Aged Care Industry Needs New Workers

More than 800 extra nurses and aged care professionals are needed across WA to ensure that all aged care homes have around-the-clock access. This labour shortage has resorted to many aged care facilities looking abroad as the federal government adjusts its migration rules to allow for more foreign aged care workers to enter Australia. The Aged care workforce industry council has already begun to seek agreements with foreign aged care organisations in the Philippines and India which would bring their workers into Australia to address our skill shortages. Many believe this would cause Australians to lose out on potential employment within the Aged Care industry. 

The aged care staffing shortage originated during the COVID-19 Pandemic with 65,000 workers leaving the sector per year. This was then further exasperated by new requirements that state a registered nurse will be needed in each aged care facility 24/7 by next July along with 200 care minutes per resident by October 2023. Nationally the annual skill shortage is set to reach 35,000 workers with 8000 needed just to meet the basic staffing requirements needed to keep facilities open. 

While the new requirements largely focus on registered nurse staffing the additional hours required from other staff is also a large requirement for Aged Care facilities to meet. Currently, one of the ways the WA staff government are looking to address these requirements is through heavily funding the CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support and the creation of the free Work in Community Care Skill Set. Both of these courses give learners the skills required to start their careers in the aged care industry. 

Currently Skills Strategies International is running their aged care qualifications out of their Mandurah Training Facility located on Mandurah Terrace. These courses start around every three months with the next course beginning in October. Since we know different people learn in different ways learners can either complete their course face to face at the Mandurah training centre or through on-the-job learning at one of our partnered aged care facilities. 

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