Oh, the places you’ll go with a kickstart
The Heyfield Community Resource Centre, in Victoria’s east, has run ‘kickstart your career’ programs with Central Gippsland Health since 2018 after the Strengthening Pathways for Adult Learners in Gippsland (SPALG) program shared their course outline after successfully partnering with Bairnsdale Health in 2017.
This idea of partnering with local business revived the Learn Local pre-accredited program offerings at Heyfield – having experienced a steady decline in participation numbers.
The Heyfield Community Resource Centre Learn Local program targets adult learners with the aim of developing new skills, confidence and awareness of the employment opportunities in health.
Kick Start Your Career in Health was recognised in the 2020 Learn Local Awards and won the Creating Local Solutions category.
Health is a diverse landscape, needing a high volume of support roles; roles requiring specific skills to keep the vital ‘machinery’ of the health sector moving.
The clinical roles of doctors, nurses and diagnostic technicians require years of specialist training. But there are many non-clinical roles that offer adults who are prepared to do some training an opportunity to begin their career in health.
As trainer Sally Castle explains, “it’s a pretty big workforce that is not just doctors and nurses. There’s the linen department, cleaning, food services and admin staff…who all work together to provide our health service.”
Making the connection
Learn Local ‘kickstart your career in health’ is the training course that provides the connection between the community and the skills required by Central Gippsland Health.
“There’s a gap between the people who want to work for the hospital – but don’t know how or don’t have the skills to do that,” says Sally. “Learn Local helps to build up the skills they need to apply for some of the entry level jobs we have here.
“We have many staff who had previously been unemployed or under-employed – or just wanted to move into something else. So it’s really helped them get that confidence,” she says.
Course content is evaluated every year to ensure it remains relevant and reflects current trends in the health sector. While ‘hand hygiene’ has always been a critical skill in hospitals, COVID-19 means students must now learn about ‘donning and doffing’ their PPE safely to prevent the spread of the virus.
Students are also supported with resumè writing, preparing cover letters for job applications and learning how to apply for jobs online.
Getting the kickstart
Learn Local Kick Start Your Career in Health was definitely a stepping-stone for 28-year-old Reece. He’d had several part-time and casual jobs since finishing year 12 TAFE and was looking for something more satisfying. He’s now working at the Central Gippsland Health aged care facility, Wilson Lodge.
“The course helped me gain more insight and skills,” he says. “It just gives you a broader view of what you might be able to do. It wasn’t just learning about work, it’s learning about yourself.”
Reece feels confident he has the skills to perform his cleaning role, but also to engage with the aged care residents at Wilson Lodge. “I have the training like lifting, safe swallowing and what different codes mean,” he explains.
“Most important though, is how to talk to elderly people. That’s my most important one…and also getting the routine of getting up and going to work, and more responsibility with my money.”
Sally is very pleased with Reece’s progression from training to employment. “He’s absolutely amazing,” she says. “He’s got such a great personality and an absolutely fantastic work ethic. He’s reliable and he brings a sense of empathy to the residents of the aged care facility. He talks to everyone and is very respectful.
“Most people forget the hospital is made up of hundreds of different types of jobs and workers and different personality types,” says Sally. “Learn Local helps us reflect on what we can do to create the connection between the community who may not know about the jobs that are available. And create appropriate courses so they’ve got a higher chance of getting a job.”
Caroline Trevorrow manages the Heyfield Community Resource Centre and has a long history with the Learn Local programs. Community and social connection are the focuses at the Centre, with adult education, childcare and other support services available.
Caroline says there has been much work with local industry in Gippsland to revamp delivery of the Learn Local programs to meet industry workforce needs.
“The partnerships with industry have had a fantastic result for locals,” she says. “It’s fantastic to see the learners in the workplace, and to bump into them in the street and for them to let us know what they’re doing. That’s one of the best parts about it.”
Central Gippsland Health decided to partner with Heyfield Community Resource Centre after they were shown the results of the Kickstart program from Bairnsdale Health, and now the success of the Central Gippsland Health Partnership has given Heyfield Community Resource Centre the confidence to approach and recruit 6 new local businesses into the Learn Local program.
Vision of success
While adult students of the program are preparing for entry-level roles, they can also see a pathway to further qualifications if that’s what they want.
“They get an insight into the application process. They get to meet department managers and the HR team, and get to know the recruitment process, they get to know the recruitment process for that particular business. It's almost like they're getting these secret tips that nobody else knows about that will make their résumé stand out or make something that they say in an interview stand out.”
“On the very first day of the Kick Start Your Career in Health course, they met the CEO of Central Gippsland Health and he gave a really good story about someone who works there and the pathway that she's taken. He gave them visual cues on how they can get from, say, working in environmental services and with support along the way, to working as a nurse if that's what they wanted to do.” says Caroline.
“It’s so important for a Learn Local program to exist in an area like Heyfield,” she says. “Because not everybody is ready to jump into a TAFE course or go to work. Not everyone has the confidence to write down what they’re good at.
“Our program gives them that confidence to say, ‘yeah, I’m a good problem solver’ or ‘I’m really good at time management’. These skills are taken for granted, but not everybody has these skills.” Caroline beams with pride about the transformation of the program participants.
“When they turn up on that first day…it’s a big step for a lot of people who’ve never studied before. They might never have worked before. And they’re turning up to a class with strangers. It’s a big thing.
“And to watch them go through the process over six to eight weeks…and grow in confidence as they get an understanding of the skills they can bring to the workplace.”
Learn Local can make real change in the community. The kickstart to employment is just the beginning of the journey. Truly great things are achievable with the right support.
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