your training.

A minimum standard device suitable for most courses can:

• use a system such as Windows 7 or later, Mac OS X 10.10 or above
• enable the use of a web camera and headset.
• run programs to view videos, create documents, spreadsheets and presentations
• run a modern browser (e.g. current versions of Chrome, Firefox or Safari).

Smartphones and tablets are not sufficient to meet these requirements.

Tuition fees

The value of a Certificate IV course is around $2500. Members who agree to work as volunteers for the Association for a specified timeframe receive an exemption from tuition fees. 

You will still pay an administration fee.

Administration fee

There is a non-refundable initial enrolment fee of $120. That includes the cost of course materials.

This is not a tuition fee. It covers part of the cost of administering your volunteer traineeship. This is a reduced fee made possible through funding from the Australian Government.

Enrolment extensions (if needed):

• $90, if you have completed 2 or more units in your previous enrolment period
• $250 if you don't complete 2 units in the enrolment period. 
   

Personal membership of ABA

You are required to maintain financial personal membership of ABA during your training and while working as a volunteer for ABA.

Additional costs

Other costs may include:

• cost (in some states) of a Working with Children Check
• incidental telephone, internet and/or postage costs related to training or ABA workplace activities
• stationery and computer-related costs
• personal copies of basic breastfeeding books if purchased
• travel to training meetings, workshops, community education events
• registration/accommodation at conferences, seminars, workshops — sometimes local groups will pay these, but this is subject to the group's financial status and the trainee's fundraising input.

If an applicant is experiencing financial hardship, limited funds have been made available to ensure that this does not prohibit training with the Association.

• Please contact Training Administration for more information.
   

State funding entitlements

Learners are advised to consider current and future training options, and government funding opportunities, which may be limited by undertaking training with the Association. Find state funding information for your state or territory:

• Australian Capital Territory
• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia

Working with Children Check

Applicants must also be prepared to undergo a Working with Children Check or equivalent. In some states, volunteers are exempt from charges for these checks.

Unique Student Identifier (USI)

Every VET student must have a USI before ABA can issue a statement of attainment or qualification to you. With a USI, you can go online and access your complete record, all in one place.

Apply for your USI individually on the USI website before you enrol. 

You will be asked to provide your USI on the enrolment form.

Victorian students numbers (VIC only)

• If you are less than 25 years old and a Victorian resident, you need a Victorian Student Number (VSN) to enrol. This is a requirement of the Education and Training Reform Amendment Bill 2008.
• If you don't have a Victorian Student Number, please contact Training Administration.

We are working with the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to allocate a Victorian Student Number (VSN) to each student at our organisation.

Language, literacy and numeracy skills assessment

You must complete a needs assessment for language, literacy and numeracy (LL&N) before you commence your course.

We use the result from your LL&N assessment to establish your pre-existing skills and to help support your learning.

This is a requirement under the VET Quality Framework.

Privacy

As part of your volunteer work as a breastfeeding counsellor, educator or trainee, we publish your address and phone numbers in our confidential, internal directory. This means you may be contacted at home by mothers and community members. If this is an issue due to your work or personal circumstances, please contact Training administration