Certificate III in Learning an Australian First Nation's Language

About this course

The Certificate III in Learning an Australian First Nation’s Language is designed to prepare Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander learners with the knowledge, skills, and cultural competencies required to actively participate in the preservation, revival, and use of their First Nation’s language across community, cultural, and educational contexts. This course provides graduates with a broad range of outcomes, including the ability to demonstrate an informed understanding of the structure, variation, and historical context of their target First Nation’s language, including its connections to Country and culture; identify and categorise language groups, dialects, and traditional lands, recognising the significance of language boundaries and songlines; and apply effective research techniques to locate, evaluate, and interpret language resources, including archived materials, community knowledge, and oral histories. Graduates will be able to analyse and produce spoken and written forms of the language using appropriate pronunciation, grammar, sentence construction, and syntax, and engage with the complexities and challenges of language maintenance, reclamation, and revitalisation. They will use bilingual skills to support basic translation and interpretation of words, concepts, and texts, conduct oral and written conversations in the target language with increasing fluency and confidence, and present structured speeches, stories, or cultural material to an audience in the First Nation’s language. They will also use digital and creative tools to record, store, and share language materials, supporting intergenerational transmission, and apply cultural safety principles and respectful protocols when working with Elders, knowledge holders, and language custodians.The outcomes of this course directly respond to the needs of Aboriginal communities and the language education sector to increase the number of qualified Aboriginal language specialists and facilitators available for delivery in schools, early childhood centres, cultural programs, and community settings. Consultation with organisations including government agencies in South Australia, Victoria, Queensland and the Northern Territory has confirmed the urgent need for accredited training pathways to develop Aboriginal language teaching workforces. This aligns with Closing the Gap Target 16, which aims for a sustained increase in the number and strength of Aboriginal languages spoken by 2031; the UNESCO International Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022–2032) and Australia’s Voices of Country: Action Plan, which prioritise intergenerational knowledge transfer, cultural revitalisation, and community-led education; and the First Nations Languages Education Program to build the Aboriginal language teaching workforce nationally. While the occupation outcomes of this course align to the occupation description for ANZSCO code (224912) Liaison Officer - Aboriginal Liaison Officer) on the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) website, the AQF level of the qualification does not align the Skill Level assigned to this occupation by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.