Deakin and GMHBA team up to address healthcare shortages

Two of the region’s top employers have partnered to address critical jobs shortages and create opportunities for new graduates.

Daniel Strachan and Alice Bongers. Picture: Brad Fleet

Two of the region’s top employers have partnered to address critical jobs shortages and create opportunities for new graduates.

GMHBA and Deakin University announced its new partnership on Tuesday, with university students set to benefit from a new talent pathway at the locally-based insurer.

Nursing, optometry, marketing and human resource students will gain access to new placements and internships, while GMHBA will also establish a graduate program for business and law students.

Deakin graduate and GMHBA employee Daniel Strachan is a third-generation optometrist.

“Growing up, I never really had any desire to do optometry, so I completed a commerce-arts degree at Monash instead,” he said.

“But after working for a few years, I needed a change and kind of fell into optometry because of the family connection.”

I enjoy interacting with people daily and helping them improve their quality of life.”

He and fellow Deakin alumni Alice Bongers now supervise optometry students coming through from their alma mater,

They both said the partnership would help to address workforce shortages across their sector.

“Staffing is always an issue in optometry whether it’s front of house staff or getting good optometrists to come on board,” Ms Bongers said.

“There’s definitely a shortage of people and partnerships like this will help.”

The latest collaboration will build on the Regional Skills Strategy put forward by The Gordon TAFE, the university and the Committee For Geelong to address challenges made worse by more than three years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

GMHBA employees Daniel Strachan and Alice Bongers. Picture: Brad Fleet

GMHBA chief executive officer David Greig said it was an exciting opportunity for both organisations to address serious workforce shortages across the health sector.

“This formalises the commitment GMHBA and Deakin University have made to making real change in the future of health services, not just in Geelong but more broadly as graduates grow their careers,” he said.

Deakin Vice-Chancellor Professor Iain Martin said the partnership put both institutions at the forefront of addressing employment issues.

“Innovative industry partnerships such as these are part of Deakin’s strategy to be Australia’s most progressive university and maximise the social, cultural and economic impact Deakin delivers for the communities we serve,” he said.

Originally published as Deakin and GMHBA team up to address healthcare shortages