With well-documented industry-wide challenges in finding health care workers, Beaufort and Skipton Health Service decided to grow its own through traineeships and apprenticeships.
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Its program to upskill new and existing staff has led to it being named finalist in two categories of the 2023 Victorian Training Awards.
Being able to provide paid work combined with study to further qualifications has helped retain and attract staff and fill vacancies across the service's two sites.
Traineeships for several sectors were developed and implemented, including Diploma of Nursing, an apprenticeship up-skilling cooks through a Certificate III in Commercial Cookery, and a Diploma in Community Health for community case managers.
Food and domestic services assistants are now working as trainee enrolled nurses, and staff who started at the service as personal care workers are now registered nurses.
The push to build the skills of its own workforce has seen Beaufort and Skipton Health Service named a finalist in the Small Employer of the Year, and the Employment Award for Apprenticeship Development categories of the awards.
Several other students and teachers from the region have also been named among the 40 finalists across 14 categories of the awards.
IT graduate and disability advocate Gabriel Gervasoni is a finalist in the trainee of the year awards.
Having completed various IT certificates, and completing a Diploma in Information Technology last year, Mr Gervasoni's passion for working in IT is driven by his goal of developing apps and software to improve the lives of people like him who live with disabilities.
Vision impaired since birth, he works at IBM, advocated for young people with disabilities, encourages others to participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and is a City of Ballarat youth advocate whose work has been recognised in several different awards.
Fellow Federation TAFE student Barbara Muller completed an Advanced Diploma of Building Design (Architectural) in 2022 after a lifetime fascination with construction and design.
During the final year of her course, after a lecturer resigned, she stepped in to teach and mentor students in their first and second years which has led to her studying a Certificate IV of Training and Assessment to become a VET trainer and a nomination as a finalist in the Vocational Student of the Year award.
Teacher or trainer of the year finalist Justin Bisson transformed his Certificate IV in Engineering Drafting and Diploma of Engineering - Technical courses at Federation TAFE from traditional on-campus courses to self-paced, online delivery with minimal classroom time to make it more responsive to the needs of students and employers.
IN OTHER NEWS
"The Victorian Training Awards are a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our apprentices, students, teachers, trainers and employers," said Gayle Tierney, minister for training and skills.
"We had a record number of nominations for this year's event - showcasing how our investment in TAFE and training is helping more Victorians get the training they need for the careers they deserve."
The winners of the 2023 Victorian Training Awards will be announced on August 18.
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