Since the dawn of the digital age there has been anenhanced need for people with professional writing skillsto create content for digital environments, including theweb, social media and in corporate settings.

Turning your writing skills into a specialised career could be within reach with the Certificate IV in ProfessionalWriting and Editing. Designed for those with some existing skills looking to harness their creativity into a moreadvanced business mode, this course will give you the core skills to work professionally as a writer in manycapacities, including for marketing, as a copywriter, or within the workplace.

Having proven writing skills on your resume could enhance your job prospects, or augment your current role. TheAustralian business marketplace is now demanding that people have professional skills allowing them to writeand research many different varieties of documents for their employers, or to work as freelance writers forvarious types of publications and platforms.

You will learn how to research, proofread and edit your work, and the work of others but the main thrust of thiscertificate is to enhance your skills and knowledge to write in a more accurate and professional way. The coursealso looks at writing for digital media, writing for the web and writing for social media. It goes beyond traditionalprint forms and concentrates on writing in the digital age, covering digital marketing, Search Engine Optimisation(SEO), and tagging.

The focus of this course is writing for vocational purposes. It includes creative writing subjects, but specificallyaims to develop your skills in producing digital content, online technical documents and research reports.

This course is nationally recognised and allows you a choice of electives to hone your skills in technicaldocumentation, scripts, journalism or short narratives.

Why study this course?

Course number

E1033

Qualification name

22203VIC Certificate IV in Professional Writing and Editing

Certificate IV in Professional Writing and EditingCOURSE GUIDE

22203VIC Certificate IV in Professional Writing and Editing

1300 853 413

Course duration

Maximum 18 months

Qualification level

Certificate IV

Delivery method

Online

Recognition

Nationally Recognised

Assessments

Case studies, Multiple choice questions, Portfolio, Short-answer questions

Awarded by

TAFE NSW North Region (Provider number: 90010)

About the course

Potential career outcomes

Copywriter

Education Writer

Marketing and Communications Professional

Medical Writer

Public Relations Professional

Technical Writer

Web Content Specialist

Writer

RTO partnership information

This course is offered by Open Colleges on behalf of TAFE NSW North Region (provider number 90010)

Course trainers

Annette Trevitt

Annette teaches a professional writing and editing program in Melbourne and has done for 12 years. She has aBachelor of Arts, Graduate Diploma in Film and Television, and a Diploma in Vocational Education and Training(VET). She has made animated films and worked as an assistant editor for TV and for film. Her short stories havebeen published in literary magazines and broadcast on ABC radio and by the BBC. She enjoys giving feedback tostudents to help them shape their ideas and their stories, and to encourage students to let their sentences sounda little like their voice in life.

Jean Flynn

Jean is a freelance writer, editor, graphic designer and educator, who previously taught design to internationalstudents at RMIT University and now works in the writing department at Federation University in Victoria,Australia. Her non-fiction writing has appeared in printed newspapers, magazines and online, and she has hadshort stories published in anthologies and also broadcast on ABC radio. Jean’s qualifications include: Bachelor ofDesign, a Certificate IV in Professional Writing and Editing, and a Certificate IV in Training and Assessment. Jeanloves to see her student’s work published and always encourages them to submit their work for publication.

Nadine Cresswell-Myatt

Nadine holds a Master of Arts (Monash), a Graduate Diploma in Education, a Bachelor of Education, a CertificateIV in Training and Assessment and a Diploma in Professional Writing and Editing. She has worked as a freelancejournalist for over 20 years writing feature articles, reviews and travel stories for almost all Australia’s majornewspapers, a myriad of magazines and the burgeoning online world. She is currently completing a PhD in Historyat the University of Melbourne and has 19 years’ experience teaching writing in the TAFE sector. She enjoyshelping students with their writing and steering them towards publication.

CUFRES401AConduct research

CUFWRT301AWrite content for a range of media

VU20880Develop writing and editing skills Part 1

VU20880Develop writing and editing skills Part 2

CUAIND301Work effectively in the creative arts industry

CUFCMP301AImplement copyright arrangements

Academic information

Open Colleges may make changes to the course from time to time to reflect changes introduced to the relevantTraining Package or other regulatory requirements.

Courses offered by Open Colleges on behalf of TAFE NSW North Region may include Units of Competency thatare graded by TAFE NSW North Region.

Module 1: Module 1: The writing process

Clarify research brief

Conduct research

Analyse research findings

Present research findings

Prepare to write content

Draft content

Finalise content

Module 2: Module 2: Writing and editing skills

Module 3: Module 3: Writing for the 21st Century

Maintain currency of own industry knowledge

Establish effective contractual relationships

Complete work tasks effectively

Source information on copyright

ICAWEB420AWrite content for web pages

BSBPUB403ADevelop public relations documents

BSBITU303ADesign and produce text documents

VU20882Write non-fiction material

VU20881Write fiction material

Obtain permission to use copyright material

Protect material from unauthorised use

Prepare to develop content for site

Write site content

Upload content

Module 4: Module 4: Writing for business

Research appropriate public relations documents

Plan production of communication document

Create and edit public relations documents

Implement and evaluate public relations documents

Prepare to produce word processed documents

Design word processed documents

Add tables and other data

Produce text documents

Module 5: Module 5: Writing for different genres

This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to write a range of non-fiction materialsincluding feature articles, obituaries, reviews and profiles. You will learn how to confirm thepurpose of the task, carry out preparation, write the non-fiction piece, and applyproofreading and editing skills.

This unit will help you develop the knowledge and skills to write a range of fiction material.By the end of this module you should be able to:

Confirm the purpose of the writing task

Determine the scope of the writing task

Prepare for the fiction writing task

ICAICT408ACreate technical documentation

VU20890Write short scripts

VU20888Write journalism

VU20883Write short narratives

Create the fiction writing piece

Complete the fiction writing task

Module 6: Module 6: Electives

Choose two electives from the below

Identify and analyse documentation requirements and client needs

Design documentation

Develop documentation

Evaluate and edit documentation

Prepare documentation for publication

This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to write scripts for film, TV and a range of other media. You willlearn how to draw on a range of experiences, observations and research to write engaging scripts. The modulecovers conception, form, drafting, redrafting and how to meet the requirements of the media platform.

Develop a concept for the article

Determine the article requirements

Prepare to write the article

Review the article

This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to write short narratives for print and electronic publication,and for a range of other media. You will read and analyse examples of a variety of short narratives to learn aboutthe form. Then you will develop a short narrative from the early stage of developing an idea through to the finaldrafting and submission stage.

Assessment details

Case studies

Multiple choice questions

Portfolio

Short-answer questions

Recognition of Prior Learning

We understand that you may already have many skills and areas of expertise that you have obtained in differentways and these are recognised through our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) process.

Open Colleges has developed an RPL application kit for this course.

The Student Handbook, available in the Key Student Information section of our website, provides moreinformation about our RPL process. Alternatively, you can contact an Enrolment Consultant to discuss your RPLoptions.

Course duration

The duration for the course is maximum 18 months. As a self-paced online course, the time it will take you tocomplete is flexible and dependent on ability and time available.

Requirements

Education

There are no formal education entry requirements for this course.

English

This course involves reading learning content and undertaking a range of written assessments and engaging inonline forums and discussions. Furthermore, the delivery mode relies on the extensive use of writtencommunication. As such, entry to the course requires the successful completion of English to Year 12 level.

If you haven't successfully completed English at Year 12 level, you can demonstrate equivalency through one ofthe following:

Successful completion of a Nationally Recognised Training qualification at Certificate III level or higher; or

3 years relevant industry experience in a role that requires the use of written documentation andcommunication

Open Colleges recognises that not all people are able to read, write and perform calculations to the samestandard. See the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Considerations section for more information on tools,resources and support services provided to by Open Colleges.

Computing

Minimum specifications for your computer are:

Microsoft Office 2013 or equivalent

Broadband internet connection

2GB of RAM

Adobe Reader XI or equivalent

Windows users:

Microsoft Windows 7 or higher recommended

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor (2GHz or faster recommended)

Adobe Flash Player 11 or higher

Mac OS users:

Mac OSX v10.6 or higher recommended

1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster Intel processor (2GHz or faster recommended)

You will also need access to Macromedia Flash player and access to software to view online videos and images,such as Adobe Reader, Windows Media Player, Windows Photo Viewer, which are available as a download fromthe internet.

Digital equipment

You will need access to:

A digital video recording device and/or a digital camera and associated software to save and upload video,image and audio files to OpenSpace. Many mobile phones and smart phones include this technology.

Software to view online videos and images. Software such as Adobe Reader, Windows Media Player,Windows Photo Viewer etc. are available as a free download from the internet.

Skills

To successfully complete this course, you will require basic computing skills. This includes:

Creating, saving and editing Microsoft Office documents

Accessing and searching the internet

Downloading and saving documents from websites

Uploading documents through websites

Participating in online discussions

Compressing image files

Recording, compressing and uploading videos.

Language, Literacy and Numeracy

Our free online assessment tool can help give you an idea of the language, literacy and numeracy skills needed tostudy a VET course. This tool can also help you determine your learning level and help you plan your futurestudies. You can access the Language, Literacy and Numeracy tool here (http://www.opencolleges.edu.au/online-learning-assessment).

Payment options

Pay in full

If you pay your course fees up-front in full, you’ll benefit from a discount. When you pay in full, we don’t have tospend extra money on administration for tasks such as payment plan processing. Instead, we get to pass thissaving onto you in the form of a discount.

ZipMoney Payment Plan

If you need a little more flexibility in your finances, and want to pay off your course fees over a longer period oftime, you can switch to a zipMoney payment plan. Essentially, zipMoney pays your course fees for you, and youpay this loan back over 24, 36 or 48 months. As long as you are eligible, you can switch to a zipMoney plan at anytime.

Payment Plan

Pay for your course in weekly or fortnightly instalments. By paying in instalments, you can schedule yourpayments around your regular outgoings and get ahead without breaking the bank. Open Colleges payment plansare interest-free.

Studying online with Open Colleges

Flexibility - study at your own pace

When you study online with Open Colleges you’re in control.

You can choose to complete your course quickly or keep to a steady pace, and with no deadlines or schedules tostick to, fitting your learning around your everyday commitments is easy.

Everything you need to study is online so you can study wherever you like – but that doesn’t mean you’re on yourown.

OpenSpace is our purpose-built online learning platform. It’s where you’ll go to access your learning materials,contact your expert trainers and assessors, upload your assessments and find all the support and motivation youneed to keep going from the OC community.

Your online community

What is OpenSpace?

Open Colleges offers you a custom-designed online-learning platform called OpenSpace.

Your learning platform is the heart of your study experience. This is where you'll navigate through your coursematerials, contact your trainers and assessors, and connect with other online students.

What can you do in OpenSpace?

OpenSpace provides you with a secure, interactive learning environment that allows you to access a wealth oflearning resources. In OpenSpace you can:

Access all your course materials, including videos and other digital resources

Complete the learning activities related to your course

Get the latest news about Open Colleges and your course

Access the Student Lounge - a hub for student information and resources, including how-to videos, forms,relevant policies and procedures, communication tools and study tips

Get to know your fellow students by posting in the course forums, and find a 'Study Buddy'

Connect with your Trainers and Assessors

Access extensive online libraries for research

Upload your assessments, view feedback, and access your grades

It’s just like a real campus – but it’s available anywhere and anytime.

How to get support

Academic support

Your experienced trainers are available in OpenSpace to answer any questions you may have regarding thelearning materials or assessments.

Your program manager can also provide you with advice and support regarding the overall course.

Student support

The student support team is your one-stop service centre for all student administrative issues – includingenrolment, change of contact details, OpenSpace support, assessment results and certification.

You can access the student support team in OpenSpace or by email or phone.

Learning support

The learning support team is a dedicated team of specialists that provide you with a comprehensive induction tostudying with Open Colleges as well as specifc support if you encounter learning difficulties during your studies.

Learning support resources, such as writing guides, are available in OpenSpace. You can access the learningsupport team via your trainer or the student support team.

Peer support

As a student of Open Colleges you will join a community of over 65,000 people who are also studyingonline. Through OpenSpace you can connect and collaborate with others to share study tips and advice.

Our students find this is a great way to keep motivated and build lasting friendships and networks.

Work Placement Support

If your course contains work placement, the work placement support team can provide you with support, adviceand resources if you encounter difficulties in securing a workplace for your work placement.

You can access the work placement support team via your trainer and assessor or the student support team.

About Open Colleges

Our history and heritage

Open Colleges has been delivering quality education for over 100 years. During this time, we have honed ourunique learning model to become Australia’s leader in online learning.

We’ve achieved this by continuously evolving our approach to meet the needs of our learners by offering flexible,accessible, affordable and supportive courses.

So far, we have helped over 700,000 people gain the skills to launch, change or take the next step in their careers.

All of us at Open Colleges put the student at the centre of everything we do, whether that’s helping you find theright course, designing a new course, making improvements to our online campus or giving the support you needto reach your goals.

Commitment to quality

In June 2012, Open Colleges established a unique partnership with TAFE NSW North Region, an Institute of TAFENSW, to collaborate on the development and delivery of Nationally Recognised Training online.

We have also established strong partnerships with leading industry bodies, such as Early Childhood Australia andThe Institute of Certified Bookkeepers.

December 2013 saw Open Colleges Australia (the holding company of Open Colleges Pty Ltd) become part ofApollo Education Group, Inc.

Being part of Apollo gives Open Colleges access to the expertise, experience and educational resources of theUniversity of Phoenix (USA), Institute of Professional Development (USA), BPP University (UK) and otherinstitutions in the Apollo global network.

Our ongoing partnerships and place within the Apollo family ensure we continue to deliver a student experiencethat’s best in class.

With Open Colleges you can:

Study TAFE and other nationally recognised qualifications

Choose from over 100 online courses

Fit study around your family or work commitments

Enrol 365 days of the year

Find a payment option that works for you

Get academic and student support – online or over the phone

Join a community of thousands of like-minded students

Get in touch

Still got a question?

Call an Enrolment Consultant on 1300 853 413 for more details about this course and the enrolment process.

It’s our priority to ensure you enrol in the perfect course so an Enrolment Consultant will be in touch shortly todiscuss your specific goals and what you want to achieve through studying online. They’ll clearly explain thecourse options that would suit you best and why they would work for you and talk you through how onlinelearning with Open Colleges works.