Course snapshot
Here's a quick summary of all the important points, to help you get a good idea of whether the Diploma of Governance is for you.
To be accepted for this course, you must:
- Complete the Course Application Statement, which will help us gauge your motivation, interest, academic capacity, and English language skills, as well as your governance, community, business and/or life experience
- Have the time and motivation to participate fully and actively in all aspects of the course
- Have the ability to engage with all components of the course, including access to a computer with a good internet connection and modern browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge etc) from the first day of the course
- Have a commitment to transferring knowledge gained to a not-for-profit/community organisation.
If you feel our entry requirements present an unreasonable barrier to entry for you, email us at [email protected]. We will do our best to accommodate your request and help you achieve your goals.
You will have access to an easy-to-use, purpose-built Student Portal where you’ll draft and lodge assessments, view video content, and contact and interact with your trainer as well as other students in your group.
Through the Student Portal, you will access and explore rich content relating to your studies, aided by our dedicated team of trainers and support staff who are on hand to provide guidance and support.
Hardcopy course materials
We’re serious about sustainability. We won’t provide hard copies of course materials (course notes, slides, assessment questions etc.) All of this material will be available from the Student Portal. You will be able to access and download digital copies of all required documents.
Institute of Community Directors Australia membership
You will receive 18-months access to the Institute’s extensive online resource centre for not-for-profit board/committee members and staff supporting boards.
The resource centre includes a Board Matching Service, an extensive suite of template policies, help sheets, a regular not-for-profit governance newsletter, and more.
You’ll also gain access to the Institute of Community Directors Australia’s Forum, where you can engage with other students and the broader ICDA membership, to explore the governance matters that are most important to you.
You will be required to attend six tutorials, and complete a competency-based assessment for each of the 12 units included in this course.
These competency-based assessments aim to ensure that you have not only absorbed the content but are also able to implement actions. Where possible, we will ask you to think about how assessment tasks could be implemented in your own organisation.
Assessment tasks include written responses, multiple choice questions, participation in online discussions, presentations and board simulation activities.
We expect that all assessments will be completed within 12 months of commencing the course.
During the time you are completing your assessments, you will have the support of your trainer and will lodge your work through our easy-to-use Student Portal.
You can expect our dedicated support staff and tutors to support and guide you through each stage of your learning. In return, we expect you to apply yourself and to take advantage of the resources and information made available.
Career Opportunities
By completing this course, you will develop skills for careers including:
- Corporate, government and not-for-profit board roles
- Governance administration and management roles
- Voluntary committee memberships
Your professional toolkit will also be expanded by the network of likeminded not-for-profit students you encounter through your studies and the professional relationships that you make.
What people say...
“The Diploma has helped me mesh the legislated, strategic and operational functions of governance. I found the face-to-face teaching was perfectly supported by the course work, delivering immediate outcomes in both my professional and community endeavours.”
“The Diploma helped to make governance work for me - and hence helps to make it real and practical for the community I work with. The opportunity to share and work with others in similar situations and to learn with the excellent trainers is one not to be missed!”
“I believe educators working in senior management roles would benefit greatly from this very practical and well taught Diploma.”
“The number one thing I’ve gained out of the Diploma has been a much better understanding of the legislative and compliance requirements of the board. I’m confident now that I understand the various parts of good governance and compliance, and what I need to do to ensure we meet our requirements in those areas.”
“I undertook the Diploma to strengthen our organisation’s impact, increase transparency and to help build a best practice model we can share with the not-for-profit sector. Studying for the diploma was an excellent way to cement my current knowledge and practice and identify skills gaps.”
“The Diploma brought together participants from a variety of careers and experience, making the classroom discussions highly personal. The course materials were very comprehensive and expertly used by our facilitator. The assessment tasks provided me with the opportunity to reflect on my experiences as a director and as an executive who has worked in both Not-for-Profit and corporate roles.”
“The Diploma was terrific - it gave me a complete overarching framework; it matched what I was learning on the job and filled in gaps, such as understanding the importance of culture; it gave very useful templates and examples which I’ve taken out and used since. The course made me think and it improved my practice. I’m so pleased that I had the opportunity to do it and would strongly recommend it to others!”