Categories > Education
5 Best Community Colleges in Brisbane
Do you think it’s time to enhance your skills to give you a boost in your career? Or are you looking to start a new professional journey?
Enrolling at a community college will give you a major advantage in today’s competitive career landscape as well as a good head start if you wish to study at a university. Here are the best community colleges in Brisbane to help you get ahead!
1. Queensford College
Course Offerings: Accounting, Business, Aged Care, Child Care, Commercial Cookery, Hospitality, Nursing, Fitness, Information Technology, Management, First Aid, Food Safety Supervisor, etc.
Website: https://queensford.edu.au/
Address: 2/359 Queen St, Brisbane City QLD 4000
Contact Details: [email protected] / +61 7 3221 1626
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5pm
Google reviews score | 4.4/5 |
Facebook reviews score | 4.6/5 |
Total reviews | 5/5 |
Score consistency | 4.8/5 |
Course Offerings | 5/5 |
Quality of Education | 4.9/5 |
Environment | 4.9/5 |
Location/Schedule | 4.7/5 |
Tuition Cost | 4.7/5 |
Pros
- Diverse range of course offerings in different fields
- Great student support
Cons
- Tuition fee can be expensive
- Strict when it comes to attendance
Queensford College is one of the best community colleges in Brisbane with their diverse range of course offerings in different fields to help you grow further in your career!
It’s worth noting that the school offers fully-accredited courses from Certificate II up to Graduate Diploma courses. There are short courses available, too, for those looking for specific skills to add to their resume.
The courses being offered cover different industries from accounting, management, and information technology, to nursing, hospitality, commercial cookery, and aged/child care.
Apart from their expansive program offerings, another great thing about them is that they have excellent student support! They can provide assistance in areas such as academic, financial, and personal support.
It’s also good to know that the instructors are well-qualified and approachable as they readily respond to students for questions and even some issues encountered at work. So we’re happy to learn that students are receiving quality education.
The admin and staff are very helpful and friendly as well which makes it a great learning environment.
However, expect the tuition fee to be a bit expensive with a high initial deposit, but it’s good that they provide manageable installment plans.
Another thing to take note is that they’re pretty strict when it comes to attendance as they don’t allow students to leave early due to work reasons. And make sure to arrive early for class, too.
2. Brighton College
Course Offerings: Business, Information Technology, Hospitality, Community Services, Postgraduate Courses, English Courses, Management
Website: https://brighton.edu.au/
Address: Level 23/24, 343 Albert Street, Brisbane City, QLD 4000
Contact Details: [email protected] / 1800 462 744 Ext: 5113
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5pm
Google reviews score | 4.5/5 |
Facebook reviews score | 5/5 |
Total reviews | 4.1/5 |
Score consistency | 4.5/5 |
Course Offerings | 5/5 |
Quality of Education | 4.9/5 |
Environment | 4.8/5 |
Location/Schedule | 5/5 |
Tuition Cost | 4.8/5 |
Pros
- Wide range of programs for career advancement
- Guaranteed entry at Torrens University after completing a course
Cons
- Some students complained about unfair assessments
- Student support services can be enhanced
Brighton College is another superb choice if you’re looking to hone and add to your skill set for a brighter career ahead!
With their extensive variety of programs, you’ll be sure to find a course that’s right for you! Their programs cover the fields of business, information technology, english courses, hospitality, community services, and management.
It’s an excellent school to enroll in as you can be nationally and internationally qualified for your target positions after completing one of their courses.
Another advantage when studying at Brighton College is that you can guarantee your admission at Torrens University, which offers industry relevant courses. Their programs ensure high employability so it’s an excellent school to continue your university studies.
What’s more, you can even get a transition scholarship of up to 15% when you transfer to Torrens University from Brighton.
We also appreciate Brighton’s website for being user-friendly with detailed information for students who are interested in their programs including term schedules.
But there are areas that need improvement, such as unfair assessments, which lead to students failing their course. These might be isolated incidents, but they could also enhance their student support services at the same time.
3. Greystone College
Course Offerings: Business, Marketing, Project Management, Entrepreneurship, Leadership & Innovation
Website: https://www.ilsc.com/greystone-college/australia
Address: Level 1&2/232 Adelaide St, Brisbane City QLD 4000
Contact Details: +61 7 3220 0144
Office Hours: Monday – Thursday, 8:15am – 8:30pm; Friday, 8:15am – 4:15pm; Saturday, 9am – 4:45pm
Google reviews score | 4/5 |
Facebook reviews score | 4/5 |
Total reviews | 4.8/5 |
Score consistency | 4.9/5 |
Course Offerings | 5/5 |
Quality of Education | 4.6/5 |
Environment | 4.7/5 |
Location/Schedule | 5/5 |
Tuition Cost | 4.8/5 |
Pros
- Flexible class schedules with combined online and on-site classes
- Students can earn transfer credits to Griffith University and others
- Offers packaged programs that allow students to earn multiple qualifications
Cons
- Not all programs have transfer credit eligibility
- Teaching staff can be improved especially for international students
Greystone College is an excellent choice if you’re looking to earn qualifications for more career opportunities in the long run.
One of the things that we appreciate most about Greystone College is the flexibility of their class schedules!
This is possible as they combine face-to-face classes with online classes so it’s easier for students to manage their studies with their work schedule and other obligations.
We’d also like to highlight that you can get transfer credits to prestigious universities such as Griffith University, Torrens University, and more after completing a course. This can be a faster and easier way to earn your degree while saving money, too!
Just make sure to check the programs you’re interested in as they have to be eligible for credit transfer as not all courses are available for credit transfer to universities.
They also offer packaged programs which allow you to obtain multiple qualifications that are recognized locally and internationally. In our opinion, this long-term study plan of up to 5 years can surely open up career opportunities and expand your network.
An area that can be improved is their teaching personnel, especially for international students who weren’t satisfied with the level of professionalism of the instructors.
These might be isolated incidents but we think that all instructors should also undergo stringent training before handling classes.
4. Care College
Course Offerings: Short Courses, Effective Workplace Relationships, Anger Management, Advocacy – Supporting the Rights of Others, Empowering People with Disabilities, Provide Support To People with Dementia, etc.
Website: https://carecollege.com.au/
Address: 1642 Anzac Avenue Level 1, T103, Mango Hill QLD 4509
Contact Details: 1300 889 564
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm
Google reviews score | 4.6/5 |
Facebook reviews score | 0/5 |
Total reviews | 3.5/5 |
Score consistency | 4.9/5 |
Course Offerings | 4.9/5 |
Quality of Education | 5/5 |
Environment | 5/5 |
Location/Schedule | 5/5 |
Tuition Cost | 5/5 |
Pros
- Offers short but relevant courses for professional development
- Affordable course fees
- Courses are applicable even outside of the care sector
Cons
- Courses are non-accredited
- Mostly caters to the care sector
If you’re working in the care sector or other related fields, Care College is an excellent choice to enhance your skills!
Caregivers are highly in demand globally with our rapidly aging population, that’s why having professionally trained workers is very important in this field. This is where Care College comes in as they provide in-service professional development for caregivers.
It’s good to know that there’s an accessible service that aims to improve those who are in the care sector. This includes aged care, child care, home and community care, mental health, disability care, and child youth and family sector.
What’s great about their service is that they partner with major employers and help them recruit professionally trained caregivers. You can also register individually to develop your skills.
They offer short courses, which we think can also be very useful for all sectors. This includes Effective Workplace Relationships, Anger Management, Empowering People with Disabilities, Working with LGBTQIA+ Clients, and more.
Other short courses that are more tailored for the care sector are Provide Support to People Living with Dementia, Vicarious Trauma and Self Care, and more.
The course fees are pretty affordable, too, ranging from $15 to $100. They also have discounts for those who will register their team or organization.
We love that they offer relevant coursework, but take note that these are non-accredited programs. Still, these skills are great for professional and personal development and are great additions to your resume.
5. Australian Pacific College
Course Offerings: English Language Courses, Vocational Courses, Short Courses, Postgraduate Courses, etc.
Website: https://www.apc.edu.au/
Address: Level 13/138 Albert St, Brisbane City QLD 4000
Contact Details: 1300 830 272
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 5pm
Google reviews score | 3.8/5 |
Facebook reviews score | 0/5 |
Total reviews | 4.2/5 |
Score consistency | 4.8/5 |
Course Offerings | 5/5 |
Quality of Education | 4.7/5 |
Environment | 4.7/5 |
Location/Schedule | 5/5 |
Tuition Cost | 4.8/5 |
Pros
- Great choice for international students who wish to improve English skills
- Wide array of certificate, diploma, postgraduate, and short courses
- Flexible class schedules
Cons
- Needs improvement in delivering student assessments
- Student support can be improved
Australian Pacific College is a great school especially for international students as they offer a wide range of English Language courses as well as other professional courses.
If you’re interested in improving your English skills for personal and professional purposes, they offer an array of courses designed to help you with IELTS preparations.
They also have B2 first preparation as well as C1 advanced preparation that can be used for professional, academic, and immigration purposes.
Apart from their English courses, they also offer vocational courses in Business, Management, Accounting, Design, Marketing, Education, Hospitality, and Tourism.
What’s more, they also have postgraduate courses for those looking to advance in their career, as well as short courses such as Barista Skills, Design & Marketing, and more.
It’s also worth noting that many of their diploma courses can build pathways to a university degree. Their course schedules are also flexible as you can opt to choose a virtual learning platform or a combined on-site and online class.
However there are some areas for improvement such as assessments, wherein some students experienced long delays.
Another aspect that needs improvement is their student support as some students had struggles with their learning systems and even payment terms.