Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke has welcomed news of a TAFE NSW Young aged care course which has seen every student over the past four years secure work prior to graduation.
“Every member of the Certificate III in Individual Support (Ageing) at TAFE NSW Young since 2017 has been offered paid work at a local aged care facility after completing work placement,” Ms Cooke said.
“It was great to meet Lisa Cooke who is one of the graduates of this course that has secured a job as an aged carer at Mount St Joseph’s in Young last year.”
“With more than 3.5 million Australians expected to use aged care services by 2050, TAFE NSW is on the frontline of addressing this growing need for skills aged care graduates.”
“It’s testament to the relationships TAFE NSW has with our two local aged care facilities in Young, and also to the practical skills and work experience afforded to TAFE NSW students.”
“Providing dignity and care to our older residents is one of the most important jobs anyone can do, and I want to personally thank these students for fulfilling such a critical role in the community.”
TAFE NSW Young aged care teacher Carolyn Bailey said TAFE NSW’s close ties with local aged care facilities meant she regularly fielded calls from employers looking for students to fill positions.
“Our aged care students are in high demand due to the industry-leading practical skills and workplace experience available at TAFE NSW,” Ms Bailey said.
Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education Geoff Lee said TAFE NSW was ideally positioned to continue providing a pipeline of skilled aged care workers to cater to the industry’s jobs boom.
“The trend at TAFE NSW Young is being repeated at TAFE NSW campuses across the state and to have a qualification that gives you almost-guaranteed employment will be even more attractive in the post-COVID jobs market,” Mr Lee said.
“TAFE NSW offers hands-on, practical training based on real-life scenarios that students would come across in the workplace. This means they are job-ready and hit the ground running. I’m proud to be part of a government that, through TAFE NSW, is making such an important contribution to the health and wellbeing of our older residents.”
To find out more about studying at TAFE NSW, call 13 16 01 or visit www.tafensw.edu.au.
