Become a disability worker

Disability support workers enjoy working with people and empower people with disabilities. By becoming a disability support worker, you can develop meaningful relationships and make a life-changing difference for people with disabilities. 

You can start your career as a certified disability support worker with a Certificate IV in Disability (CHC43115), a free disability course available for eligible students at Kangan Institute's Essendon campus in Melbourne, Victoria. 

Disability support workers enjoy working with people. Care, compassion, empathy and reliability are considered excellent skills by employers in aged and disabled Care. As a disability support worker, you will apply these skills daily to support people with disabilities.  

Standard skills expected of disability workers are strong communication skills,  being able to empower people with disabilities, and work with people from diverse backgrounds. Furthermore,  you are expected to understand healthy body systems. 

As a disability support worker you are mainly responsible for developing meaningful relationships and improving the quality of life of people with disabilities.

You provide companionship and emotional support to people who might otherwise be isolated and vulnerable.

On a day-to-day basis, disability support workers organise social and recreational activities. These may include a variety of scenarios such as going to the beach, footy game, movies, or the local theatre.

Further tasks may include helping around home with daily activities such as shopping for groceries, preparing food, maintaining general hygiene, and assisting with mobility and transportation.

You may inspire people with disabilities by helping them develop and explore new hobbies, passions, and plan employment goals.

As a disability worker, you can work in a variety of locations. These include working in private homes of people with disabilities. Community settings such as parks and swimming pools can be potential settings where you work with clients. Further options include centre-based programs, where people with disability visit for regular sessions.

You can also directly visit people with disabilities in their workplace setting to provide support and advice. You can work in holiday destinations and camps to provide support to people with disabilities who visit these locations.

As a qualified disability support worker, you can start working with a disability service organisation. Alternatively, you could work directly with a person with a disability. Experienced disability support workers can lead a team of support workers or set up their own business.  

According to the National Skills Commission, the welfare and community services sector is one of Australia’s fastest growing sectors.

This sector is expected to continue growing very strongly. Workers in this sector will continue to be in demand as the population ages. 

While workers can get started without formal qualifications, studying a nationally recognised qualification can help you progress to higher roles.

Certificate IV in Disability (CHC43115)

Kangan Institute offers the Certificate IV in Disability (CHC43115). This qualification prepares you to become a certified Disability Support Worker in 9 months and is highly regarded in the industry.

Classes run for two days a week over a combination of face-to-face and online delivery. Government schemes such as Free TAFE and JobTrainer are available for eligible students. 

We organise work placement opportunities that are interesting, suit your needs and give you an insight into future careers paths. 

Many students are eventually employed in their placement organisations. 

We offer a state-of-the-art training facility with a variety of NDIS approved equipment to use during practices classes.

Course in Introduction to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (22469VIC)

We also offer the Course in Introduction to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (22469VIC) . This qualification can be completed in 10 weeks (Classes run one day per week). Students eligible for Free TAFE can access this short course for free.

We recommend this short course as an entry point for you to understand the disability sector. This course provides a pathway to the Certificate IV in Disability (CHC43115). 

Related courses

We offer courses in Certificate IV in Allied Health Assistance (HLT43015) and Diploma of Community Services (CHC52015).

Click here to see all our health and community qualifications.

Government schemes such as Free TAFE and JobTrainer are available for eligible students.

These schemes cover the cost of studying a qualification such as a Certificate IV in Disability (CHC43115). 

You may be entitled to free tuition fees if you meet the eligibility criteria for the State Government’s FREE TAFE for Priority Courses initiative.

If you are aged 17-24 or looking for work, you may be eligible to study this course low-fee through JobTrainer.

It's important to know that you may incur other fees, such as student services fees or materials fees, and you'll need to cover these costs yourself.

To find out more from Kangan Institute, call 13 TAFE (13 8233) or contact us via our online enquiry form.

Explore career websites such as CareerOne, Ethical Jobs, Indeed and Seek to find more about current openings, entry requirements and pay scales.

Kangan Institute’s Skills and Jobs Centre offers a one-stop-shop for anyone seeking to explore tertiary studies, training, job, and career options.

Our trained staff will provide you with one-on-one ongoing support to guide you through the job search and training process.

The centre helps answer questions such as “Do I need training?”, “Where do I start to look for a new job?”, or “What type of job may be good for me?”.