What’s the critical difference between Certificate III and Certificate IV?

The difference between a Certificate 3 and Certificate 4 is a focus on specialisation. Certificate 3 graduates have a good, broad understanding of their chosen field, while graduates of Certificate 4 have the knowledge of a Cert 3 as well as practical knowledge and skills for specialised work. Cert 4 graduates also have higher technical/theoretical knowledge than Cert 3 graduates.

Cert 3 graduates generally work with supervision and only sometimes on their own but are always expected to face routine situations and solve everyday problems.

Cert 4 graduates generally work more autonomously, and will solve more unexpected problems as they happen, though always within their established skill set. They are expected to have the communication skills to explain solutions.

Despite the difference in application, both Certificate III and Certificate IV qualifications are designed to empower graduates to continue learning and take on higher level courses should they want to.

Difference breakdown

From AQF:

	Certificate III	Certificate IV
Skills	cognitive, technical and communication skills to interpret and act on available information cognitive and communication skills to apply and communicate known solutions to a variety of predictable problems and to deal with unforeseen contingencies using known solutions technical and communication skills to provide technical information to a variety of specialist and non-specialist audiences technical skills to undertake routine and some non-routine tasks in a range of skilled operations	cognitive skills to identify, analyse, compare and act on information from a range of sources cognitive, technical and communication skills to apply and communicate technical solutions of a non-routine or contingency nature to a defined range of predictable and unpredictable problems specialist technical skills to complete routine and non-routine tasks and functions communication skills to guide activities and provide technical advice in the area of work and learning
Responsibility	with discretion and judgement in the selection of equipment, services or contingency measures to adapt and transfer skills and knowledge within known routines, methods, procedures and time constraints in contexts that include taking responsibility for own outputs in work and learning including participation in teams and taking limited responsibility for the output of others within established parameters	to specialised tasks or functions in known or changing contexts with responsibility for own functions and outputs, and may have limited responsibility for organisation of others with limited responsibility for the quantity and quality of the output of others in a team within limited parameters

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