Swinburne Open Education

What it is

Swinburne Open Education sells online vocational qualifications, which it calls "in-demand online Technical and Further Education courses," awarded by Swinburne University of Technology. The home page headline is "Better your career with an online qualification that fits around your life," and the school says it is "here to help Australians achieve their career aspirations and ensure they're prepared for future workforce needs." The footer gives the provider registration as Swinburne University of Technology, RTO 3059.

The offer is aimed at adults who want a job-ready qualification without stopping work: career changers, people stepping up into a leadership or administration role, and anyone who wants a nationally recognized certificate or diploma studied on their own time. Swinburne Open describes the result as "a mobile-first qualification that's backed by Swinburne University of Technology," and says its courses are developed in conjunction with Australian industries, with support from real subject matter experts.

The qualifications

Courses run at four levels: Certificate II, Certificate III, Certificate IV and Diploma. The all-courses page lists each with its national code, delivery mode and typical duration. Examples:

• Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping (FNS40222), online, 12-18 months;
• Diploma of Accounting (FNS50222), online, 12-36 months, which the page says builds on the Cert. IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping;
• Certificate IV in Business Administration (BSB40120), online, 12-18 months, with sister specializations in Finance, Cyber Security, Leadership, Procurement and Big Data;
• Certificate IV in Human Resource Management (BSB40420) and Certificate IV in Marketing and Communication (BSB40820), both online, 12-18 months;
• Certificate IV in Leadership and Management (BSB40520), 12-18 months, and Diploma of Leadership and Management (BSB50420), 12-36 months;
• Diploma of Project Management (BSB50820), 12-36 months;
• Certificate IV in Entrepreneurship and New Business (BSB40320), up to 12 months;
• Certificate IV in Information Technology (ICT40120), 12-18 months;
• Diploma of Graphic Design (CUA50725), 12-36 months.

The care and education courses include a work placement alongside the online study: Certificate II in Animal Care (ACM20121, up to 12 months), Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care (CHC30121) and Certificate III in Individual Support in Ageing, Disability, or Ageing and Disability (CHC33021), each 12-18 months. Certificate IV in Community Services (CHC42021) is online, covering support, advocacy, casework and case management.

What the courses teach

The course descriptions are short but specific about the job each one leads to. The Certificate IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping is for starting a career as an accounts officer or managing your own accounts. The Business Administration certificate trains an advanced business administrator, while the Finance stream adds office administration, financial reporting and payroll knowledge, the Procurement stream covers business procurement skills, and the Big Data stream points to roles in data analysis, business intelligence, data insights, and marketing and performance. The Cyber Security stream focuses on workplace cyber security awareness. The HR certificate develops the functional, technical and cognitive skills the human resources sector needs, and the marketing certificate teaches the fundamentals of marketing communication concepts and practices.

Further along, the Diploma of Project Management covers planning, leading and executing projects end to end. The Information Technology certificate is an entry into information and communications technology careers, and the Entrepreneurship certificate aims to give learners the skills, knowledge and confidence to start a business. The Diploma of Graphic Design is described as an entry point into the design industry that prepares students for both business and freelance work. On the care side, the Ageing stream of Individual Support trains learners to work as aged care workers, and Early Childhood Education and Care prepares them to work with young children.

For the executive and management reader, the leadership and management pair, the Business (Leadership) specialization and the project management diploma are the relevant tracks. The Certificate IV in Business (Leadership) is pitched at learners who want to "step up into a management role," and the Diploma of Leadership and Management at people who want to perform effectively as a leader and take on bigger opportunities.

How study works

Everything is online, studied at the learner's own pace. The graphic design page says learners can "study online at your own pace and continue your current role," and the home page promotes bite-sized learning on any device: "Break into a new career during your coffee break." The all-courses page lists what a student gets:

• study on any device, whether desktop, tablet or mobile;
• one-to-one connection with a trainer for personalized guidance;
• monthly Course Spotlight videos recorded by the trainer;
• a learning community through online forums and messages.

The home page describes the interactive learning platform as offering easy navigation to relevant content, collaboration via forums and messaging with lecturers and peers, and "Effortless assignment submission and instant grading alerts." Course pages advertise real-time trainer support.

A student review on the home page backs this up. Jaimee Cook, who studied the Certificate IV in Business (Administration), wrote: "Course outlay has been easy to navigate. Assessors have been an amazing help with any questions and timely responses to submissions." The review also credits regular check-ins with useful feedback. The site links to a wider page of Swinburne Open reviews.

Choosing and enrolling

The site gives prospective students a few tools before they commit. A Course Compare feature lets them add courses side by side. ExplorED, the school's resource section, offers "how-to career guides with complete salary data in Australia" for the careers the courses lead to. A free course guide can be downloaded from any course page; after the download, an enrollment consultant gets in touch to discuss options and answer questions. Learners can also go straight to Enrol, read the online study FAQs or contact the team.

The course pages publish no fees; costs come through the course guide and the enrollment consultant. The footer links to Swinburne Open policies for enrollment terms.

Who it suits

Swinburne Open suits working Australians who want a recognized vocational qualification with a university name behind it and who prefer to study around a job and family. Someone moving into a team leader role can take the Certificate IV in Leadership and Management and continue to the Diploma; an office worker can specialize through the Certificate IV in Business streams; a career changer can enter accounting, HR, IT, graphic design, early childhood education or aged and disability care.

The format rewards self-motivated learners. Study is self-paced over 12 to 36 months depending on the course, with trainer support, forums and assessor feedback rather than scheduled live classes. Those who want a short course or a fixed timetable should look at the durations first, and anyone choosing a care or early childhood qualification should plan for the required work placement.