New programs to upskill the Western Australian disability and aged care workforce

Disability service and aged care providers within the state can now access new funding of up to $200,000 which is available for individual organisations, or $300,000 for an association of organisations. 

Amana Living Training Institute based in Rivervale is approved to deliver the training for these new programs. 

One of the programs, the Enterprise Training Program provides support to employers to help them upskill their workforce to meet the challenges related to workforce development in the State. 

Conducted as a pilot within organisations from the social assistance and allied health sectors, the program includes full qualifications as well as skill sets, allowing employers to tailor training to the specific needs of their organisation. 

The other program, a Pre-Traineeship Program, also focuses on the social assistance and allied health sector and aims to provide an introduction and understanding of the working environment to students considering a career in the aged care and disability care sectors.

Under the Pre-Traineeship Program, employers are eligible for funding to supervise students on placement while they study a Certificate II in Introduction to Disability Care or a Certificate II in Introduction to Aged Care. 

Qualifications obtained through this program could also lead to a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing/Disability/Home and Community Care).

Business Manager at Amana Living Training Institute, Rathini Sonnadara, says the new programs will help make training more affordable for employers as well as providing a pipeline of new staff.

“The Enterprise Training Program will significantly reduce the cost of upskilling and training an organisation’s existing workforce by funding up to 80 per cent of the training cost. 

“We will work with employers to develop a training program to address their identified skills gaps. 

“We’ll submit the funding application and deliver the training at either our training centre or their workplace.”

She says the Pre-Traineeship Program will work to identify potential new recruits who have the right aptitude and attitude to work in either disability or aged care services.

“The scheme will reduce drop-out rates of new recruits as students will have experienced the sector and discovered whether they want to pursue a career. 

“It also puts students on a fast-track to completing a Certificate III qualification in this sector,” Ms Sonnadara explains.

If you want to learn more about the Enterprise Training Program or Pre-Traineeship Program, contact the Amana Living Training Institute on 1300 492 703 or email [email protected].