It is still raw; the burden and stress suffered by students and their parents aftermath of highly portrait case of AIBT college. The college was registered and not accredited by Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) and later on notified by Australian Skill and Quality Authority (ASQA) to cancel their registration because ASQA believed the college has breached its code of conduct while marketing of its nursing courses.

A lot of Nepalese students who could not get into nursing courses chose or were counseled to choose similar courses like, community service courses.
My concerned for students and community in-large is, are these colleges accredited by Australian Community Workers Association (ACWA)? Are we having another AIBT scenario?
Yes it is tempting to choose cheapest or the easiest providers (honestly, at that moment all that students care is an Australian Visa grant) but in a long run it may be not a great idea as you may struggle to get jobs because the provider may not be able to provide quality education and that will be waste of your time and money.

In 2014 only about 15% of enrolled students completed their courses due to given factors as per media released by ACWA.

• A lack of support and supervision from teaching staff
• Being rushed into fieldwork practice before the theory has been taught
• Being responsible for finding their own fieldwork placements or being placed in inappropriate roles (for example, diploma level students placed in aged care or disability support roles)
• Insufficient placement hours
• Unethical providers providing students with assignment answers to ensure high pass rates.

Any student can be confused and overwhelmed with huge range of providers and course products. ACWA advise students that first and best option is to use the course finder on their website to find the course and provider who are determined to meet the industry standards.

ACWA claims that “many providers have a statement on their website saying they are ‘accredited’ or ‘nationally recognized but this does not mean the course is ACWA accredited. All education providers must seek accreditation with the relevant regulatory body (ASQA, TESQA or a state-based body) before offering a qualification. This is mandatory whether the field is engineering, medicine, or graphic design. ACWA is third party accreditation that goes above and beyond this and specifically looks at ensuring community services courses prepare graduates for the workforce. If a course is ACWA accredited, it will say so”.

By Attending an ACWA accredited course you are ensured not to miss out placement and career options. You may not know that the Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) in Victoria for example, only provides VET-level work experience placements to students from ACWA accredited courses.

• Choose the provider that can provide course consisting-
  Some mandatory face to face classes even.
  Diploma level course is at least two academic years (18 calendar months) in duration as anything less will not fully prepare you for the workforce.
• Fieldwork components. Good practical placements are an essential opportunity for you to work with clients under close supervision. All ACWA accredited courses include two skill level appropriate placements in different settings totaling at least 400 hours.
• Fieldwork placements. Finding placements by yourself is not easy; A quality provider will have relationships and agreements in place with local employers who are happy to host you for your on-site learning.
• One of the great attractions of community work as a career is that once you have the basic skills and competencies, the job possibilities are endless. Youth work; children and families; mental health; Indigenous and multicultural support; housing services and community development are just a few of the fields within which you can work.
• Please do your research ask questions before you enroll to ensure the course will set you on your way for a rewarding career. Saving time and money upfront may seem advantageous but if you’re competing for jobs with those with industry-respected credentials it’s unlikely to pay off for you. Remember: a course is an investment in your career.

You can find the lists of accredited providers state by state.:http://www.acwa.org.au/course-accreditation/approved-courses
Reporter is a registered migration agent and a Qualified Education Agent Counselor