More than 20,000 aged care nurses and personal care workers will have the opportunity to upgrade their skills through two new Australian Government-funded training programs, the Federal Minister for Ageing, Julie Bishop, said today.
The Australian Government is inviting applications for funding to provide training for the aged care workforce.
Ms Bishop encouraged aged care providers to use the Government’s funding initiatives to support their staff, and in doing so improve the quality of care provided to older Australians.
« The aged care workforce is one of our great national assets. Aged care workers provide the care, love and respect that older Australians receiving aged care services need and deserve, » Ms Bishop said.
« As the care needs of older Australians become more complex, they require different levels of support, which increases demands on aged care workers.
« These two new initiatives are part of the Australian Government’s $2.2 billion record funding package for aged care, Investing in
The first initiative provides $7.4 million for education providers to provide up to 5,250 Enrolled Nurses with training to administer medication.
« Enabling qualified Enrolled Nurses to administer medication will ensure that they have the skills needed to provide high quality care for older Australians, and relieve Registered Nurses, so that they can focus on their specialist tasks, » Ms Bishop said.
« The Australian Government has been working collaboratively with the aged care sector and State and Territory Governments, which are responsible for making the necessary legislative and regulatory changes to allow appropriately qualified Enrolled Nurses to administer medication. »
The second initiative provides $56 million for vocational education and training opportunities for up to 15,750 aged care workers to upgrade their qualifications to Certificate III, Certificate IV and Enrolled Nurse level. Support will also be considered for training towards other qualifications relevant to aged care.
« These measures are part of almost $150 million in education and training opportunities funded by the Australian Government for aged care workers, including scholarships for rural and regional Australians wanting to study aged care, and new undergraduate nursing places at university, »” Ms Bishop said.
« They are vital for improving career opportunities for aged care workers, ensuring that we attract and retain committed employees in this very challenging and rewarding work, » Ms Bishop said.
Media contact: Alex Staples 02 6277 7280 or 0418 673 ;600
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