📘 Framework map — not a real person’s record
This is a map of how Australian learning fits together so you can keep stacking it for life — not anyone’s personal study record. Every figure is public AU data (AQF · education.gov.au · the regulators · StudyAssist) and labelled hard-data or framework. Durations and CPD hours are indicative/minimum — confirm your exact case at the linked source.
🔒 Privacy: this page reads nothing about you — no tracking, no profiling, no account access. You pick your path; anything you note stays on your device. Privacy notice
Your path: a self-directed / CPD / credential-stacking learner. Other paths — school-leaver · undergrad · career-pivoter · returning-to-study — plug into the same engine (Career Explorer).
The whole learning system, on one line
The AQF ladder (1→10) is the shelf every formal qualification sits on. Micro-credentials and CPD sit beside the ladder — they’re smaller than a full AQF award and feed into it (or count for registration), rather than being a rung themselves.
Your six questions, answered
- What counts as a real credential? Anything that maps to an AQF level (1–10) and is issued by a registered RTO/TAFE or a university/TEQSA provider. See the ladder →
- Do micro-credentials stack? They can — but only via the receiving provider’s credit/RPL policy. Confirm credit before you enrol, never assume it. Stacking →
- What CPD must I do? Depends on your profession — e.g. psychology 30h/yr, nursing 20h, law 10 units/yr. CPD planner →
- What’s actually free? Fee-Free TAFE (eligibility-gated) and MOOC audit (free, usually no award). Loans cover the rest. Money →
- How do I prove what I’ve done? Keep a CPD portfolio / RPL evidence file — certificates, hours, reflections — it’s what unlocks credit and audits.
- Where do I search now? Course Seeker + provider catalogues + the gov’t Microcredentials Pilot info. Not MicroCred Seeker (closed). Sources →
🧰 Tools we built for this path From Mindspan
Resources that suit a lifelong learner — shown because they’re relevant, not as ads. (Our own products, openly labelled.) Lead with general learning-skills; the clinical items below are loggable CPD only if you’re on a psychology/mental-health path.
Not a psychologist? Stick with the general learning-skills card — the clinical items aren’t relevant to your path and we won’t pretend otherwise.
The AQF ladder — every level, one shelf
Australia’s Qualifications Framework places every formal qualification on a level 1–10. Use it to compare a Cert III against a Bachelor on the same yardstick. Durations are indicative volume of learning — 1 equivalent full-time year ≈ 1200 hours. 92% hard-data.
| Lvl | Qualification | Indicative time | Issued by | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Certificate I | 0.5–1 yr | RTO/TAFE | Basic vocational / pre-employment |
| 2 | Certificate II | 0.5–1 yr | RTO/TAFE | Entry vocational |
| 3 | Certificate III | 1–2 yr ~4 yr apprenticeship | RTO/TAFE | Skilled / trade qualification |
| 4 | Certificate IV | 0.5–2 yr | RTO/TAFE | Trade-plus / supervisory |
| 5 | Diploma | 1–2 yr | RTO/TAFE/HE | Para-professional; VSL-eligible |
| 6 | Advanced Diploma / Associate Degree | 1.5–2 yr | RTO/TAFE/HE | Higher technical; uni credit pathway |
| 7 | Bachelor Degree | 3–4 yr | University / HE | Standard professional entry |
| 8 | Bachelor Honours · Graduate Certificate · Graduate Diploma | Hon +1 yr · GradCert 0.5–1 yr · GradDip 1–2 yr | University / HE | Deepen / pivot; PhD on-ramp (Honours) |
| 9 | Masters (Coursework / Research / Extended) | 1–2 yr Extended 3–4 yr | University / HE | Specialise; professional-entry (e.g. JD) |
| 10 | Doctoral Degree | 3–4 yr | University / HE | Original research / highest level |
VET vs Higher Ed — where the ladder splits
Levels 1–6 are the VET sector (TAFE & registered training organisations, regulated by ASQA). Levels 7–10 are Higher Education (universities & TEQSA-registered providers). A Diploma (L5) can credit into a Bachelor (L7) — the classic no-ATAR backdoor.
What officially counts as a micro-credential
Quoted verbatim from the National Microcredentials Framework (Dept of Education). 95% hard-data.
“a certification of assessed learning or competency, with a minimum volume of learning of one hour and less than an Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) award qualification, that is additional, alternate, complementary to or a component part of an AQF award qualification.”
The three recognised types
Where to search now
The named tool is gone — here’s the live replacement set.
CPD — your defensible minimum year
If you’re a regulated professional, continuing professional development (CPD) is mandatory annual hours, not optional. Below: the real obligations for the major AU professions. Minimums vary by state & review cycle — every row links your own regulator’s current standard. ~85% hard-data; verify your exact standard.
| Profession | Requirement | Special rule | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology (PsyBA) | 30 hrs / yr | ≥10 hrs peer consultation; PD plan + portfolio | 90% |
| Nursing & Midwifery (NMBA) | ≥20 hrs / registration period | relevant to your context of practice | 88% |
| Accounting (CPA Australia) | 20 hrs / yr · 120 hrs / triennium | ≥2 verifiable ethics hrs/yr (10/triennium) | 85% |
| Accounting (CA ANZ) | 120 hrs / triennium | ≥20 hrs verifiable annually | 82% |
| Law (state societies) | 10 CPD units / yr | ≥1 unit in each of 4 areas: Ethics · Skills · Practice Mgmt · Substantive Law | 88% |
| Engineering (Engineers Australia) | 150 hrs / 3 yrs | ≥50 hrs in your area of practice | 85% |
Annual CPD hours, compared
Annualised for comparison (triennium totals ÷ 3). A planning glance, not the legal text — read your standard for the exact rule.
What’s actually free — and what isn’t
Three tiers: genuinely free, subsidised/income-contingent loan, and full-fee. The honest catch: free audit usually yields no formal AQF award — recognition is the trade-off you’re making. 80–90% hard-data.
| Route | Cost to you | Recognition | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fee-Free TAFE | $0 tuition | Full AQF qualification (VET) | Eligibility is course- & state-specific; priority cohorts/areas |
| MOOC audit / OpenLearn | $0 | Usually none (badge, not AQF) | Recognition is the trade-off; certificate often costs extra |
| Open Universities Australia | paid HELP avail. | Real HE units (AQF) | Open-entry but not free |
| VET Student Loans | loan (income-contingent) | Diploma+ (L5–8) | Not Cert I–IV; loan caps — you pay any gap |
| HECS-HELP (CSP) | subsidised + loan | Higher Ed (L7–10) | Commonwealth-supported places only |
| FEE-HELP | full-fee loan | Higher Ed full-fee | indexed; repaid via tax over the threshold |
Three funding paths, by cost
Illustrative bands for one year of study — build your own against your exact course on StudyAssist + the provider. The biggest swing is whether you’re Fee-Free-TAFE-eligible or paying full higher-ed fees.
Fee-Free TAFE — who & what
Now a permanent feature under the Free TAFE Act 2025 (gov’t committing >$1.6b to 2034–35; ≥100,000 places/yr from 2027). Eligibility is state/territory-administered — verify with your state TAC. 88%
Primary sources & confidence
Everything above traces to these. Some AU gov pages (aqf.edu.au timed out; the PsyBA CPD page 403s to automated fetch) so a few figures are triangulated via the regulator’s sibling page or the AQF Volume-of-Learning PDF — flagged per item. Open logged in / on the live page to confirm.
| What | Primary source | Type | Conf |
|---|---|---|---|
| AQF levels 1–10 & qualification types | AQF levels ↗ | hard | 92% |
| Volume of learning (1200h ≈ 1 FTE yr) + ranges | AQF Vol. of Learning PDF ↗ | hard | 90% |
| Volume of learning per type (regulator) | ASQA volume of learning ↗ | hard | 90% |
| Micro-credential definition + 1-hr min + types | National Microcredentials Framework ↗ | hard | 95% |
| Framework PDF (verbatim definition) | Framework PDF ↗ | hard | 95% |
| MicroCred Seeker is CLOSED (honesty anchor) | MicroCred Seeker (closure notice) ↗ | hard | 95% |
| Successor: Microcredentials Pilot (HE) | Microcredentials Pilot ↗ | hard | 88% |
| Live course search (replacement tool) | Course Seeker ↗ | hard | 93% |
| Occupation fit / “worth stacking toward” | Jobs & Skills profiles ↗ | hard | 88% |
| Career/course exploration | myfuture ↗ | tool | 88% |
| Psychology CPD 30h/yr incl. ≥10h peer consult | PsyBA CPD ↗ 403→AHPRA | hard | 90% |
| Cross-profession CPD backstop | AHPRA CPD ↗ | hard | 88% |
| Accounting CPD 20h/yr + 120h/triennium + ethics | CPA Australia CPD ↗ | hard | 85% |
| Legal CPD 10 units/yr × 4 areas (by state) | Legal CPD by state ↗ | hard | 88% |
| Engineering CPD 150h/3yr, ≥50h in practice | Engineers Australia CPD ↗ | hard | 85% |
| Fee-Free TAFE (permanent, priority areas/cohorts) | DEWR Fee-Free TAFE ↗ | hard | 88% |
| VET Student Loans (diploma+; ~$67k threshold) | VET Student Loans ↗ | hard | 90% |
| HELP loans hub (HECS/FEE-HELP/VSL) | StudyAssist ↗ | hard | 90% |
| Free MOOCs (no AQF award example) | OpenLearn ↗ | framework | 90% |
Career Explorer · public framework map · figures are AU public data (AQF · education.gov.au · the regulators · StudyAssist) — verify against the linked sources for your year/state/provider · general guidance, not personal advice · questions: info@mindspan.com.au · privacy.
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