News

26 Aug 2020

4 Reasons to Study a Diploma

Whether you’re wanting to score a promotion at work, change career paths or expand your knowledge with a course – studying a diploma has many benefits. The decision to continue your study and complete a higher education course is an important life choice and we are here to weight up a few of the factors.

To help you make your decision, we have put together 4 reasons why studying a diploma is beneficial and a great career choice.

1.     Study on Your Terms
Studying a diploma is a great way to kickstart your career or move up the ranks in current profession quicker. A preconceived notion we often hear at the Sarina Russo Institute (SRI) is that our students are time poor and don’t know how they will be able to commit to full-time study at a campus. Life is busy, and we understand the constraints and commitments adults face every day. That’s why we offer online study options in addition to our face-to-face study opportunity.

That means our students can study on their own terms and choose when and where suits them best.  Students have access to iLearn – our 24/7 learning management system and 24/7 access to online learning and assessment materials. Our dedicated trainers and assessors are here to help our students stay on track from the comfort of home.

Trainer Jo talks to students

Photo: SRI Trainer, Jo, talks to her students during a live webinar

2.     Complete a Diploma in Significantly Less Time 
While university degrees can take an average of 3+ years to complete, a diploma on the other hand needs only 2 years usually. In fact, a lot of our diplomas can be completed in a year or less (depending on how much work you put in).

Diplomas are very different to traditional school or tertiary education at a university. Our students can work at their own pace and complete their qualifications either on our easy weekly schedule or faster if they choose to fast-track their course and complete their modules at a quicker rate. Again, our dedicated trainers and assessors are there every step of the way as they lead our students through each module and support them to complete their course.

 

3.     Become Job-Ready and Break into the Industry 
Now is the time to future-proof your career and start working a job in an industry you love. As we said before, studying a diploma is very different to studying at a university. Our courses give a more practical focus on the field our students are passionate about. Throughout the course, students are given the opportunity to learn and apply valuable skills, which they can utilise immediately after they complete the diploma and enter the job market.

According to a 2017 report released by the Skilling Australia Foundation, they found university graduates have a lower employment rate in comparison to VET graduates. In truth, more than 3 quarters of VET graduates find employment. The average employment rate for VET graduates is a whopping 78%.

In addition to practical learning, the Sarina Russo Institute also offers all our enrolled students’ free access to employment assistance through Joblinx. Joblinx assists students to gain work experience, part time and graduate employment and provides access to a full range of training programs to facilitate the development of skills needed for success in a global workplace.

Joblinx Career Counsellor Juliana

Photo: Joblinx, Career Counselor, Juliana, speaking to students online

 

4.     Potentially Earn More, Quicker 
Many Australians think VET graduates earn lower wages than university graduates and this is not the reality graduates experience. According to the Perceptions are Not Reality report, they found that despite great outcomes and results produced by VET providers, many misconceptions still linger.

Australian Senator and Skills Minister, Michaelia Cash says,

“University is for learning, VET is for earning”.

If your goal is to find a job and earn good money, then a diploma may be the right decision for you.

Not only do VET courses take a shorter amount of time to complete but skilled workers commonly earn more. In recent government surveys they found the median full-time income for a VET graduate is increasing and VET graduates have a higher initial earning capacity than bachelor graduates.

VET courses also give students the ability to earn as they learn. With flexible study options available, our students can study on their own terms and continue working. This is another benefit to studying a diploma course at our institution as you have the capability to continue earning while you learn and complete a course.

If you have any questions in inquiries about studying at the Sarina Russo Institute or completing a diploma program, please don’t hesitate to email our Career Counsellor at: enquire@sri.edu.au