Traineeship opens the door to a career in caring

Thanks to a partnership between TAFE Queensland and BlueCare, Shaun recently completed a Certificate III in Individual Support Ageing and Disability (CHC33021) while working as a Personal Carer in Mareeba.

“The cost was always prohibitive which is why I wasn’t able to do this earlier,” the proud Tagalaka man and recent graduate said.

“The traineeship was such a great opportunity because I was able to earn while I was learning.”

After 12 months of working and studying, Shaun is now fully qualified and using his new skills to benefit those most in need in the regional town, west of Cairns.

“Everyday I have such a feeling of satisfaction knowing that I have helped someone else’s day be a little bit better, even it was just as simple as keeping someone company,” he said.

“At the end of the day, this is a job that makes me feel really good.”

BlueCare is an agency of UnitingCare, the health and community arm of the Uniting Church of Queensland and has been operating since 1953.

BlueCare is Queensland’s largest, and trusted providers, delivering in-home care and residential aged care services right across the state.

To help fill the need for more qualified carers, BlueCare recently began offering traineeships for people to commence work while building their skills and knowledge.

Strategic Workforce Partnerships People and Culture Group, UnitingCare Manager Michelle Templin, said the phenomenal success of BlueCare’s training partnerships has resulted in benefits not only for the organisation, but most importantly for the community members in need of the services.

“Our investment in training our people is helping improve productivity, workforce utilisation and retention. Anecdotal evidence, through monthly check-ins with our trainees, indicates that the traineeships are helping to enhance employee engagement and loyalty, and our excellent retention results support this,” Michelle said.