Traineeship an aged care career pathway for school leavers

Australia's ageing population is booming and at a time when demand for residential and home care is growing, many care providers are facing a shortage of skilled workers.

The average age of aged care employees is currently 49, but Wollongong's IRT College believes attracting school leavers to take up care-based roles could be a solution to add some young blood to the mix.

IRT has partnered with the NSW Department of Industry and Apprenticeship Support  Australia to pilot the industry's first School Based Apprenticeship Traineeship in a Certificate III in Individual Support.

“Aged care is one of only a few sectors with forecasts of long-term growth,” says IRT College general manager, Dr David Rosete.

“But to support this growth, we need to attract and retain more skilled workers, particularly in rural and regional areas.

“We're really excited to have 14 students from eight Illawarra schools participating in the pilot.

“The students will combine their school studies with work and training to gain credits towards their Higher School Certificate and a nationally recognised aged care qualification.”

The students will complete their training at the end of the year and IRT Group chief executive, Nieves Murray hopes they will consider a career with IRT after completing their studies.

“I am thrilled IRT College has partnered with government to forge a new pathway into a career in aged care for our students,” she says.

“Like many care providers, less than 10 percent of our workforce is under 24 years of age, so we're definitely keen to attract more school leavers to IRT.”

Ms Murray says a career in aged care can be varied and enriching.

“We can offer school leavers secure jobs in a growth industry with a bright future, and there's more to aged care than personal care – the sky's the limit at IRT.”

The Parliament of Australia is conducting an inquiry into the issue and has invited ideas about how to overcome workforce challenges facing the sector.