In the dynamic world of the Employment Services sector, both providers and staff are under increasing pressure to respond to workforce challenges, shifting client needs, and government-driven reforms. An investment in Accredited training for staff offers a powerful way to meet these demands and stay ahead.
Open Colleges (RTO 90796) has partnered with NESA Academy to offer a curated selection of nationally accredited qualifications. These courses have been strategically chosen to equip Employment Service Providers with the expertise needed to address priority skill areas and meet contractual obligations under programs such as Workforce Australia (WFA) and Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA).
Through its partnership with NESA Academy, Open Colleges and NESA have identified 7 qualifications that supports one or more of the essential service areas underpinning Employment Services contracts:
Towards Compliance and Driving Excellence Through Strategic Workforce Development
Meeting contractual expectations for staff capability
Across Employment Services programs – from Workforce Australia (WFA) to the Inclusive Employment Australia (IEA) program – the government’s guidelines are clear: providers are expected to ensure their staff are qualified, capable, and continuously developing their skills.
The IEA Guidelines (section 2.4.2) for example, state that while qualifications are not mandatory, it is expected that staff delivering services to participants or employers hold or be working towards relevant credentials such as:
The IEA Guidelines also note that staff may bring lived or industry experience — but the emphasis is clear: providers are expected to invest in structured learning pathways.
These expectations echo those under the Workforce Australia Deed, where providers must demonstrate staff competence, ongoing training, and adherence to quality standards.
By supporting employees to undertake accredited courses such as those offered by Open Colleges, providers not only meet compliance expectations but also strengthen their service quality, consistency, and credibility with funders.
Aligning with skills-shortage and incentive frameworks
Australia is experiencing critical skills shortages, particularly across the Community and Personal Services workforce. The Australian Apprenticeships Priority List identifies significant gaps in areas directly linked to employment services delivery, including disability support, youth work, and community services.
These same fields attract government support through the Priority Hiring Incentive, which provides financial payments to employers who hire and train workers in these high-demand areas.
This creates a powerful opportunity for Employment Service Organisations:
Driving Measurable Client and Organisational Outcomes
Investing in accredited training drives measurable organisational outcomes for employment service providers:
Empowering employees with flexible online learning
The Open Colleges self-paced, online model is perfectly suited to the realities of frontline service delivery, where staff must balance appointments and complex caseloads. This flexibility allows employees to:
This model, proven by graduates, ensures that professional development leads to increased confidence, job satisfaction, and a pathway to nationally recognised qualifications and career progression.
Partnership in Action: Your Next Step
The partnership between Open Colleges and NESA Academy is designed to make this strategic investment straightforward.
To explore the full details of these accredited courses and begin developing your team’s capability, please visit the NESA Academy catalogue and follow the links to the Open Colleges course page.
This is a win-win: compliance for employers, enhanced service delivery for clients, and clear career progression for employees – creating the sustainable, expert workforce the sector demands.
The Open Colleges and NESA Academy Qualification Suite
| Qualification | Core focus area | Relevance to Employment Services |
| BSB40420 Certificate IV in Human Resources Management | Recruitment, performance, staff engagement | Strengthens internal HR capability and workforce planning |
| CHC43121 Certificate IV in Disability Support | Individualised support, inclusion, advocacy | Aligns with IEA focus on inclusive employment pathways |
| CHC52021 Diploma in Community Services | Case management, client coordination | Builds leadership and coordination capacity |
| CHC43315 Certificate IV in Mental Health | Wellbeing, resilience, therapeutic support | Addresses mental health barriers to employment |
| CHC40421/CHC50421 Youth Work (Cert IV / Diploma) | Youth engagement, mentoring | Supports TTW and early intervention programs |
| CHC51015 Diploma in Counselling | Communication, behaviour change, client motivation | Enhances coaching and job-readiness support |
A win-win for employers and employees
For employers within the Employment Services sector, supporting this training will result in compliance with contract expectations, enhanced service delivery, workforce stability, and alignment with government incentives. Employees can gain nationally recognised qualifications that links to clear career progression. Alongside this, staff will gain improved confidence and job satisfaction leading to increased impact and productivity.
This combination of compliance, professional development, and personal empowerment creates a sustainable workforce – one capable of delivering the empathy, expertise, and outcomes the sector demands.
To learn more, contact us!
We understand that your time is precious, so we have developed a training catalogue featuring the most important skills and knowledge you need to do your job.
Available in a variety of formats and designed to help you fit in your professional development at a time that suits you
Our training is practical, available on demand, via webinars, recording and videos so you can choose the way to learn that best suits you.
Our content complements the employment services sector, is accessible to all and offers practical skills you can implement immediately
Best of all, your learning is recorded in the Nesa Academy LMS so you can keep track of what training you have completed. This is important if you want pursue accredited training and looking to have competencies you have already obtained recognised.
Prospert and Nesa Academy have a special priority access offer for NESA members!
Frontline teams can take 1 or both of our new microcredential courses.
Both are run in a time and cost effective blended learning format (approximately 1 hour of online learning and another hour for group coaching clinics) .
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