ACTAC: Still Online in 2022
Believe it or not, there was once a time when the idea of studying a new qualification, start to finish without any sort of face-to-face contact would be unheard of. During the last six years, and with the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic and the hardships and difficulties it has brought upon us as a society, online learning has become an integral part of education. The Australian College of Teacher Aides and Childcare (ACTAC) has endured and further supported students through its online only education platform, with its low prices and high-quality online courses giving opportunity to many who otherwise never would have had it.
What are the benefits of studying and learning online?
While driven by necessity in the last couple of years, it has also been through the advancement of mobile technology, greater access to the internet for the general population and further factors to be discussed, that have allowed online learning to flourish. Studying a nationally recognised course online has brought with it many benefits which have previously not been attainable through on campus learning. These include being able to study anytime, anywhere, with students able to spread their study load as they desire from a dedicated 2hr stint in the evenings, to doing 15 minutes on the train commuting home from work. As mentioned, another positive is the ability to continue to work while studying a new course. This opens the opportunity for individuals to undertake personal development for their career or undertake further study without having to take time off work and stop earning money. The variety and availability of courses from the certificate level to post-graduate, learners of all ages being able to start a course and some online courses being cheaper than their offline counterparts, are also noteworthy positives of online learning. Finally, studying a course online gives students access to a vast community of other online learners, with whom they can communicate and collaborate on whichever course they happen to be undertaking.
Who are ACTAC?
As an institution, ACTAC has been delivering online education since 2016. Six years on in 2022, we continue to find ways to grow and further develop our systems to provide quality and up to date online courses. ACTAC strives to be at the forefront of online study, with our highly experienced and qualified trainers making sure to provide the most up to date, nationally recognised, online qualifications and courses in the Childcare and Education Support sectors. These vary from short courses to fully online certificate courses including the Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30121) and the Certificate IV in School Based Education and Support (CHC40221). ACTAC also provides the choice of studying a Diploma of Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC50121), which demonstrates ACTACs commitment to providing a broad base of online, nationally recognised courses in early education.
How much does an online early childhood course cost?
As a prospective student, you may very well be reading this and thinking that the number of benefits listed above will not come at a price that is any more attractive than what is available from studying at a brick-and-mortar campus. While doing research of various other online providers, these thoughts would certainly not have been without merit. It can become especially confusing that when looking around, it seems that some courses change price by the day. When considering ACTAC though, a prospective student can be assured that the cost of the course will always be as low as possible. The most popular courses are the Certificate III in Childcare and the Certificate III and IV level courses in School Based Education and Support. Each are priced extremely competitively.
Signing on as a member of the Queensland Social Enterprise Council, ACTAC can keep its prices low by operating as a Social Enterprise on a profit for purpose model. This model ensures that student fees are reinvested back into the courses and content that they are studying, delivering further engagement and fulfilment, and making students as work ready as possible. ACTAC’s Social Enterprising model presents opportunity to invest into new learning experiences, such as through virtual reality, and to develop professional development programs, one of which being the children at risk short course. Studying with ACTAC means the opportunity for affordable, quality education in a burgeoning industry, will continue to be within reach for all.
In conclusion
Undertaking, investing, and completing one of the previously mentioned courses shows high potential for employment. The Australian Childcare Services Industry has grown by an average of 2.2% from 2017 to 2022, is predicted to grow by a further 3.3% in 2022 and has a market size of $13.8 billion dollars. More generally, according to this study, the online education market grew by an average of 6% since 2016, held an estimated value of $5 billion dollars in 2019 and is expected to continue to grow by a projected 8% until at least 2026 from 2022. This certainly means that for better or worse (definitely better), online learning and ACTAC, are here to stay and play an important part in how we educate ourselves.
