A Certificate IV in Business provides skills for office administration roles like accounts supervisor or executive assistant. It emphasizes decision making, communication, leadership, and customer skills. The certificate requires completion of ten competency units, including five electives chosen from a list. Course delivery is flexible, often online, to suit people returning to work or with other responsibilities. Overall, the Certificate IV is valuable for advancing from practical roles into management positions and offers nationally-recognized qualifications.

1. Certificate IV Qualifications Place Emphasis on Cognitive Skills
Regardless of how the economy is performing, business administration is one vocational discipline that is
always in demand. Every business, from the one person home office-based micro-business to the largest
corporation, needs to keep records, process accounts and record and bank income, circulate
communication material, pay employees and produce financial reports. Anyone who doubts this statement
should look at who is still employed when retrenchments become necessary. Usually, the office
employees are the last to leave.
While no-one giving career advice can absolutely guarantee that a particular vocation will be recession-
proof, business administration goes pretty close, especially for people with accounts experience. This
makes business qualifications highly desirable, and the people who hold them very employable. For
anyone trying to choose which administration course to undertake, there can be confusion, as there are a
number of different options.
A Quick Review of the AQF
Formal qualifications in Australia fit within a hierarchy called the Australian Qualifications Framework
or AQF. All qualifications gained under the AQF are nationally recognised. The lowest level is Certificate
I and the highest a Doctorate. Certificates I and II are usually undertaken at secondary school. A
Certificate III level replaces trade certificates but also applies to vocational areas other than trades such as
business, hospitality, aged care, retail and many others.
A certificate IV sits next on the hierarchy followed by a Diploma of Business. The qualifications continue
up through the framework with a Doctorate being the highest education level attainable. At certificate IV
level, qualified people are expected to display decision-making capabilities, strong oral and written
communication skills, leadership skills, the ability to negotiate with internal and external customers and
be self directed.
How Can a Certificate IV in Business be of Benefit?
A Certificate IV in Business is an excellent course for people who already have some skills and
experience in a business administration area, and aspire to move to the next level of administration or
management. It would also be invaluable for those wanting to start their own business. Typical of the
types of roles that this qualification would support are accounts supervisor, executive personal assistant,
office administrator or project assistant.
Ten units of competency must be successfully completed to gain a Certificate IV in Business. The only
core unit is the occupational health and safety one. Of the nine remaining, five electives are chosen from a
given list and a further four from the same list or any currently endorsed Training Package or accredited
course at the same qualification level.
Registered Training Organisations offer a range of course delivery options with many offering the entire
course on-line in a simulated working environment. Course flexibility ensures that participants only study
those competencies that suit their goals. For example, a training provider may offer a range of
competencies that would suit someone in an administration role in a customer service environment or
others that would assist someone in a middle to senior management role.

2. The Certificate IV in Business provides the opportunity to step up from practical skill-based clerical and
assistant roles to leadership and executive level positions. The flexible, on-line delivery suits people
returning to the workforce who may have caring responsibilities, limited transport options or other
barriers to attending a college or TAFE. Further details can be obtained from……… This is an excellent
opportunity to create long-term career prospects that could be a stepping stone for gaining still higher
qualifications.
http://www.tiq.edu.au