A class of recent graduates are set to take up some of the many vacant positions in aged care, personal care and the NDIS in Melbourne’s south east.
The students from AMES Australia Certificate III (Individual Care) class at Noble Park were presented with certificates by state Skills and Training Minister Gayle Tierney.
Ms Tierney told the class their work in aged and personal care would be supporting some of Victoria’s most vulnerable people.
“The work you will do is valued by all of us and especially by the people you will be supporting and their families,” she said.
AMES chief executive Cath Scarth said staff shortages in the care sector were a critical issue for many families.
“One measure of a society is how well it looks after its most vulnerable.
“So, we at AMES are trying to help address the shortage of care workers by providing opportunities to gain skills.”
Afghan migrant Naheema Wahed had struggled to find fulfilling work until she enrolled in the Aged Care certificate course.
She landed a job at Waverley Hill Aged Care just a few months after starting her Certificate III course in Individual Support (Ageing, Home and Community).
“The course was very useful, it was really great. After just a month of going on a placement at a nursing home, I was offered a job,” Naheema said.
“I am still studying to complete my certificate but I am working four a days a week.
“The course is very thorough. It teaches you all of the practical skills you need to support elderly people in care.
“And it offers placements in nursing homes which is a pathway into a job.”
Another graduate was Afghan doctor Helmant Hassas, who plans to work in care as he works towards re-establishing his medical career.
“I wanted to get involved in something that gave me an income and connected me with the health sector while I complete my pathway to becoming a doctor in Australia.
“I am studying for my occupational English requirements and also working to get my clinical skills recognised.”
The graduation event was also attended by South Eastern Metropolitan MP Lee Tarlamis.
