Paid Home Care Traineeship aims to address staff shortage

A new traineeship launched by non-profit SSI in partnership with Apprenticeship Careers Australia (ACA) is intended to reduce the widespread skills shortages affecting the aged care industry.

The program offers a nationally recognised qualification for those keen to work in the at-home aged care sector.

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 2028.¹

The new talent development program is designed for people looking to start a career in home care who have limited or no industry experience. It provides both full- and part-time, hands-on practical learning and gives participants the opportunity to train with an employer — and trainees will get paid while undertaking the 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 Home Care Workforce Support Program at SSI.

“As with 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 is 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.

Brett Clarke, ACA Manager of Strategic Projects and State Manager NSW/ACT, said, “ACA recently implemented the ‘More Jobs More Care’ program across NSW where we trained over 2500 people and placed more than 1700 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.”

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.

Pintado added, “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.”

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

The 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.

^{[1] Australian Government National Skills Commission, Care Workforce Labour Market Study: Final Report, https://www.nationalskillscommission.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-10/Care%20Workforce%20Labour%20Market%20Study.pdf}

Image credit: iStock.com/bojanstory