New State Government programs for WA Aged Care & Disability Service Providers

Amana Living Training Institute to offer increased training opportunities in aged care and disability services. 

From 1 July 2019 WA aged care and disability service providers can access new funding to help upskill and train their workforce and identify recruits thanks to two new initiatives from the Western Australian Government.

The Enterprise Training Program provides support to employers to help them upskill their workforce to meet the challenges related to workforce development in Western Australia.  The program, conducted as a pilot within organisations from the Social Assistance and Allied Health sectors, includes full qualifications as well as skill sets, allowing employers to tailor training to the specific skill needs of their organisation.

Employers are eligible to receive up to $200,000 for an individual organisation or up to $300,000 for a consortium.*

A Pre-Traineeship Program, focused on the social assistance and allied health sector, is aimed at providing students who are considering a career in aged care and disability care an introduction to the sector and an understanding of the working environment.

Under this program, employers are eligible for funding to supervise students on placement while they study a 52841WA Certificate II in Introduction to Aged Care or a 52840WA Certificate II in Introduction to Disability Care. These new qualifications provide sector entrants with a pathway towards a Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing/Disability/Home and Community Care).

As a registered training provider in the social assistance and allied health sector, the Amana Living Training Institute (ALTI) is approved to provide the training for the new programs.

Rathini Sonnadara, Amana Living Training Institute, said the new initiatives will help make training more affordable for employers as well as providing a pipeline of new staff. 

Rathini said: “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.

“The Pre-Traineeship Program is a great way to identify potential new recruits who have the right aptitude and attitude to work in either aged care or disability services, and to support this process the host organisation is also eligible for funding to supervise their work placement. 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.”

In order to access the Enterprise Training Program, employers must partner with an approved Registered Training Organisation and submit a joint proposal with the employer contributing 20 per cent of the training cost.  

The training must utilise the qualifications, skills sets or units of competency contained within the Health and Community Services Training Packages. Funding is being allocated on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.

The Pre-Traineeship Program gives students the opportunity to gain an understanding and experience in either the aged care or disability services sector via the newly created Certificate II qualifications. Students will undertake on and off the job training, establishing contact with a potential employer through a work placement. Plus, if they pursue further studies, the content of the Certificate II greatly reduces the time to complete a Certificate III by around three months.

To learn more about the Enterprise Training Program or Pre-Traineeship Program, contact the Amana Living Training Institute on 1300 492 703 or email training@amanaliving.com.au.