TAFE Centre of Excellence Health Care and Support

Advanced Diploma Community Sector Management Workplace Leadership Program

To help address critical skills shortages across the health, nursing and community services sectors, the Centre is piloting a fully funded Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management, giving existing workers the opportunity to develop the leadership and management skills needed to progress into frontline and middle management roles across community, health and not-for-profit organisations.

Delivered through a workplace-integrated model, the qualification combines practical learning, mentorship and real-world experience, enabling participants to apply new skills directly in the workplace. Designed for both emerging and experienced leaders, the program builds expertise in service planning, people and performance management, risk oversight and continuous improvement, strengthening leadership capability, career progression and workforce capacity across the health care and support sectors.

Leadership Pathways for the Rural and Regional Disability Support Workforce

Wide Bay Advocacy Inc, in partnership with Ability Works, Bridge 4 Better, IMPACT Community, Carinbundi and CQUniversity, has been awarded a grant to pilot a flexible leadership development program for emerging and mid-level leaders in rural and regional disability services. The project aims to strengthen leadership capability, address career pathway gaps, and support a more confident and sustainable disability support workforce.

The research addresses the challenges faced by team leaders and new managers who often move into supervisory roles without access to leadership training tailored to the disability sector's complex regulatory and operational environment. It also responds to barriers to further study, such as cost, time and workload, by providing a more accessible pathway for developing leadership and management skills.  

Dementia Capability Development Program

This pilot delivered in partnership with Dementia Australia, as the national peak body, aims to strengthen workforce capability in dementia care.​ With a focus on upskilling VET educators to improve the quality and consistency of dementia education across the sector using virtual reality experiences and online learning resources. The pilot is development a suite of online learning modules which provide opportunities for educators to develop their dementia capability. The pilot is developing a suite of accredited units and non-accredited online learning modules which provide opportunities for educators to earn Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points​.

A Day in the Life of a Worker in Home Care​  

This pilot project is designed to complement and strengthen the core qualification (Certificate III in Individual Support) by providing immersive, practice-based learning experiences, not always achievable in traditional classroom or placement settings.​ It comprises a suite of 8 virtual reality scenarios designed and scripted in consultation with industry and cultural advisors, where learners actively make decisions, observe consequences, and practice responding to workplace challenges​. Students build confidence, apply theoretical knowledge, and safely navigate complex situations prior to entering the workforce. ​

Community-Embedded Learning Hubs: Enhancing Aged Care Education Access in Regional and Remote Queensland

Ageing Australia has been awarded a grant to pilot community-embedded learning hubs that improve access to aged care training for underrepresented groups in regional Queensland.

The research addresses the need for stronger education and workforce pathways for learners in Far North Queensland, including young people, mature-age learners, First Nations peoples, and culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Through the delivery of Community-Embedded Learning Hubs, the project aims to support workforce participation and transition into the aged care sector.

Inspire & Thrive: Care Workforce Elevation Program

Australian Catholic University has been awarded a grant to deliver flexible training for new aged care workers, with the aim of improving care quality, workforce retention and resilience, and informing future workforce development strategies.

The research addresses the challenge of engaging a time-poor and geographically dispersed aged care workforce in training. It will examine how different delivery modes, including in-person workshops, facilitated online sessions and self-paced learning, influence the adoption and sustainability of person-centred care practices.

Positioning VET Work Readiness to Support Young Children with Disability/Developmental Delay Within Thriving Kids Reforms

The University of Queensland, in partnership with BUSHKids, Down Syndrome Australia and TAFE Queensland, has been awarded a grant to strengthen learner and educator capability across disability and early childhood qualifications in alignment with emerging Thriving Kids reforms. The project aims to improve support for young children with disability or developmental delay while enhancing work readiness across the care sector.

The research addresses gaps in pre-service education related to the use of technology-enabled tools in disability support, including digital platforms, documentation systems, devices and assistive technologies. By building digital capability and supporting the integration of technology into everyday practice, the project aims to improve service quality, safety and outcomes for children and families.

Enhancing work readiness for complex behaviour support: piloting a lived-experience training intervention

Griffith University, in partnership with the Queensland Disability Research Network – Inclusive Futures Beacon, TAFE Queensland and The Inclusion Network, has been awarded a grant to co-design training that strengthens workers’ capability to support people with disability who experience complex and challenging behaviours. The project aims to promote safer, person-centred service delivery through respectful communication and trusting relationships.

The research addresses gaps in the preparedness of newly trained disability support workers, whose entry-level training often prioritises regulatory requirements over person-centred practice. By incorporating lived experience perspectives, the project aims to improve worker confidence, safety, and the quality of support provided to people with disability.  

Practising the Hard Conversations: Conversational AI for Disability Support Workforce Training

Adelaide University, in partnership with the National Centre of Excellence in Intellectual Disability Health and TAFE Queensland, has been awarded a grant to develop a co-designed, browser-based AI tool that enables disability support students to practise challenging conversations in realistic simulated environments before placement. The project aims to build work readiness, confidence and digital capability while supporting improved client outcomes.

The research addresses gaps in students' preparedness for situations such as de-escalating distress, responding to challenging behaviours, and communicating with people who have limited verbal expression. By providing a safe, repeatable environment to practise these skills through interactions with an AI-simulated client, the project aims to strengthen person-centred communication and behavioural support capabilities before students enter the workplace.

Empowering the aged care workforce through leadership storytelling, inclusion pathways, and digital media innovation

Veri Health Media has been awarded a grant to develop culturally safe and inclusive videos and podcasts that address burnout, digital literacy, and the underrepresentation of priority groups in aged care leadership. The resources will be trialled in aged care and vocational education and training settings in regional Queensland.

The research draws on the lived experiences of aged care workers to create digital content that supports workforce wellbeing, strengthens digital capability, and promotes more inclusive leadership pathways across the sector.

“Your Voice, Your Journey, Your Future” - Campfire Healing Mentorship Program (Adv Dip Community Sector Management)

A core component of the pilot of the fully funded Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management, Campfire Healing has designed, developed and is delivering a Mentoring Program that is culturally responsive, inclusive and meeting established requirements to support emerging leaders within the Health Care and Support sector, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants, who are enrolled in the Advanced Diploma program.

The program supports the leadership development and professional capability of pilot program participants; provides mentoring services that meet recognised cultural safety standards for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants; strengthens leadership capability, wellbeing, confidence and career readiness outcomes, and aligns with TAFE Centre of Excellence Culturally Appropriate and Safe Training Framework and recognised best practice mentoring methodologies. 

The CARE-R Project (Cultivating Aged-care Resilience and Engagement in the Regions)

The University of Southern Queensland has been awarded a grant to co-design training and an online platform with aged care providers to strengthen psychosocial safety and resilience among aged care workers.

The research addresses psychosocial hazards faced by the regional aged care workforce and the challenges of accessing training in rural and remote areas. Through the development of an open-access digital platform co-designed with aged care staff and community stakeholders, the project aims to support worker wellbeing, prevent workplace injury, and improve access to mental health resources and training.

Pilot study into the potential of plain language intervention to increase comprehension of safe practices

The Trustee for the Social Deck Trust, in partnership with TAFE Queensland, has been awarded a grant to develop and test plain language communication tools that help disability support workers recognise and report safety risks, understand safe work practices, and support worker wellbeing.

The research focuses on workers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and those with low English literacy. It aims to improve understanding of safety information, rights, responsibilities and workplace practices, increasing the likelihood that safety issues are identified, reported and addressed.