A new partnership between Stawell’s Eventide Homes and South West TAFE will aim to help address an alarming shortage of aged care workers in the region.
South West TAFE (SWTAFE) will begin delivering training in Certificate III in aged care from Eventide Homes for the first time in October.
SWTAFE community services and aged care senior educator Michael Absalom said a shortage of aged care workers was identified in the region and now was the perfect time to help address this need.
“It is an exciting new partnership,” he said.
“We contacted Eventide Homes and they were really enthusiastic about the idea.”
He also said under the new partnership SWTAFE would use the facilities at Eventide Homes to deliver training.
Students will receive two days of training and one day of student placement working at Eventide Homes each week during the 10-month course.
“Students will be the biggest winners from this partnership as they’ll have access to professionals and guest speakers who are working in the industry at Eventide Homes,” Mr Absalom said.
“It will be actual work placement which the students can become immersed in.”
Mr Absalom said the best outcome from the training would be a fresh round of equipped workers ready to meet aged care worker shortages in the region.
“People can study locally and know that there is the opportunity of a job at the end of it,” he said.
Eventide Homes Stawell chief executive officer Sue Blakey welcomed the move and said it was an “exciting new partnership” which the entire region could benefit from.
