National skills trial

A pathway for young people into aged care and disability support

The National Youth Employment Body and the Transition to Work National Community of Practice are supporting communities to design and implement a skills pathway for young people to enter the aged care and disability workforce, using a new Skill Set developed by the Human Services Skills Organisation.

The Entry into Care Roles Skill Set was developed in consultation with industry to rapidly upskill a ‘surge’ workforce to meet the needs of the aged care and disability support sector during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

The trial is exploring the implementation of a quality skills pathway that supports and enables young people to gain employment and qualified training in the aged-care and disability sector, and includes career exploration and pre-employment readiness to prepare young people to succeed in the world of work. The pathway is co-designed with local employers to meet their business needs and build a young workforce motivated by the diverse career pathways in the sector.

Place-based youth employment solutions

The national trial is being led and delivered by local Transition to Work National Community of Practice partners and NYEB Community Investment Committees, which bring the right people together to co-design and drive place-based solutions to improve youth employment and meet local workforce needs.

The trial is being implemented in the following regions:

  • Logan-Beaudesert, QLD
  • The Shoalhaven, NSW
  • Adelaide North, SA
  • Gold Coast, QLD
  • Penrith, NSW
  • Darwin, NT
  • South East Tasmania, TAS

For further information on the trial, contact Elle.McLachlan@bsl.org.au or on 0490 288 259.

Young people working in aged care and disability

To prepare young people for the opportunity of the trial the Brotherhood of St Laurence developed the following snapshot videos to hear stories from young people working in the sector.

The NYEB is providing support to Lead Partner organisations and Community Investment Committees to: build the capacity of local communities to collaborate and drive action; connect to research and data; and link place-based learnings to the national agenda through the NYEB national governance groups and advocacy in the wider community to improve youth employment outcomes.

Tailored skills pathway

Each local Committee identified the care sector as a local growth industry with employment opportunities and demand for a younger workforce in their region. Traditionally not attractive to young people, there is a need for innovative and fit for purpose training pathways into the sector.

Each locally tailored skills pathway aligns local, state and national investments and harnesses the expertise of key stakeholders to co-design pre-employment preparation (including work experience, career exploration and non-vocational support) and implementation of the Skill Set to connect local young people into employment.

Contributing to systemic change in youth employment

The trial contributes to the NYEB’s wider ambition for systems and practice change that will improve employment outcomes for young people, business and communities, by demonstrating a skills pathway that:

  • Aligns key stakeholders (youth employment service providers, government, VET and industry) and leverages existing investments and programs to drive employment opportunities for young people in local labour markets.
  • Supports young people to engage in training and work, and supports employers to build a skilled entry-level workforce of young people.
  • Builds evidence to inform national VET reform, and practice and policy responses to alleviate blockages and harness opportunities that support young people, local employers and community-led collaboration.
  • Utilises a latticed approach to skill acquisition that enables young people to move along diverse career pathways, and make informed decisions while building confidence and success in the world of work.
  • Informs the Human Service Skills Organisation and stakeholders of the applicability of the Skill Set and a tailored pathway approach.

Advocates diverse employment opportunities of the growing care sector to young people, including through the development of tools and resources.

Resources

Supporting young people into meaningful work in aged care and disability support
  • Guide for coaching young people (PDF, 157KB) as you prepare and support them into training and employment in the care sector
  • Self-reflection tool (PDF, 504KB) to help young people ascertain if working in the aged care or disability support sector is the right fit for them
Understanding diverse opportunities in the care sector
Information about the NYEB national trial