WHAT CERTIFICATE TO GET ME FURTHER?

Written 15/03/2017
What certificate would increase job prospects?
Forget certificate IV in OHS.
A certificate IV in assessment and Training is so much better.
Here's why.
Occupational health and Safety reforms swept through industries in Australia in the 2000's with large manufacturing and construction having always practiced tight OHS other industry including medium to smaller firms started to catch up. The main reason for this was the fines, penalty points and reputation that corporations were being given when things went wrong during their process to run their business. Often work places were cutting corners to shorten process delivery times and that's when things can go wrong. The changes took place when workplaces were  accepting that some procedures in the workplace were too dangerous to not having to implement a safe working environment. This is when the management of hazards and risks became a high priority. This was probably around the late nineties and early 2000's but many industries where still adapting to change as far as 2006 and 2007. There are still some firms that are lagging behind even in 2017. During this time to about 2008 a certificate IV in OHS that would cost up to around $2,400 and a fair bit of time and dedication to finish may have snagged the graduate with a safety position as a safety officer or assistant to a safety manager. Many times this qualification could be an additional role to the staff members main role.
These days however employers will ask for 2-5 years experience on top of a tertiary OHS qualification. It seems now the OHS certificate IV qualification could be a poor investment.

The certificate IV in Training and Assessment for a few years now has been the better choice for a way to gain a qualification that will pay itself off quickly and advance your job/career aspects. The price for a certificate IV in training and Assessment is a lot cheaper than the OHS qualification by a substantial amount by upwards to $1200. Not only that, it is a quicker to complete the training course and is usually now held in class rooms where the OHS course is many modules that are individually worked on by the student mostly from an online institute.
Other advantages of the Training and Assessment Cert IV are the adaptability of using the qualification towards any skill, hobby or interest you may want to introduce to others. For example if you are a passionate photographer you may use the certificate as a credential towards teaching others.
In the workplace one may use this recognised industry certificate to train others to acquire some of the experience of your  skill set that you may have learnt from your many years of employment at a facility or location. This training position aspect to your job description could add more importance and stability to one's job position or even a raise or pay incentive.