SkillsIQ pilot project for Aged Care & Disability Support sectors.

SkillsIQ Promotes Traineeships within Human Services in South Australia.

SkillsIQ, in accordance with its mandate to advance quality vocational education and training in the sectors it supports, is leading a pilot project in South Australia to make it easier for employers in the Aged Care and Disability Support sectors to take on trainees, including in home care. Trainees are either engaged by a Group Training Organisation (GTO) such as Hessel Group, the only GTO in Australia exclusively focused on the care sectors, or can be directly hired by an employer. 

A number of care providers have signed on to the project as Host Employers for a twelve-month period, during which trainees are allocated to them for on-the-job training and development. While these trainees undertake formal study over the course of their traineeships to attain nationally recognised Vocational Education & Training (VET) qualifications, existing staff members of the Host Employers provide coaching, mentoring and supervised work placements for an agreed-upon number of hours a week, during which the trainees learn new skills and become familiar with workplace practices and protocols. 

SkillsIQ’s interest is in working with a range of different models of trainee employment to support employers via a technology platform that will enable them to track the progress of their trainees in terms of internal unaccredited training and external competencies delivered by their Registered Training Providers. This technology solution will enable employers to have a clear picture of the capability of the trainees as signed-off by their supervisors and thus enable the employer to roster the trainee to undertake shifts commensurate with their ability.

While trainees benefit from ‘earning while they learn’ and developing relevant work-based skills for their employers, employers benefit from the contributions the trainees are able to make to the workplace as they put into practice the skills they learn during the classroom-based components of their training. 

Workforce planning and initiatives that lead to the increased attraction and retention of staff within the overall social care sector are critical to addressing issues raised in the course of both Royal Commission’s enquiries in Aged Care and Disability. Organisations who take on trainees help support workforce development, and the trainees of the Host Employers have the potential to become permanent employees on the successful completion of their qualifications and traineeships. There is significant empirical evidence that ‘growing your own workforce’ through traineeships improves employee retention.

To find out more about how you can become a Host Employer and participate in this pilot project, or to learn more about the benefits of taking on trainees within your organisation, please email traineeshipcoordinator@skillsiq.com.au or phone Julie Clifford on 0412 755 885. 

SkillsIQ is a not-for-profit, independent Skills Service Organisation (SSO) funded by the federal Department of Education, Skills and Employment. For more information on SkillsIQ, please visit www.skillsiq.com.au.