New Home Care Traineeship to tackle aged care skills shortage through upskilling

A Home Care Traineeship will help address the skills shortage in the at-home aged care sector by equipping workers with the necessary skills to work and build a long-term career in home care.

The at-home aged care sector is set to get some relief from widespread skills shortages affecting the industry, thanks to a new traineeship launched by the non-profit organisation SSI in partnership with the Group Training Organisation, Apprenticeship Careers Australia (ACA).

The Home Care Traineeship will equip workers with the information and skills they need to work in home care — a sector that estimates more than 100,000 additional support workers will be required by 2028, a figure bigger than the population of Coffs Harbour.

The new talent development program is designed for people looking to start a career in home care but has limited or no industry experience. It provides full- and part-time, hands-on practical learning and allows participants to train with an employer. Trainees will get paid while undertaking a nationally recognised qualification.

“From day one, it has been clear to us that home care is more than a job, it is a career,” said Iggy Pintado, Head of the Home Care Workforce Support Program at SSI.

“As any career, it requires training and ongoing upskilling to provide workers with development and growth opportunities. Through our partnership with ACA, we are bringing a home care traineeship that offers a pathway to build a long-term career, backed with continuing expert support.”

There are a variety of courses that participants can undertake with different time requirements.

The pre-employment courses consist of two to three weeks of accredited and non-accredited preparatory training, such as First Aid, Infection Control, Safe Work Practices and Dementia Awareness. Other options include training to obtain Certificate III qualifications.

“Apprenticeship Careers Australia has a successful track record of designing and implementing innovative approaches to sourcing and developing talent in challenging labour markets. ACA recently implemented the ‘More Jobs More Care’ program across NSW where we trained over 2,500 people and placed more than 1,700 new workers to support the disability workforce. We look forward to working with SSI over the next 18 months, and beyond, to deliver skilled and qualified talent to the home care sector” said Brett Clarke, Manager of Strategic Projects and State Manager NSW/ACT.

The partnership is the latest initiative in delivering the SSI Home Care Workforce Support Program (HCWSP), which aims to help overcome the skills shortage in aged care by attracting, training, and upskilling new talent, as well as improving retention.

“With the Home Care Traineeship, our goal is to help drive the development of the home care sector by putting training at the centre of the SSI HCWSP. We are looking to not only attract new talent, but to set them up for success by teaching them the skills they need to deliver safe and quality care to Australian seniors. The traineeship builds on our efforts to increase workforce retention by giving participants the option to continue to learn and grow into different areas within home care,” said Pintado.

The Home Care Traineeship is a complimentary service for eligible Australian residents and citizens across NSW and the ACT, including regional and remote areas.

HCWSP is an Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care funded initiative rolled out to grow the country’s home care workforce by 13,000 by mid-2024. SSI was appointed by the government to deliver the program in NSW and the ACT, while five other organisations are responsible for the other states and territories. ACA also delivers the program in South Australia and the Northern Territory.

To join or learn more about the Home Care Traineeship and the SSI Home Care Workforce Support Program for NSW and the ACT, visit www.ssi.org.au/homecare-traineeship

Media release from SSI. Note: Content has been edited for style and length.

Ritchelle Drilon

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Ritchelle is a Content Producer for Healthcare Channel, Australia’s premier resource of information for healthcare.

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