Real-life training that supports career development

Getting the right grounding puts trainees on the path to aged care success.

Tanya Cole, CEO Hessel Group and Enhance Training. Picture: Supplied

Undertaking a traineeship and getting an accredited qualification under your belt is the best way to launch a career in aged care, a leading RTO expert says. The Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) teaches the theory, skills and practices required to gain a foothold in the sector, covering communication, manual handling, personalised support and more. Students also get to put into practice a key requirement for a career in aged care: empathy.

“It’s about understanding people who require care are people and you have to treat them with respect and acknowledge the fact they have history, so it’s important to have good communication skills and empathy,” said Tanya Cole, CEO Hessel Group and Enhance Training.

The group works with aged care and disability service providers to ensure training is aligned to organisations’ values and ensuring future employees understand those values and gain valuable industry connections.

Hessel Group and Enhance Training offers courses ranging from three to 12 months, depending on the level of qualification. “The Certificate III traineeship usually takes 12 months but people gain work skills as they earn while they learn, and can therefore finish their studies within nine months,” Ms Cole said.

Further studies can open up further career options. “A Certificate IV in Ageing Support teaches skills such as leading and supporting staff and means graduates can move into higher level management roles,” she said. “If someone wants to go into nursing, for example, and work while they’re studying, having a Certificate III behind them means it’s easier to get part-time or casual work. It gives them the credit of showing they definitely have an interest in aged care and their soul is in it.”

With demand high for skilled workers, having the right qualifications can mean a job for life. “The advantage of traineeships in this industry is they are a great way of assisting people with learning while earning money and being part of an organisation, rather than going off and doing their training and being picked up later” Ms Cole said. “You get a better long-term outcome from doing a traineeship.”

Classified as a skilled vocation that covered under a State Government subsidy means the costs of studying for an aged care qualification is minimal. “It’s a very small amount – usually just the administration fee – that students pay at the outset and then everything is covered for them,” Ms Cole said. “The government is trying to get organisations to take on more trainees because it’s going to help the future for us, which is our growing area.”

And there’s no sign of that growth slowing any time soon. “There’s a high need for skilled workers within the aged care and disability sectors and the need is growing. We need people who have aged care knowledge and experience to also be able to support older people with disability in the aged care system. It’s job security for the future.”