Every now and then, a graduating student writes a review about the Cert IV TAE that we believe really captures what we try to do.  Instead of them ending up hidden among the others, we will share them with you, and try to explain why we think they are so appropriate.

Here is what Trudy said:

“Firstly be aware this course is very demanding particularly in the volume of assessments/workload. To undertake it online you need to be highly motivated & extremely organised. If you can do this I highly recommend Fortress Learning…  Emma is everything you can hope for & more. She’s not on call 24/7 but that is not an impediment to success… I’ve done post graduate university study & found the TAE more difficult but however to use a cliche with Fortress you can do it.”

Why did this particular testimonial comment get our attention?

Trudy makes three main points in her testimonial, all of which boil down to expectations.

Here at Fortress, we believe in informing people about what they can expect before they decide whether or not a course with Fortress Learning is right for them.

We believe that this is our professional and ethical responsibility.

Here are three things that Trudy mentioned in her testimonial that you can expect when studying your Cert IV TAE with Fortress Learning:

1. The course is demanding.

The Australian Qualifications Framework publishes what they believe is a good indication of how long different courses should take.  These are called the Volume of Learning Indicators, and they suggest that a Certificate IV level qualification should take 600-1200 hours.

If you enrol in a 12-month program,  then using the above you could expect to take 10-15 hours a week.  Obviously, for a 6-month program, it would be more.

This means if you are juggling work, family, friends and other commitments on top of study, it does require you to be “highly motivated & extremely organised”.

2. We are here to support you from 8 am to 5 pm, Monday to Friday.

We strive to be flexible and available for personable communication with all our students. While we are not on call 24/7, as Trudy says, “that is not an impediment to success”.

Why is it not a limitation to your success? It comes back to the quality of the support we offer. We aim to be clear, concise and constructive with our feedback. We want to give you the tools and information you need to feel confident in taking the next step.

3. We often hear that some people find the Certificate IV TAE more difficult than a university degree.

People who have successfully completed higher uni degrees often have the expectation that a Cert IV will be “easy”.  Whilst academically, it may be ‘easier’, VET qualifications, especially the Cert IV TAE, demand a different way of thinking that can prove to be very challenging.

It’s like comparing an English assignment with a Maths exam.  Whilst uni degrees are often theoretical and broad, VET qualifications are more applied and narrow.  They demand that you show and do things in very specific ways.

The combination of expecting the course to be easy as well as requiring a different way of thinking can cause resistance and uncertainty.

It can be confronting to have thoughts such as, “I shouldn’t be struggling, but I am!”

Getting over this shock does require a bit of humility and surrender. It requires you to change your thinking from, “Am I stupid??” to “I don’t know what I don’t know and I’m willing to learn”.

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