Asthma training has a new code, and most Brisbane educators haven’t been told. On 1 January 2026, 22556VIC was replaced by 22702VIC. Right as storm season and new enrolments arrive.
The Course in the Management of Asthma Risks and Emergencies in the Workplace is still the asthma training most centres ask for. Same job, new code, slightly shorter name. And if your 22556VIC certificate is still in date, it doesn’t stop counting overnight. When it’s time to renew, you just book 22702VIC instead.
It’s written by First Aid Alive (RTO 31106), where Bill Hunter has spent more than 20 years training Queensland educators to act calm and quick when a child can’t breathe.
What Is the Course in the Management of Asthma Risks and Emergencies?
The Course in the Management of Asthma Risks and Emergencies (22702VIC) is a nationally recognised short course that teaches you to recognise an asthma flare-up, give asthma first aid and reduce asthma risks at work. It replaced 22556VIC, the “in the Workplace” version, on 1 January 2026.
What the course covers:
- Recognising mild, moderate and severe asthma in children and adults.
- Giving asthma first aid with a reliever puffer and spacer, including masks for young children.
- Following an individual asthma action plan.
- Identifying triggers and reducing asthma risks in the workplace.
- Calling an ambulance, then recording and reporting the incident.
Recommended renewal: every 3 years.
⚠️ Important: Holding a 22556VIC certificate? Here's what to do next. Grab your Statement of Attainment and look for the course code and issue date. Then check your certificate against the steps below.
That’s the short version. The longer story starts with a new course code.
22556VIC to 22702VIC: What Changed and Does Your Certificate Still Count?
Okay, deep breath first. None of this means your training was wasted. The course went through its regular renewal and came out with a new number and a new name.
What changed on 1 January 2026
- The course code changed from 22556VIC to 22702VIC.
- "In the Workplace" was dropped from the title. It's now called the Course in the Management of Asthma Risks and Emergencies.
- The single unit, VU22927, was replaced by two units: VU24021 – Provide First Aid Management of an Asthma Emergency and VU24022 – Manage Asthma Risks.
So why the change? Victorian-accredited courses get reaccredited on a fixed cycle, and 22556VIC’s accreditation period ended. You can see it in the Victorian Government 22702VIC accreditation document and on training.gov.au, in the entries for 22702VIC and 22556VIC.
What stayed the same
It’s still a short course with hands-on asthma first aid. And you’ll keep seeing the old “in the Workplace” name pop up for a while yet. Plenty of providers, job ads and centre policies still use it, so don’t let that throw you.
22556VIC | 22702VIC | |
Course name | Course in the Management of Asthma Risks and Emergencies in the Workplace | Course in the Management of Asthma Risks and Emergencies |
Units | VU22927 | VU24021 and VU24022 |
Status | Superseded 1 January 2026 | Current |
I hold 22556VIC. Do I need to redo it now?
Usually, no. A certificate issued while 22556VIC was current is generally accepted until it’s due for renewal. When that date comes around, you renew into 22702VIC. Easy.
How to check your certificate
Pull out your Statement of Attainment (or dig it out of your emails, we’ve all been there) and:
- Find the course code on your certificate.
- Check the issue date and RTO number to confirm the details are correct.
- Check it with your director against ACECQA's approved list.
For more background, our guide to asthma and anaphylaxis short courses covers the wider picture.
The code is new, but the skills are the ones you’ll rely on in your room.
🫁 Good to know: Not sure it's asthma? Start asthma first aid. It won't harm a child who doesn't have asthma.
What You’ll Learn in Asthma Risks and Emergencies Training
It’s a humid November afternoon, and a child can’t finish a sentence without stopping to breathe. This is the moment the course gets you ready for. Not the theory. The actual moment.
Recognising mild, moderate and severe asthma in children
Your trainer walks you through the signs at each level, using the National Asthma Council Australia and Asthma Australia severity guidance.
Toddlers are the tricky ones, because the signs can be easy to miss:
- Tummy breathing
- A sucked-in throat
- Not wanting to play
- Being unusually quiet
And here’s the bit that takes a lot of pressure off. If you’re unsure, start asthma first aid. It won’t harm a child who doesn’t have asthma. You don’t need to be certain before you act.
Asthma first aid, step by step
Here’s the National Asthma Council Asthma First Aid process in short form:
- 1. Sit the person upright.
- 2. Give 4 separate puffs of blue or grey reliever through a spacer: one puff, four breaths, repeat.
- 3. Wait 4 minutes. If there's no improvement, give 4 more puffs.
- 4. Still no improvement? Call 000.
- 5. Keep giving 4 puffs every 4 minutes until help arrives.
Call 000 straight away if the child isn’t breathing, if their breathing suddenly gets worse or very difficult, or if you’re not sure it’s asthma.
Puffers, spacers and masks: getting the technique right
Young children use a spacer with a face mask, and the course shows you how to fit it properly. Training also fixes the little things that go wrong in real rooms:
- Puffers not shaken
- A poor mask seal
- Empty or expired puffers
- Spacers locked in the office
You’ll practise all of this hands-on, with trainer devices, so your hands already know the drill by the time it counts.
Following an individual asthma action plan
You’ll go through what’s on a child’s asthma action plan and where it’s kept. The rule is simple. Follow the child’s plan. If there’s no plan available, use general asthma first aid.
Reducing asthma risks in your centre
Common triggers include viral colds, exercise, cold air, smoke, pollen, mould and dust. Brisbane throws its own mix at you too: humid storm-season afternoons, spring bushfire smoke and that wet-summer mould creeping into everything. Thunderstorm asthma is a known risk around Australia as well, and Asthma Australia has good guidance on it.
The habits that make the difference are pretty everyday:
- The reliever and spacer go out with the group.
- Puffers get checked monthly.
- Asthma is part of every excursion plan.
Calling for help and reporting the incident
Once the child’s okay, there’s still work to do. You’ll learn:
- What to tell 000, and who to notify afterwards.
- How to fill in your incident, injury, trauma and illness records.
- How to debrief with the family at pick-up.
For more detail, see our guides to asthma and anaphylaxis treatment steps and identifying asthma risks in childcare.
Knowing the steps matters. So does knowing your centre is covered.
🏫 The rule: Someone with approved asthma training must be on the premises whenever children are in care.
Do Educators Need This Course? Asthma Training Requirements in Queensland
This is the bit most educators are really asking about. Not “is it a good idea” (it is) but “does my centre actually need me to have it?” Short answer: someone on the premises does, all the time.
What the National Regulations require
Under Regulation 136 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations, at least one educator with approved emergency asthma management training has to be on the premises and immediately available whenever children are being cared for.
Family day care works differently and has its own requirements, so check those separately if that’s your setting.
Is 22702VIC on ACECQA’s approved list?
The best way to know is to check the ACECQA approved first aid, asthma and anaphylaxis training list yourself. Search for the course code on your certificate and confirm it’s there. If you’re after ACECQA approved asthma training, that list is your source of truth.
Doesn’t my HLTAID012 cover this?
Honest answer: HLTAID012 on its own doesn’t meet the separate asthma and anaphylaxis requirement. That’s why so many educators hold both. HLTAID012 covers your general first aid, and asthma and anaphylaxis training sits alongside it as its own requirement.
Who should hold it on your roster
The minimum is one person on the premises. But think about real days:
- Early opening and late close
- Casuals filling gaps
- Excursions
- OSHC sessions
That’s a lot of shifts for one or two trained people to cover. It’s why many directors train every educator, not just the minimum.
💡 Director tip: Train the whole roster, not the minimum. When everyone's trained, sick days, leave and roster changes stop being a compliance worry.
Still unsure where you stand? Our guide on whether I need both asthma and anaphylaxis training explains it in more detail.
Asthma training rarely gets booked on its own.
22702VIC and 22578VIC: Why Most Centers Book Asthma and Anaphylaxis Together
In a childcare room, asthma and anaphylaxis turn up in the same conversations: the new enrolment with an action plan, the compliance check, the staff meeting. So most centres book the training together too.
The partner course is 22578VIC Course in First Aid Management of Anaphylaxis. It replaced 22300VIC. If your anaphylaxis certificate still says 22300VIC, it’s the same story as asthma: you’ll renew into the new code.
At First Aid Alive, you do both in one session. One booking, one day, both requirements sorted. That’s a lot easier on your roster than two separate trips across Brisbane.
And you won’t just practise with one adrenaline injector. You’ll get hands-on time with both EpiPen and Anapen trainer devices. That matters, because the device in your room might not be the one you’ve seen before.
Course | Code | Covers | Hands-on devices |
Management of Asthma Risks and Emergencies | 22702VIC | Asthma first aid and asthma risk management | Reliever puffer, spacer and mask |
First Aid Management of Anaphylaxis | 22578VIC | Anaphylaxis first aid | EpiPen and Anapen trainers |
This is just the overview. Our anaphylaxis guides go further, including EpiPen vs Anapen and the signs of anaphylaxis to watch for in little ones. You can also check ASCIA for official anaphylaxis resources.
How Long Is Your Asthma Management Certificate Valid?
The recommended renewal for asthma training is every 3 years, or 36 months. Some centres want it more often though, so check your centre’s policy too.
Why renew if nothing’s happened? Because skills you rarely use fade. You might remember the four puffs, but the mask seal, the timing, the counting under pressure? Those slip. A refresher brings them back before you need them.
The bigger problem is the renewal panic. The certificate quietly expires, nobody notices, then a new enrolment arrives and everyone’s scrambling. A few habits stop that happening:
- Directors keep a register with every educator's dates.
- Reminders go out well before expiry.
- Renewals get paired with the yearly HLTAID009 CPR refresher.
Once you know your renewal date, the next step is finding a session that fits your roster.
What to Expect on Course Day in Brisbane
Never done asthma training Brisbane-side before? Here’s how the day runs.
Format and timing
It’s blended. You do some online learning first, at your own pace, then come in for the face-to-face practical assessment. There are evening and Saturday sessions, so you can fit it around your shifts instead of the other way round.
What to bring
- Your USI (Unique Student Identifier). Don't have one, or can't find it? Grab it from usi.gov.au.
- Photo ID.
- Comfortable clothes, because you'll be up and practising.
Practical assessment
This is the part people worry about most, and it’s honestly the part they end up liking most. It’s a supportive setting and no one gets put on the spot.
Your certificate
Your certificate is emailed to you the same day, so you can hand it to your director straight away.
✓ Same-day certificate ✓ Hands-on practice with real trainer devices
If getting your whole team out of the centre is the hard part, bring the training to them.
On-Site Asthma Training for Your Brisbane Centre
This one’s for directors. Getting staff to training is usually the hardest part. Someone’s always on leave, casuals need covering, and pulling educators off the floor means ratio gaps you can’t afford.
On-site asthma training at your childcare centre in Brisbane gets around all of that. We come to you, so no one leaves the building and your ratios stay intact. Sessions can run before opening, after close, or on a staff development day.
It’s group asthma and anaphylaxis training for your whole team, in your own rooms. Your educators practise in the space where they’d actually use these skills.
Be the Calm Adult in the Room
Asthma training has a new code. 22702VIC has replaced 22556VIC, but what the training is for hasn’t changed one bit.
Because when it really counts, nobody’s thinking about the code on your certificate. It’s a child on the mat on a sticky storm-season afternoon, and their breathing doesn’t sound right.
At that moment, you want to be the calm adult in the room. The one who spots it early, knows exactly where the spacer is, and counts the puffs without second-guessing.
That kind of calm doesn’t come from reading a chart on the staffroom wall. It comes from your hands having done it before. Fitting the mask, getting the seal, shaking the puffer, counting the breaths, until it just feels natural.
If your certificate is still in date, there’s no need to panic. Pop your renewal date somewhere you’ll see it, and when it comes round, book 22702VIC.
If it’s due now, or a new child with an asthma action plan starts in your room soon, sort it this week. You’ll have your certificate the same day, ready for your director.
You chose this work because you care about these kids. Make sure that when it matters, your hands know what to do too.
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