A traineeship is a job with a formal training contract – the studio employs the trainee, pays them an award wage, and provides on-the-job supervision while a registered training organisation (RTO) delivers the qualification.

For the new programs, this will be either CUA30320 Certificate III in Assistant Dance Teaching or CUA40320 Certificate IV in Dance Teaching & Management.

Typical duration is 12–24 months, but completion can be faster if skills are gained sooner.

Assistant Dance Teaching (Level 3):

Qualification: CUA30320 – Certificate III in Assistant Dance Teaching
Title of Traineeship: Assistant Dance Teaching (Level 3)
Classification: B
Occupational outcome: Assistant Dance Teacher – assists with teaching students in the practice, theory and performance of dance in private training establishments.
Typical duration: 12 months
Part-time arrangements: YES
School-based arrangements: YES
Pre-requisites or conditions: Trainees should possess high-level dance skills, knowledge and experience as appropriate to the environment of teaching and learning. Please contact the registered training organisation to ensure your skills match the demands of the course.
Training contract requirements: None
Credit arrangements: None
Target cohort: Emerging dance professionals

Dance Teaching and Management (Level 4):

Qualification: CUA40320 – Certificate IV in Dance Teaching and Managemen
Title of Traineeship: Dance Teaching and Management (Level 4)
Classification: B
Occupational outcome: Dance Teacher – teaches students in the practice, theory and performance of dance in private training establishments.
Typical duration: 18 months
Part-time arrangements: YES
School-based arrangements: NO
Pre-requisites or conditions: Trainees should possess high-level dance skills, knowledge and experience as appropriate to the environment of teaching and learning. Please contact the registered training organisation to ensure your skills match the demands of the course.
Training contract requirements: None
Credit arrangements: Where trainee has undertaken the qualification CUA30320 Certificate III in Assistant Dance Teaching, either institutionally or as a traineeship, credit to be given for core unit HLTAID011 Provide first aid, provided that unit is still current.
Target cohort: Experienced dance professionals and/ or those seeking managerial positions or to establish their own dance studios

A Certificate III represents a vocational qualification at level 3 of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF). A Certificate IV represents a vocational qualification at level 4 and is generally considered similar to an ATAR. 

You can find out more about Australia Qualifications Framework here.

Costs for the course itself will depend on who you choose as your training provider or RTO (Registered Training Organisation). As an example, the cost for a Cert III is approx. $2,400, and a Cert IV is $4,200 (this estimate is via Empowerdance).

Who pays for what?

The employer (studio owner/manager) pays for the wages of the trainee.

Ordinary trainee wage rates apply under the relevant award; wages are tax-deductible.

The trainee will generally pay for the tuition fees (often reimbursed or shared by the employer).

Fees are heavily subsidised. 

Other costs such as resource fees, uniforms, etc. are usually covered by the trainee. Studios often cover these as a retention incentive.

School students: There is funding support for students undertaking qualifications while still at secondary school, provided the course is delivered through an approved VET Delivered to Secondary Students (VETDSS) arrangement. For CUA30320 Certificate III, for example, if this qualification is done as part of a school program, tuition fees are generally not charged, though resource or incidental costs might still apply.

What support is available for Employers?

• WA Employer Incentive: base payment of up to $8,500 per new-entrant trainee, with extra loadings for regional locations, mature-age or Aboriginal trainees.
• Payroll-tax exemption on trainee wages.
• Other WA loadings may apply where skill shortages are demonstrated (details available through Jobs and Skills WA).
• Federal incentives (Priority Hiring Incentive, apprentice wage subsidies, and training support loans) are only available to occupations on the Australian Apprenticeships Priority List (AAPL). Dance teaching is not yet on the AAPL, so these Commonwealth payments cannot be claimed at present. We will keep the sector updated if that changes.

What support is available for Trainees?

• Low tuition fees thanks to the caps above.
• Travel & accommodation allowances for regional trainees.
• There is no upfront VET Student Loan debt for these certificates.

Both traineeships require a minimum of 15 hours per week. This can include preparation, planning time and administrative tasks as well as face-to-face teaching time, supervised by the studio/employer.

Secondary school cohorts (Cert III only) are only required to work 7.5 hour work week and may average those hours over 6 months, in some cases completing an intensive workplace block during school holidays for instance.

This will be determined by the training provider or the RTO, however as a guide:

• Certificate III is recommended for age 14+
• Certificate IV is recommended for age 17+

TRAINEE:

1. Decide which course you’d like to pursue: Cert III or Cert IV
2. Speak to an employer. In the context of a traineeship, this is ideally a new relationship you are building with an employer, rather than a workplace (or studio) that you have been training in for a long period.
3. Determine where you will undertake the training and who will be your mentor. This is most commonly the studio owner (employer) or a senior teacher. 
4. Go to an Apprenticeship Support Network Provider. They connect apprentices and trainees with employers and support you throughout your traineeship. Apprentice Connect Australia Provider can help.
5. Decide on a training provider or RTO to provide your nationally accredited training.

 STUDIO/EMPLOYER:

1. Sign a training contract with the trainee and chosen training provider or RTO (your Australian Apprenticeship Support Network provider lodges it with the Apprenticeship Office).
2. Provide workplace supervision and mentoring – guided teaching hours, class preparation, shadowing, feedback. You are not expected to replicate the RTO’s formal training.
3. Release the trainee for off-the-job study/assessment – usually a mix of online modules and on-site visits scheduled to suit studio timetables.
4. Claim state incentives through WAAMS (Western Australian Apprenticeship Management System) once milestone dates are reached.

NB. Every training provider or RTO has a different process. Some will ask for a deposit first before sending out materials to get started in online training, others will provide a workbook with the onus on the student to work through independently. Check with your RTO, to make sure you can maximise your foundation of knowledge and skills in the right learning environment for you.

There are only a handful of dance-specific RTOs. Here are some options for West Australians wishing to undertake these two qualifications:

• Empowerdance (facilitated fully online)
• Ausdance Victoria (Cert IV only, available online)
• Australian Teachers of Dance (available online)
• Australian Dance Institute (hybrid delivery – face-to-face and online)
• Transit Dance (available online)

Did we miss you? If you are an RTO offering these course and would like to be included please let us know! Get in touch via wa@ausdance.org.au