RMIT’s earn and learn plan empowers care workers

Immersion in the workplace helps care workers gain skills in this RMIT program.

Geraldine Cole has completed an earn and learn traineeship to assist people with disabilities as part of the Skills in Practice model at RMIT University. Photo: Arsineh Houspian.

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A model for training workers while they earn an income in the demanding aged and disability care sector has been developed by RMIT University in conjunction with industry, government and employee representatives.

The plan addresses recommendations made by the aged care and disability sector Royal Commissions which found social services workers were poorly paid, poorly trained and largely employed on a casual basis.

“With predominantly casualised modes of employment in the sector, individuals have been either unwilling or economically unable to pay for their own training and development,” says RMIT deputy vice-chancellor (vocational education) Mish Eastman. “Creating a model where employees are able to earn while they learn has been a crucial element.”

The Skills in Practice model includes both the development of employees already working in the sector and the recruitment of new employees in aged care and disability homes and practices.

In this model, employees already working in the field can study for an advanced diploma in community sector management to help them cope with the complex reporting requirements in both the aged care and disability fields.

“Both have very rigorous administrative requirements for navigating the NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) and the aged care funding system, and also a high turnover of staff,” Eastman says. “Upskilling the managers helps build a culture of retention, better care for clients and better career progression for individuals.”

The demand for these social sector workers is forecast to grow in line with more comprehensively recognised disabilities and Australia’s ageing population. In Victoria alone, it is estimated 12,000 new social services sector workers will be needed by 2025.

With the agreement of 40 social services employers, the RMIT model includes contracts that provide for a minimum of 12 months’ employment and guarantee at least 20 hours of work a fortnight. With that financial security, employees “have the confidence to invest in their own educational and skill development to become sought-after workers in the sector”, Eastman adds.

To date, RMIT has provided training for about 400 social services sector employees and recruited a further 500.

The Skills in Practice model follows the time-tested 70-20-10 global pattern of educational design: 70 per cent of learning gleaned from immersion in workplace, supervision mentors, and job-related experience; 20 per cent from relationships with colleagues, peer support networks and regular debriefs on lessons learned; and 10 per cent from more formal on-campus and online university learning.

The academic element of the training model includes two weeks of accelerated skill development to begin the course, followed by regular communication with RMIT to link theory and practical skill development with the real world of work.

The model has proved popular with trainees, with 83 per cent of those finishing the training recommending it to others and 86 per cent reporting high levels of satisfaction with the support provided by their mentor in the workplace. About 87 per cent of trainees finish the course, compared with national averages of 55 to 60 per cent completion rates for vocational education qualifications.

Eastman says the university is now considering other vocational qualifications that would work with this type of training. “We’re taking this model and utilising it in other sectors that have an appetite and a commitment to work with us on these earn and learn solutions,” she says.