Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke is encouraging those considering a career in health and wellbeing to try the new TAFE NSW Health and Community Services short course.
A forecast given by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment, South East and Tablelands Regional Plan, predicts the health, wellbeing and community services sector will account for almost a fifth of employment in the southern half of NSW by 2021.
“There is already strong demand for more people to take up roles in community services,” Ms Cooke said.
“Employment growth over the next few years will be driven by an ageing population and significant NSW Government investment in health infrastructure.
“This is a wonderful sector to become involved in and I encourage anybody who is interested in health and community services to consider this short course.”
To help train the workforce of the future, TAFE NSW campuses at Narrandera, Temora, Cootamundra, Young and West Wyalong are offering the Introduction to Health and Community Services short course, with TAFE NSW Narrandera providing the course via its Connected Learning Centre.
The taster course will cover communicating and working effectively in health and community services as well as skills in working with diverse people.
Ms Cooke said the seven-week-course would present an introduction to working in the sector with a focus on achieving three units toward a full qualification in community services.
“The Statement of Attainment would give students a chance to sample the training to see if it was a career they would like to pursue further,” Ms Cooke said.
The short course can provide study pathways to full qualifications in Individual Support, Health Services Assistant and Community Services.
Ms Cooke said job outcomes in the sector include roles such as in-home respite care, nurse’s aid, care service employee, transport support worker, community services field officer, school support officer and family support worker.
The short course will be offered during semester two at TAFE NSW Narrandera, Temora, Cootamundra, Young and West Wyalong from Monday July 29. It will run for four hours a week over seven weeks through blended delivery.
To find out more about studying an Introduction to Health and Community Services in semester two at TAFE NSW, phone 13 16 01 or visit www.tafensw.edu.au.
