RPL for Certificate IV in Community Culture

Certificate IV in Community Culture takes 15 units. Through Recognition of Prior Learning, each unit is assessed on evidence of work you have already done rather than on training you sit through.

What the assessment looks at

Every unit sets out what you must be able to do and what you must know. An assessor works through them one at a time, asking the same question each time: does this person's evidence show they can do this reliably, in a real workplace, recently enough to count?

You can read the full requirements for CUA40225 on the national training register. They are public, and worth a look before you spend anything — if the units describe work you have never done, RPL is not your route.

Evidence worth gathering before you start

• Photos of completed jobs, ideally showing a few stages of the same job, with their original dates intact.
• Job sheets, dockets, work orders or site diaries covering a spread of jobs.
• Supervisors, employers or clients who will confirm specifically what you did.
• Any licences or tickets you already hold.

How the guided process works

You work through the 15 units one at a time, talking about jobs you have actually done. You can speak rather than type. Add photos as you find them, and stop whenever you like — progress saves itself, and most people spread this over weeks while they dig out records. At the end you have an evidence portfolio your RTO's assessor can work through.

What this does not do

It does not assess you, and it cannot promise you CUA40225. An assessor at a registered training organisation makes that decision and may require further evidence or training. What a complete portfolio buys you is a fair assessment rather than a rejection over paperwork.

See what CUA40225 involves →

The 15 units you complete, chosen from these 90

You do not do all 90. Certificate IV in Community Culture is 5 core units, which everyone does, plus 10 chosen from the 85 electives below. Read both lists before you spend anything — it is the fastest way to tell whether RPL is your route. If most of this describes work you have done, you have a case to make. If whole sections describe work you have never touched, an assessor will say so, and doing the course is the honest answer.

Worth knowing: 1 of them have a prerequisite unit, so the order you gather evidence in matters.

Core units — everyone does these

• AHCWRK406 — Develop community networks
• BSBCRT413 — Collaborate in creative processes
• BSBTWK501 — Lead diversity and inclusion
• CUAPPM421 — Contribute to organising productions
• CUAWHS312 — Apply work health and safety practices

Electives — you choose from these

• AHCOCM302 — Work with an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Community or organisation
• AHCOCM303 — Follow Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural protocols
• BSBFIN302 — Maintain financial records
• BSBFIN501 — Manage budgets and financial plans
• BSBFNG402 — Interact with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation members and the community
• BSBFNG404 — Maintain and protect cultural values in an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisation
• BSBHRM415 — Coordinate recruitment and onboarding
• BSBLDR414 — Lead team effectiveness
• BSBMKG431 — Assess marketing opportunities
• BSBMKG432 — Research international markets
• BSBMKG434 — Promote products and services
• BSBMKG441 — Develop public relations documents
• BSBOPS405 — Organise business meetings
• BSBPEF402 — Develop personal work priorities
• BSBPMG430 — Undertake project work
• BSBPRC402 — Negotiate contracts
• BSBSUS411 — Implement and monitor environmentally sustainable work practices
• BSBSUS511 — Develop workplace policies and procedures for sustainability
• BSBTEC402 — Design and produce complex spreadsheets
• BSBWRT411 — Write complex documents
• CHCCCS038 — Facilitate the empowerment of people receiving support
• CHCCDE017 — Support collaborative planning processes
• CHCCDE022 — Work to empower Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander communities
• CUAACT411 — Use acting techniques in performance
• CUACHR411 — Create and perform dance pieces
• CUACMP311 — Implement copyright arrangements
• CUADAN413 — Develop expertise in jazz dance techniques
• CUADAN415 — Develop expertise in street dance techniques
• CUADAN417 — Develop expertise in dance performance techniques
• CUADAN419 — Develop expertise in contemporary dance techniques
• CUADAN420 — Develop expertise in tap dance techniques
• CUADAN421 — Develop expertise in cultural dance techniques
• CUADAN432 — Improvise advanced dance sequences
• CUADTM413 — Apply safe dance teaching methods
• CUADTM421 — Teach basic dance techniques
• CUAGMT301 — Repair and maintain production equipment
• CUAIND411 — Extend expertise in specialist creative fields
• CUAIND412 — Provide freelance services
• CUAIND413 — Communicate effectively with arts professionals
• CUALGT311 — Operate basic lighting
• CUALGT313 — Install and test lighting equipment
• CUAMPF412 — Develop and apply stagecraft skills
• CUAMPF414 — Perform music as part of a group
• CUAMPF415 — Develop and apply instrumental techniques
• CUAMPF416 — Perform music as a soloist
• CUAMPF417 — Develop vocal techniques
• CUAMUP311 — Prepare personal appearance for performances
• CUAPPM311 — Assist with conceiving and preparing performance spaces
• CUAPPM432 — Coordinate production operations
• CUAPPM511 — Manage small-scale live productions
• CUAPPM512 — Realise productions
• CUAPPM513 — Incorporate creative and technical needs into management processes
• CUAPPR402 — Select sites for creative projects and plan work
• CUAPPR408 — Integrate disability access and inclusion
• CUAPPR414 — Develop self as artist
• CUAPRF412 — Develop conceptual and expressive skills as a performer
• CUAPRF413 — Use different performance techniques
• CUAPRF415 — Rehearse for performances
• CUAPRF417 — Develop expertise in musical theatre techniques
• CUAPRF420 — Develop on-camera performance skills
• CUAPUA511 — Create works of art for public spaces
• CUASOU302 — Compile and replay audio material
• CUASOU308 — Install and disassemble audio equipment
• CUASOU412 — Manage audio input sources
• CUAWHS311 — Condition body for dance performance
• CUAWHS406 — Interact appropriately with children in performing arts environments
• CUAWHS411 — Apply movement and behavioural principles to conditioning
• CUAWHS412 — Participate in gym and resistance training for performances
• CUAWHS413 — Incorporate anatomy principles into skill development
• CUAWRT301 — Write content for a range of media
• HLTAID011 — Provide First Aid
• SISFFIT035 — Plan group exercise sessions
• SISFFIT036 — Instruct group exercise sessions
• SITEEVT030 — Develop event concepts
• SITTGDE013 — Interpret aspects of local Australian Indigenous culture
• SITTGDE017 — Prepare and present tour commentaries or activities
• SITTGDE018 — Develop and maintain the general and regional knowledge required by guides
• SITTGDE019 — Research and share information on Australian Indigenous cultures
• SITTGDE022 — Prepare specialised interpretive content on cultural and heritage environments
• SITTPPD014 — Coordinate and operate sustainable tourism activities
• SITXHRM011 — Manage volunteers
• SITXMPR009 — Coordinate production of brochures and marketing materials
• SITXMPR012 — Coordinate marketing activities
• SITXMPR016 — Prepare and present proposals
• TAEDEL311 — Provide work skill instruction

Each unit breaks down further into elements and performance criteria — the specific things you have to be able to show. The guide works through them one unit at a time and asks about jobs you have actually done, rather than making you read the register yourself.

Related qualifications

Same training package, and a common second choice for people who find this one is not quite their trade:

• Diploma of Professional Dance (Elite Performance) (CUA51520, 17 units)

When you are ready, see what CUA40225 costs and what the guide asks you for, or read what counts as evidence and how RPL compares with doing the course.