New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Support Work)

Level 3

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Are you a people person dedicated to the care of others? Gain sought after skills in the UCOL Te Pūkenga New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Support Work).

A simulated hospital environment with student nurses at UCOL Te Pūkenga

Quick info

Level: 3

Locations: UCOL Te Pūkenga Horowhenua in Levin

Duration: 22 weeks full-time
(See Course Hours & Duration for details)

Dates:
2024 dates TBC

Domestic Fees: *
$2296.40

Scholarship info

Find out if you're eligible for fees-free study

International Fees:*
Please enquire for details

Additional Fees
Compulsory course costs may apply.

* Fees are indicative only, and are inclusive of the student services levy and GST (goods and services tax). The fee shown is for one year of study.

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Employers in aged residential, acute, primary and rehabilitative care need health assistants with a professional skill set.

You'll gain the skills to become a support worker in a health and wellbeing setting with the knowledge and skills to interact effectively with clients to ensure their optimum quality of life.

COVID-19 Vaccination requirements

Some health and disability employers may require workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, including those on placement. Check with your tutor or placement advisor to find out more.

Course Hours & Duration

This programme runs for 22 weeks, including 2 holiday weeks.

Per week, your learning will include approximately:

Class Time

20 hrs

Lectures,tutorials and/or online recordings.

Work Time

7.5 hrs

Work experience/internship.

Study Time

7.5 hrs

Study in your own time.

You can also choose to study part-time, or possibly by paper. Talk to us about your options with this programme.

Career & Study Outcomes

Graduates of the UCOL Te Pūkenga New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Support Work) will be able to:

recognise and respond to signs of vulnerability and abuse
demonstrate ethical and professional behaviour
provide person-centred support to maximise independence
recognise and respond to change.

You may be employed in a range of roles supporting people in the community, such as disability or aged support.

This qualification can lead to further studies in related health and wellbeing contexts, or in leadership and management.

To find out more about possible job prospects and salaries for Social Workers, see careers.govt.nz

Course Information

Note: As a subsidiary of Te Pūkenga - New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology, UCOL Te Pūkenga is committed to providing the best learning outcome for you. As part of this, all programmes are currently being reviewed to make them portable, consistent, and closely aligned with the needs of the industry. When published, this course information is correct, but the courses offered may change over time. If you have any questions call an Enrolment Advisor on 0800 468 265.

From 2023, UCOL Te Pūkenga and the programme you have enrolled in will become part of Te Pūkenga. So, if you join UCOL Te Pūkenga in 2023, you will be awarded Te Pūkenga certification. And, if you are a current learner graduating in 2023, you will be awarded a co-branded certificate.

This programme comprises 70 credits.

Promoting Interpersonal Communication (14 Credits)
Learn essential communication skills to interact effectively with clients, the importance of advocacy and self-advocacy, and how to recognise and respond to vulnerability.

Cultural-Legal Context of Health (20 Credits)
Learn professional and ethical behaviour; health, safety and security practices; providing support to people from different cultures, and ascertaining a person's holistic needs with regards to their health and wellbeing.

Promoting Independence (18 Credits)
Learn how to support people to use assistive equipment and move, meet their personal care needs, and provide person-centred care when supporting a person with early-stage dementia.

Maintaining a Person Centred Approach (18 Credits)
Observe and respond to changes in a person, understand the support needs of a person with physical disabilities, learn about the implications of aging on a person's lifestyle and well-being, and how to provide person-centred support.

Previous Related Programmes

The New Zealand Certificate in Health and Wellbeing (Support Work) supersedes and takes the best from the following programme of study, which is no longer offered:

National Certificate in Health, Disability and Aged support (Core Competencies)

Domestic Entry Requirements

NCEA Level 1 (including 10 Literacy and 10 Numeracy Credits at Level 1) or equivalent.

For applicants 20 years of age and over there are no minimum academic requirements.

Acceptance into the programme is conditional on a student authorising UCOL Te Pūkenga to obtain a background check from the New Zealand Police Licensing and Vetting Agency. Convictions of any offence may not necessarily exclude applicants from enrolment; the decision is at the discretion of the Programme Leader.

Learners are also required to complete the Health Declaration Form.

If English is not your first language, you must also demonstrate English language skills equivalent to an IELTS overall band score (academic) of 5.0 with no band score less than 5 (or equivalent including TOEFL). UCOL Te Pūkenga is a TOEFL testing centre.

For more information about NCEA Credits see the UCOL Te Pūkenga NCEA explained page.

International Entry Requirements

In addition to the Domestic Entry Requirements, the following applies to international learner applicants.

English language proficiency
International learner applicants whose first language is not English must have an IELTS (or equivalent including TOEFL) score of 5 with no band score lower than 5. IELTS scores must be taken from a single IELTS Test Report Form (i.e. combining scores from more than one test is not permissible).UCOL Te Pūkenga is a TOEFL iBT testing centre. The English Proficiency test is accepted for English language entry into all UCOL Te Pūkenga programmes.

Under 20 years of age
For international applicants under 20 years of age who do not hold NCEA, International Academic Qualifications Entry Criteria apply.

Advice & Guidance

Work experience
There are 150 work experience hours for this programme.

Recognition of prior learning
Applications for Recognition of Prior Learning, including Cross Credit, Credit Transfer and Assessment of Prior Learning may be made on the Recognition of Prior Learning Form where a student believes all learning outcomes for a course have already been met. Applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the UCOL Te Pūkenga Academic Statute and other relavant policies and procedures.

Application checklist
It will make the process easier if you prepare the following before you apply:

National Student Number (NSN) (If you don't have a NSN, you may request one from NZQA, or you can supply a verified copy of your birth certificate, passport or Whakapapa statement.)
Evidence of your highest level of academic achievement (and evidence of prior learning, if applicable)
Evidence that you meet the entry requirements of the programme
Check if you're eligible for additional support or a scholarship. If you're 19 years or younger, you may be eligible to enrol in one of our free Youth Transition programmes.

Note that you will need to provide any verified documents in person, via post or email (not via the online application form).