Designed for people looking to start a career in-home care, but who have little or no industry experience, the new talent program offers hands-on practical learning and provides participants with the opportunity to train with an employer.
 
Non-profit organisation Settlement Services International (SSI) has teamed with group training group Apprenticeship Careers Australia (ACA) – the same group that recently trained more than 2,500 people and placed more than 1,700 new workers to support the disability workforce – to launch the initiative which aims to offer some relief from widespread skills shortages impacting the sector.

 The Home Care Traineeship

Named The Home Care Traineeship, it is available as either a full-time or part-time program and will equip people with the information and skills they need for in-home support roles.
 
It is hoped the program will go some of the way towards helping fill the estimated 100,000-plus additional support worker roles that will need to be filled by 2028, at least 13,000 of which will be needed by mid-2024.
 
Speaking at the launch of the new program, SSI Head of Home Care Workforce Support Program Iggy Pintado said there is a variety of courses that participants can undertake, each 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.”

 Whats the charge?

Available free of charge to eligible Australian residents and citizens across NSW and the ACT, the initiative is part of SSI’s Home Care Workforce Support Program (HCWSP).
“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 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.
 
From day one it had been clear that in-home support is more than a job, it is a career, he said.
 
“As any career, it requires training and ongoing upskilling to provide workers with development and growth opportunities. Through our partnership with Apprenticeship Careers Australia, we are bringing a home care traineeship that offers a pathway to building a long-term career, backed with continuing expert support.”