REGISTERED charity WomenCAN Australia, or WCA, has partnered with Jobs Victoria with the aim of creating two hundred aged care jobs for women in Bendigo, Mildura and surrounding districts.<\/p>\n
As part of the \u2018earn and learn\u2019 program, participants could earn an income while training at a partnered aged care facility.<\/p>\n
The program is funded by the State Government and is part of the Jobs Victoria\u2019s Priority Workforce projects.<\/p>\n
Its aim is to meet workforce shortages in key sectors in the state.<\/p>\n
Costing $3.7 million, the project is seeking to provide 200 women looking for work with a job, paid training, and support as part of the program.<\/p>\n
Operations manager of vocational training and employment at WCA, Tara Kirk, said the aged care sector was the perfect industry to help give women a new start.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe aged care sector is screaming for people at the moment,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause there is a big skills shortage, and we have an aging population.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe model is they undertake Certificate III in Individual Support, which is an aged care qualification, which allows them to then become personal care workers.\u201d<\/p>\n
WCA aims to help women reconnect with the workforce by helping build confidence, connections and work capabilities after a long layoff.<\/p>\n
Ms Kirk said WCA are still looking for eligible women to join the program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese women may not have had a connection to the workforce for a long, long time,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey could have been having a family, it may have been domestic violence, childcare, struggles with numeracy and literacy even transport issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are a whole range of reasons women can\u2019t get back into the workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n
Six women have recently begun training at Uniting AgeWell Strath-Haven earning an income on the job as they learn.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
REGISTERED charity WomenCAN Australia, or WCA, has partnered with Jobs Victoria with the aim of creating two hundred aged care jobs for women in Bendigo, Mildura and surrounding districts. As part of the \u2018earn and learn\u2019 program, participants could earn an income while training at a partnered aged care facility. The program is funded by […]<\/p>\n