Your guide to Australian PR as a Community Worker

In the present scenario of the Coronavirus crisis, Australia needs community workers from other countries. A community worker helps to execute community development initiatives and deals with the issues, needs and problems associated with health and other community welfare issues.

There is a need for community workers in Australia and states like New South Wales, ACT, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, Northern Territory etc. are in need of Community workers. 

AUSTRALIAN QUALIFICATIONS OFFERED

  1. Diploma of Community Services (1-Year Program)
  2. Bachelor’s of Community Services (3-Year Program)
  3. Master’s of Community Services (2-Year Program)

STUDY ELIGIBILITY

Completed Year 12 or equivalent

ENGLISH ENTRY REQUIREMENT

IELTS 5.5 or equivalent

Getting a formal qualification now will jump-start your career in this industry. This qualification will give you many job opportunities in the industry today.

The most recent nationally accredited qualification for community services is the Diploma of Community Service with specialisation in Case Management (CHC52015). A large percentage of workers in the industry take the diploma course to work in welfare and case management services.

PATHWAY TO AUSTRALIAN PERMANENT RESIDENCY

Due to the huge demand of social work graduates, the course of social work in Australia has been listed in medium to long term strategic skill list by DOHA, Australia. These occupations listed in Skilled Occupations List (SOL) and Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List (CSOL) may qualify for sponsorship and migration purposes. Some of the job titles of social work graduates are Welfare Worker, Social Worker and Community Worker, etc.

OCCUPATION LISTS

This occupation is on the following skills lists:

  • 190 State/Territory Sponsored and 489 Occupations List
  • 482 TSS Visa Short Term List
  • 407 Training visa occupations list
  • 187 RSMS Visa Occupations List
  • 491 – Skilled Work Regional (provisional) visa (subclass 491)
  • 494 – Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (provisional) (subclass 494) – Employer sponsored stream

This occupation is not on the following skills lists:

  • 189 Skilled Independent and Family Sponsored 489 Occupations List
  • 186 ENS Visa Occupations List
  • 482 TSS Visa Medium Term List
  • 482 TSS Visa Regional Occupation List

QUALIFICATION FOR THIS OCCUPATION:

Relevant diploma level or AQF 5 level qualification. Required scores in English proficiency- an IELTS score of 7 in each band or equivalent on other tests like PTE or TOEFL or CAE. Minimum of one year work experience as a community worker in the past five years. Current experience in community work between 6 months to 1 year. Skill assessment from relevant Australian Skill Assessment body. If you have these qualifications and are inside or outside Australia, this is the right time to apply to gain an opportunity to work in Australia.

SKILL ASSESSMENT

The skill assessment body for community workers is the Australian Community Workers Association or ACWA. It offers two assessment pathways for community workers:

Category A (ACWA accredited qualification):

This is for applicants who have completed an ACWA accredited diploma or higher.

Category B (Relevant diploma qualification and industry experience):

This is for applicants with a relevant diploma or higher degree in community services, human welfare etc. and with a minimum of one-year work experience.

At present ACWA is willing to do the skill assessment of applicants for community worker position in Australia under the occupation – COMMUNITY WORKER ANZSCO 411711

The assessments are being done online by ACWA

Other occupations assesst by ACWA

ACWA is the skills-assessing authority for community services professionals applying to migrate to Australia under the following occupations listed on the Medium and Long-term Strategic Skills List (MLTSSL) and the Short-term Skilled Occupation List (STSOL).

  • Welfare Centre Manager ANZSCO 134214
  • Welfare Worker ANZSCO 272613
  • Community Worker ANZSCO 411711
  • Disabilities Services Officer ANZSCO 411712
  • Family Support Worker ANZSCO 411713
  • Residential Care Officer ANZSCO 411715
  • Youth Worker ANZSCO 411716

You are strongly advising to check migration eligibility and processes before proceeding with an ACWA skills assessment application.

Skills assessments Criteria

All applications are assessed against 3 criteria: qualification; English language; and industry experience and currency.

SUMMARY

Community workers are highly in-demand now and there are many opportunities for you to work in community services. If you wish to be a community services worker, then you can take the Diploma in Community Services to jump-start your career.

The steps to becoming a community worker are:

1. Take a Diploma in Community Services with specialisation in Case Management (CHC52015) to get a qualification. The Diploma course is the leading qualification in the industry and it will make you stand-out of the competition.
2. Get actual work experience in the vocational placement. This will be important in teaching you the actual duties of a community worker.
3. Apply for a community services role. Having a Diploma qualification and working in the vocational placement will attract more opportunities from employers.

The things you need to know about this role are:

• The weekly income of workers in this industry is $1328.00
• Their tasks include assessing the needs of clients, creating service programs, and monitoring and reporting the progress of clients. They can also supervise offenders in parole and probation.
• The important skills of workers in this industry are: communication skills, empathy, and organisation and coordination.
Taking the Diploma in Community Services now will open up many opportunities for you to work in the industry as it is a leading qualification.

Book a consultation with our Registered Migration Agents in Melbourne to find out more about your visa options and your path to Australian permanent residency.

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