Illawarra students explore careers in childcare and aged care to address critical skills shortages

During National Skills Week, more than 60 Year 10 students from eight Illawarra high schools across three sectors explored career options in early childhood and aged care industries in a bid to help alleviate critical skills shortages.

Regional Industry Education Partnerships (RIEP) senior project officer Jenny Watts said the event was day one for the latest cohort from independent, Catholic and government high schools for a RIEP legacy program started in 2019, which is focused on getting students job ready.

“Initially, we started off with 20 students interested in childcare, and it’s grown to today having 62 students and we’ve included aged care as well,” she said.

“It’s all about preparing the students for the industry.”

Jenny said the day in Kiama was focused on being an introduction into the childcare and aged care industries, giving them a glimpse into the “day in the life” of a childcare and aged care worker.

She said it also involved hands-on activities, such as games and crafts in childcare and balance exercises and memory games in aged care.

Industry representatives from Big Fat Smile to PEAK Sports and Learning, and Warrigal Aged Care were also part of the day, speaking about expectations in the workplace, and answering parents’ and students’ questions.

After the day, students wanting to progress with the program undertake one-hour site tours and then later week-long work experience at a childcare centre or aged care facility.

She said the program ran until term four, at which point students could sign up to drop a Year 11 school subject and replace it with a Certificate III in their chosen field as part of their HSC.

“Some employers will offer school-based traineeships in the industry, so that’s where it fits in with their HSC certificate,” she said.

“They do one day a week of work, get paid for it, and then get that Certificate III qualification plus their HSC.”

She said since starting in 2019, they had signed up about 65 school-based traineeships.

“That’s not what the program’s about. That’s just the icing on the cake if they are offered a school-based traineeship,” she said.

“The program finishes at the work experience, because it’s all about preparing them for the industry and addressing the skill shortage needs in the industry.”

She said childcare and aged care were at a critical level with staff shortages, which were attributed to a few reasons.

“There’s definitely a critical skill shortage in the Illawarra,” she said.

“Maybe not so much now because they just had a pay increase, but in the past they weren’t the best wages.

“It’s a tough industry, especially aged care going through COVID, with all the vaccinations and the COVID scares that they had in the aged care facilities.”

She said the program opened students’ eyes to what a career in both industries entailed, with the majority of past students completing the full program.

“The employers in the Illawarra have been fantastic and have definitely jumped on board,” she said.

“With PEAK before and after school care, they like to keep the students on that have been signed up for a school-based traineeship.

“A lot of them have got teaching pathways – that’s their goal.

“While they’re at uni, they put them on a diploma as well, and it’s all funded via Training Services NSW, so it doesn’t cost them anything.”

She said some childcare providers in the Illawarra only took on school students that had been through the RIEP program because of the maturity and skill level needed before coming into the workplace as a paid employee.

“They’ve done the industry tour, they’ve got their first aid certificate and so they’re not going in fresh, they’re going in prepared, and that’s what the employers are saying as well,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA) NSW welcomed the release of the NSW VET Review Final Report 2024, which it believes represents a significant and much-needed step towards integrating traditionally separate skills training and higher education sectors into a cohesive and aligned tertiary system.

ITECA chief executive Troy Williams said the report’s focus on providing NSW students with quality pathways that met their aspirations and built essential skills, knowledge and capabilities was a vision ITECA NSW supported.

“This approach is crucial for ensuring that all students, regardless of their background, have access to lifelong learning opportunities,” Troy said.