Dr Nerrida Volka:

Good morning everyone, and thank you very much for joining us here for our Launch your Career and Care event.

My name is Doctor Nerrida Volka and I'm your MC 4 this morning and I'm joined with colleagues from the Department of Education, TAFE NSW and some care industry experts to answer all your questions about the opportunities for a career in care.

Launch Your Career is an industry in New South Wales government awareness programme to highlight careers in the care sector.

But very first and really importantly, I would like to commence with an acknowledgement of Country in the spirit of reconciliation.

The NSW Department of Education and TAFE NSW acknowledged traditional owners and custodians of the lands throughout NSW and their ongoing connections to land, sea and the community.

I would like to pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging and particularly would like to acknowledge the Aboriginal students in the room and acknowledge their important role as future leaders in their community.

So we'd really like this to be an interactive event.

I know it's a bit scary putting questions in check pods, but I know after COVID you're all experts at doing this, so we'd really love your questions.

We know that the careers in a care sector probably have lots of questions and I'm sure we're we're speaking to a group of converted people who might be interested, but there's lots of things to to ask and we've got a great group of panellists who can answer those questions for you.

So pop them in the Q&A pod and also people will answer them as we go through the session, but also as there's an opportunity at the end for a short Q&A session.

So we'll be reviewing those questions as we go.

So the session is also recorded.

So if you miss some things or you want to go back and fresh what somebody has said, we'll have a recording available for you on the Dart Learning website.

There will be also a whole lot of other materials related to this session that will help you navigate the whole lot of issues related to careers in care.

So I get to be the start of this session and I'm really pleased around looking at what this industry has on offer for you.

I've spent my 30 years of my career in and around the care sector and it's a sector that really is, as we've seen with COVID, critical to our community.

But as I've said here, it's the backbone of society.

It is it is the people that do the work that really makes us come together as a community and also shows what we value as a community.

There's lots of amazing careers and learning opportunities.

And I think for me, the most important aspect is this work life with purpose and impact.

And I know that's something that's really important to many of us these days is to do something at the end of the day or at the end of a career.

We know we've really made a difference.

So what is the care sector?

I think it's a, it's a term that's very broad.

And I think many opportunities are emerging that are really new and growing and things that you haven't even heard about because some things I haven't even heard about because the industry is moving so quickly.

But essentially it's about assisting people to achieve more independence.

So whoever that is, whether it's an older person with person with disability, it's about people being able to be independent and live the life they want, to have those opportunities that they deserve and choose the life that they want to live.

So it's that choice and control over people's lives, the choice that we have in terms of our lives.

You might be a person with disability yourself.

It's about having every opportunity to do the kind of work that you want to do, to live in your home if that's what you want to do, and to be part of your community and continue to participate in those aspects of community.

It's also about keeping people healthy, both physically healthy and mentally healthy.

And those aspects all wrapped up together are the types of work that somebody who's working in the care sector might do.

So the next slide talks a little bit about the types of jobs that there are.

So there's lots and lots of different sectors where you'll see care and support workers across.

Anything that involves humans, I guess is a good way to think about it.

Primarily today we'll be talking about the age and disability sectors, but there's a range of different sectors, for example, in mental health and community services, youth work that have very similar kinds of roles.

And that's the, the other aspect to this sector is that you're able to move across a range of different kind of job roles in a different settings with different kinds of people of different ages, but taking some of those very important core skills with you along into those different job roles.

What we do in the care sector is we help people to live safely with dignity and as I mentioned before, with independence.

And I think that importance around the dignity is really critical.

The care sector is making sure that everybody on the in the community can live a life that we have respect for them and that they have dignity.

Particularly people are who are vulnerable, the things that we would expect for our family members, for example.

So staff can work in a team.

In fact lots of the care sector is about working in a team.

So if you like working in in a team at school, when you do group projects, although nobody really likes that, do they?

That's a bit tricky sometimes.

But if you like being in a sports team and like working with different kinds of people, the care sector is really about teams.

But sometimes you might be just working one on one with person, for example, in somebody's home.

And so you get those opportunities to work with lots of different people with the person at the centre of that care.

Or you might be really developing a very deep relationship and and support to to an individual person who you really get to know.

And that might be in a community setting, like a day programme, or it could be in their own home.

So the kinds of things that people do in the care sector are hugely varied.

And we'll hear some of those things today.

But essentially it's goes from very practical things like helping people do their shopping or, you know, those kind of day to So what we're going to be talking about today is primarily people working in the aged care and in the sector with working with people with disability.

So aged care, I know we've heard a lot about it in the media and I, I hope today that we're going to give you a great picture of the reality of the aged care, aged care sector and the opportunities, particularly for young people to come and work with older people.

So aged care really is the support that's provided to older people who need help to live in either their own home or support people who can no longer live at home.

I'm sure all of you within your families have got a lot of lived experience of either family members or aunties and uncles, grandfathers, grandmothers or people that you know in your community who are living their life in all those different kinds of settings.

So it remains, so a lot of support that we provide is in the home through to working with people in a residential aged care facility or as well here today from one of our speakers in a retirement village.

So lots of different kinds of ways that older people choose to live their lives.

And then the care work, workforce work around those groups.

But the majority of aged care is actually in people's homes.

And I think sometimes when we look at the media, it seems to be that everybody is in residential aged care, that the growth really is about people living in home.

And because we're going to get a big ageing population coming through, actually having people who can support people to live in their homes, but also to live in their communities.

So how do we help older people remain part of communities as they age?

And, and those are the sort of roles that are really starting to grow in the care sector.

And I think that's some of the most exciting kind of job roles that are coming in the future.

The other sector that we're focusing on today is the sector who works with people with disability.

So probably for most of you, what you'll hear about now from the disability sector is the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

And that really was a big change to how we support people with disability in our community.

Before most of the services were government provided and they were quite disconnected and they certainly didn't focus on the choice of control of the person with disability.

The National Disability Scheme is really about ensuring that each person with disability is able to choose to have a life that they that they want and to achieve the goals that they want in their lives.

And so the disability services now have really evolved to meet a wider range of needs for people with disability.

So that NDIS in particular focuses on people with a permanent and significant disability and their assistance for everyday activities.

But there is also an early intervention arm of that programme which works with young people to try and look at providing services in those early years right up until people who are all and across the whole lifespan.

So they're part providing care majority of the time in the community.

And as I said, in lots and lots of different settings.

And so disability support workers are really focused on empowering and encouraging clients to improve their quality of life.

So the disability sector and the aged care sector are really those cornerstones of providing support and services to people in our community who who need those additional supports to, to live their best life.

And, and that's what our sector is about.

So you've probably heard enough from me now to as that little taster, what we'd really like to show you is some opportunities for what the people in the sector are saying.

But first I'm going to talk about why, why the care sector?

So the the biggest element I guess for you looking at jobs and careers, it is a really big and growing sector.

So if you're looking for a job, and I know you'll start with your career advisors, starting to look at jobs on seek and those sorts of things.

You'll hear lots of stuff in the media as well about the size and demands for aged care workers and disability workers.

It's certainly an area where you'll never be without a job, but it's more than that.

It's the job that makes has a purpose and really makes a difference.

It has a wide variety of roles and career directions.

And I think what you'll hear from the panellists today is that they've gone in lots of different roles in lots of different ways.

And even myself, my career, the types of jobs that I've done a hugely varied across lots of different sectors with lots of different groups of people.

And that's the opportunity.

You can never, you never have to stay put and you can there's always opportunities to do something different even within one organisation.

We'll hear a bit about that later today as well.

And this innovation and change aspect I think is the other thing that's really critical.

It's a sector that is actually really doing at the pointy end of innovation.

And sometimes we see some of the tech industries as the much more sexy industries to get involved with.

But actually aged care and disability are some of the most progressive industries where they're involving tech they're using a lot of entrepreneurs are coming into that space to think of new ways to deliver services.

So that's that's a really important element.

It's not something that I guess what some people have in their mind as a bit of an old fashioned industry that has older people working in it and is a bit kind of boring.

It's actually got some of the most exciting business innovations occurring as we speak.

So, so that's, that's my little summary.

And now we would like to show you an example of a whole lot of people who are working in the sector telling you about why they like working in the care sector.

Pre-recorded video

Speaker 1:
Personally, I do feel like it is for me, working with people, caring for people, tending to their needs.

I feel like it's very important for me.

In my career, I do want to pursue something in the healthcare industry.

Speaker 2:
I really love the residents, their uniqueness.

You really connect to them through food as well.

I love when they smile, especially when I remember what they like.

That's kind of the highlight of my job.

Just talking to them makes me really happy and it also makes their day.

Speaker 3:
It took me quite a while to find what felt right for me.

But yeah, once I found the care industry, I knew, yeah, that's where I belonged.

And that was, I felt very much at home there.

My first job in the care industry was in aged care.

I did a college course, did work experience and I thought I'd give disability a try.

So I did a college course in disability.

I got my disability set for and then work experience and disability and Yep been there ever since.

Speaker 4:
I got into the industry because my mom recommended to me due to my personality and so I did try and give it a go and went to TAFE.

I love working with older generation and getting to know their stories and learn from them is quite a big thing for me.

Speaker 5:
I started in the care sector as a kind of a late career change.

I wanted to actually give back to the community, so I really wanted to do something very meaningful and what better industry or sector to work in than supporting others.

It does bring me a lot of joy when you see someone achieve their goal.

There's a real sense of accomplishment and a real sense of understanding that you know you've been part of something very special that's bigger than yourself.

That's not just self serving, but entirely at the service of somebody else.

Speaker 6:
Most exciting aspect about that caring just do for me.

There's a lot of new opportunities and new things happening, but for me it always just comes back to spending time with the guys.

It's the most rewarding, most appealing.

Yeah.

No matter what changes, that's the constant that that I'm there for.

Speaker 7:
The main benefits to entering the care sector is the the myriad of career paths there.

It's actually quite infinite.

There's a variety of things that you can do within the sector and the ability for those skills and knowledge to be transferable into any role.

There's not a lot of sectors out there that are exactly like that.

Speaker 8:
I know that I'm making a difference in their lives, even it's just a simple one, by making them smile or even just bringing them the newspaper.

I feel like it has a lot of meaning to them, knowing that there's someone they're looking out for them.

Speaker 9:
Throughout high school, I didn't know what I wanted to do.

I wasn't picky about my subjects either, I just knew that I wanted to complete high school.

So I studied at TAFE at Meadowbank, search for leisure and lifestyle and what I found at TAFE is that it's very hands on.

They want you to succeed, not just theoretically but practically, which helped me a lot, making it easier for me to integrate into the workforce.

Speaker 10:
I studied a diploma of community Services at TAPE.

Studying through TAPE was actually really suited my lifestyle as well, like work.

The content was really interesting, the support I got was great.

It was a really good option.

Speaker 11:
Some of the fun things we do, we do lots of activities, bowling and movies and big picnic all together, barbecues, big walks, so it's a lot of fun hanging out with everybody.

Speaker 12:
We hold concerts and live entertainment.

We try and bring all of the residents where they enjoy to dance or socialise.

Speaker 13:
It's a real privilege to be involved in somebody's life, so somebody to allow you to be able to help support them, to mentor them and really be an advocate for their choices.

When entering into work like this, you have to sort of come in with the attitude of I want to do something that's bigger than myself, that is essentially in service of somebody else.

Step outside of your comfort zone and trying to sort of focus on being able to help others be able to reach their full potential.

Speaker 14:
I would recommend a career in the care sector because the opportunities are endless.

There's no reason why you can't do anything in this sector.

The career paths are varied.

You could be studying accountancy and work in this sector.

You can, you can be studying anything from medicine, physiotherapy, speech pathologist, any of those allied health services, but you can also enter the sector as a support worker and then follow my career path into operational leadership and become, you know, into people and culture and then end up owning your own business.

People need a sense of purpose and people want to care and be kind and this is a great sector to be able to give back.

Speaker 15:
I'd recommend the care industry, the students, because it provides them meaningful work and a sense of fulfilment.

When you're young there's a lot of pressure to decide right away what you want to do and commit to it, but until you give it a go, you won't know what's for you.

I would recommend thinking about the care industry and if you're an empathetic person and you think giving enjoyment to other people would be fulfilling for you, I would recommend trying it out.

Speaker 16:
So what advice that I would give to students that are willing to join the care industry is to just go for it, seek some experience in this industry, doesn't matter what role, and we just seek some experiences.

It's a good start.

Speaker 17:
You provide care that really gives this close connection to you and the residents.

It's a nice feeling having a close connection with them.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
It was great to see some real people.

They weren't paid actors, I assure you, who were talking about all the different kinds of roles that they have.

And I guess the message that I took out of there was just give it a go.

Like do some, do some research, find out about what those careers in care are about.

And obviously have.

If you're a person who has those kind of personality that that is empathetic and really wants to work with people, then the care sector is a great opportunity for you.

So now without further ado, I've got my fantastic panel here and I'm very excited to have four wonderful people from the sector who have all had long careers in the care sector and have an amazing wealth of knowledge to share with you today.

So the first, so we've got Nicole Host, who's a Co founder and general manager of people and culture with Care Evolution, who you saw in our video.

We've got Jessica Morrissey who's the national talent solution solutions manager for Calvary.

We've got Julian Baez who's an area coordinator in the disability area for Catholic care.

And we've got Doctor John Kinsley who's the state care manager for the AVO group.

But I'm going to start talking to Nicole first.

So thank you very much for for being in our video as well.

And it's it's fantastic to have you here.

Now you mentioned in your video that you started your own business which aims to attract and support a new generation of care workers.

So why do you think people should actually choose a career in care?

Nicole Host, Co-founder and General Manager, People and Culture, Care Evolution:
Well, firstly, Naruto, thank you.

Thank you for the opportunity to be on the video.

And also today I'm in good company.

So the attraction for the care sector you touch base on during the the course of the video and also prior to the video.

Then career paths, the myriad, the, IT is endless, the opportunities to enter the care sector as a disability worker, an age worker, you get to, you know, the career paths in this sector and nothing like any other in any other industry.

You took, you know, my, my career path started as a disability support worker and worked my way through senior leadership to running my own business.

So what I've done is not anything special.

There are so many people in this sector that have had similar career paths.

So you, as I said, you can start as an aged care worker, capability worker and end up as CEO of a company or, you know, designing technology, training people in a sector.

So you know, it is and it doesn't matter what you want to study, the skills and knowledge that you gain at entry level in this sector are transferable.

So it's, and then it, it is not like no other sector.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Now I think that's a really good point because sometimes I said, I think the image sometimes is something that's quite narrow, but it's a, it's a an amazing, amazingly varied kind of career.

You have a programme called the Care Boot Camp.

Did you want to explain for us how that operates?

Nicole Host:
I can't see your face, but who you are again.

So Care Boot Camp is an A school based programme that we have been, we've actually launched 2 weeks ago and we have collaborated, collaborated with quite a number of people in the sector subject matter exits.

But we've also been supported by NSW training services to ensure that this this programme is implemented into the schools.

So it's, it's focused at year 1011 and 12 those that might be going into allied health services looking at a further education.

So all those young people that possibly in year 11 and 12 that are undecided and would like to enter the care sector.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Fantastic.

So I'm really interested your organisation Care Evolution is a social enterprise and I know that's an area, a business model that we're hearing a lot more about, but maybe not in the care sector.

I think it's often in the the other kind of what's seen as more groovy, groovy sectors of the economy.

But I'm really interested about how you see a social, what is a social enterprise and how it's relevant to the care sector.

Nicole Host:
Yeah, so it's really important for my business partner and I call Campbellton to have a purpose.

And in this you, you, you touch base on that before having impact and purpose.

So we created Care Evolution in the brand sitting under Care Evolution to be able to give back to the sector.

So we wanted the opportunity, whoever uses our services to know that they're paying it forward, they are actually giving back to the community in various programmes.

So you know, it is a sense of purpose.

We're doing something we're very passionate about by helping the care sector and introducing different cohorts into the care sector, but we're also give worked extremely hard in the care sector to look after our most vulnerable people in the community.

So it is important to give back and that's, you know, with being a social enterprise where we have the ability to do that and people know that we are helping the community in various programmes.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Fantastic, Thanks for that, Nicole.

And I'll just note that we've popped in the in the chat pod there, the link to the Care Boot Camp programme if anybody is interested in participating.

So next I'm going to move on to Jessica Morrissey.

Hi, Jessica, how are you?

Jessica Morrissey, National Talent Solutions Manager, Calvary:
Thank you.

Good, thank you.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
So Jessica is the national Talent Solutions manager at Calvary Care, which I think is the coolest title ever.

So my first question is what talent are you after?

Jessica Morrissey:
Yeah, sure.

So my role is to support our workforce.

So from our attraction strategies to how we engage our staff and how we retain our staff.

So part of that is obviously the big part is attracting and how we bring people in who we're looking for.

And the main thing that we look for is that motivation to give back the passion to care and to have that rewarding career where you you are supporting our consumers, whether it's a resident in a aged care facility, a client in community care or a patient in a hospital, because Calvary provides all those services.

And so the opportunities within an organisation like ours are endless.

And so it's really around that connection pace and motivation pace for us.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Yeah, excellent.

And I think a great example of someone working in the care sector that isn't a support worker.

Your your role is obviously in human resources.

And are you there for this?

I mean, just interested.

You're there for the same reasons.

I guess we're hearing everybody else talk about being in the care sector because of purpose and impact.

Is that because you've worked in corporate well before?

Jessica Morrissey:
Yes, yeah, So absolutely.

And I've worked in other similar organisations prior.

And so it keeps bringing me back and that's because I know that the work that I'm doing, whilst it's not client facing, is definitely having an impact on the care that's provided to the people who use our services.

And you know, if we can support our staff to do their jobs more effectively, that obviously has an impact on on the care provided.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Fantastic.

Now I was going to ask you a little bit about traineeships because I think that's something that we hear a little bit about.

We hear a lot about apprentices, apprentices, but maybe not as much about traineeships.

And so I thought maybe I know your organisation does employ a lot of trainees.

So maybe if you could give me a like a day in the life of a, of a trainee working for, for Calvary.

Jessica Morrissey:
Yeah, sure.

So we have a lot of trainee programmes in our aged care and community care businesses and it's such a great opportunity for our trainees to come in to learn the skills on the job and to also end up with a qualification at the end of the day.

So whether it's a Set 3 or deployment traineeship, you're supported by more experienced staff around you.

And we often have our networks of trainees as well.

So we often have intakes in similar areas.

And so we're able to provide those networks and support.

And it's such a great entry into the sector because you're learning, getting paid at the same time and it really kick starts your career because as Nicole was saying, who knows where you could end up.

And in an organisation like ours, there's so many opportunities, but it's such a great way to to start that off for you.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Fantastic Look, thank you very much for that, Jessica.

Next, I'll move on to Julian.

So Julian, you work with Catholic Care and specifically with the delivery of services to people with disability.

For those of the people in the room who don't really, we talk about the disability sector, but most of us probably don't know what that actually means.

So did you want to give us a little bit of a one on one of of the disability sector?

Julian Baez, Area Coordinator, CatholicCare:
Yeah, absolutely.

So it's it's really just kind of like a summary of everything that we've been talking about.

It's about empowering people.

But in in this case, it's focusing mainly on people that have disabilities.

Catholic care itself provides many different services, but it's important that you that you target and you address the needs of individuals the best you can.

So naturally that creates a division in how you provide services between aged care and disabilities.

But that's, yeah, it's also a very broad umbrella, right?

Because everyone that is impacted by disability comes from a different walk of life, has different individual goals, is a very different person.

So we, we look at it as, you know, it's kind of like a name, a way of referring to it, but really includes, you know, I would say almost everyone really.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
So why do people choose to come and work in the disability sector?

Julian Baez:
So I think very similar to what Jessica was talking about, people that want to have a sense of wanting to give back and are passionate about, you know, having some kind of community impact.

We also have a lot of students from uni that find a disability industry or TAFE, find this ability industry, a way of getting experience and understanding more about what they're actually learning, putting that into practise.

And so that's reflected with, you know, people that are doing certificate three, certificate 4IN disabilities as well as, you know, psychology, social work.

We also have because it's a changing industry.

We also have a lot of parents that have found by, you know, just by by accident guess being a parent of someone with a disability themselves, understanding how the system works and how they can how important it is for them to contribute to the whole thing to continue.

So we have a lot of family members.

We have a lot of siblings as well that wanna make sure that, you know, they they contribute to creating an environment that is conducive to what they want to see in the future.

And then you have AI guess a percentage of people like in every industry that actually just feel they want to take this as a as a career right from the beginning.

And that's kind of kind of the, the whole thing.

However, talking about the change that's happening at the moment, we are seeing a lot of people from other industries coming into the, you know, the support industry, the care industry.

So there's a lot of corporate incomers, so to speak, that want to bring their skills and they feel like, as you were saying, there's an opportunity to innovate and to cross pollinate the industries to create a much better future for everyone, right?

So that's kind of how, you know, it's a bit of everything.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Yeah.

I mean, I know there's some great entrepreneurs talking about business models who people who've come from working in the disability sector.

And I know there's some online platforms that for people to find support workers and meet their needs, that's they're higher up.

And Mabel are two good examples where they're people who come from the sector, they're working with some IT buddies to actually create, you know, these IT platforms that make a difference for the community, but also build really, really big.

Good and lucrative businesses as well.

So I guess what would you suggest, Julie, and for somebody who's thinking about coming and working in the disability sector, what would you suggest that they do as their kind of first steps to get involved?

Julian Baez:
Well, I think you have to, you have to try to, to really to really know where you're at.

It's, it's, it's not something that people usually think of.

But as we saw in the video, Riley talking about this, you know, you make the decision and suddenly you realise this is exciting and I want a part of this.

And I think now it's even more exciting because we build in the future of what the industry is going to look like.

So from a practical point of view, programme sector, one that Nicole has is a great way of starting right.

There's a, there's a, there's a framework already in place and all you have to do is plug yourself into that framework.

And the framework is going to give you a taste of what it is and it's going to guide your decision making, which is great, right?

We as Catholic care, you know, over the years have also partnered with the schools where students want to do some kind of community work or have to do community work as part of the curriculum in the last years of school.

And so we provide that revenue through disability support for them to complete those hours.

You know, I think she's going to be bit of a test, you know, even volunteering something quite practical.

But I think what's important to really get a taste of it is having a sense of commitment because you're not going to learn and feel that connection right from the beginning.

There's a lot to learn.

It's quite exciting, but there's a lot to learn.

So you have to commit to, you know, a small period of time at least where you can say, OK, I've got the chance to learn and really get a, a feel for it, you know, and then, then, then see how you fit into the, the whole, the whole picture.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Yeah, yeah.

Fantastic.

Julie.

And I think you brought up a really good point about the if your school requires yours or has the option of work experience or service hours, seeking out those opportunities, most organisations will give those opportunities for students to come along and volunteer.

Always need a, an extra pair of hands.

So even though it might feel a little uncomfortable or you're a little unsure, that's a great way to kind of engage with services and just get a feel for for what what the sectors about and the people in there.

And that will make a huge difference.

And also really good for your CV to have those kind of experiences as well.

So thanks for that.

Now next person is Doctor John Kinsley.

Hello John, how are you?

Dr John Kinsley, State Care Manager:
Hi Nerida, I'm welcome.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Great to see you.

So thanks for coming along.

And I know you've had a very long career in the aged care sector in lots of different roles.

So do you want to share some of your career journey and, and why you think young people should consider a career in care?

Dr John Kinsley:
Yeah, So I, I started my nursing career many years ago and, and today's a very auspicious day because it's actually International Nurses Day where we celebrate nursing worldwide.

So to all our nurses out there, happy International Nurses Day.

It's a day of worldwide celebration for happy, happy, happy Nurses Day too.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Thank you, thank you.

Dr John Kinsley:
So, so you look, you know, I started nursing a long time ago in acute care and you know, my, my clinical backgrounds, intensive care, cardiac nursing, but nursing offers a, a profession where you can move around and work in different areas.

And, and I landed in aged care many years ago and, and why aged care?

I guess I really like working with older Australians and, you know, old people have so much to give and we can learn so much from them about life in general and, and life skills.

And I really enjoy listening to their stories and, and who they were and what they've done in their life and, and how we can learn from them.

And, and, and, you know, aged care is just not residential aged care or nursing homes as as we used to call them, We don't call them anymore.

It's such a vast, you know, area that we can work in across the sector.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Yeah.

And that brings me to what your role is now, which is actually working in the retirement village sector of, of aged care.

So maybe it'd be great if you can explain what that is and then the different type of support roles that might be involved in the the type of work that you do now.

Dr John Kinsley:
Yeah.

So retirement living, we actually work in people's homes.

So they live in a retirement village.

It's not necessarily a residential aged care facility.

We, we don't actually have any of those in Evaya Group.

We, we have just over 1200 residents who live in retirement living and it is their home.

And some of the roles we, we do have carers working in, in those communities.

And it's not just clinical stuff.

So it's not just the showering and you know, feeding and those sorts of things.

We actually have really varied roles.

So a lot of our our care staff do socialisation where they'll take people out to shopping centres, to bingo, to RSLS, they'll go on day trips.

We actually have one resident who is a life member of the Sydney Roosters Football Club and he employs A carer to take him to the football games every.

So you know, it's, it's really, that's a win win unless you don't barrack for the same team.

Well, he's care actually really loves football and loves Roosters.

So it's a win win for the, the care, but you know, the, the sort of stuff where we, we often think of retirement village or aged care is just clinical care.

And it's not that, you know, it's a really small part of what we do in the aged care and, and home care sector.

And it is in someone's home, You know, we employ maintenance and gardeners and, and you know, a variety of people in admin and sales and real estate sales.

So it's, it's a really broad, you know, career opportunities to to have in, in the aged care sector.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Yeah, fantastic.

And something I just wanted to finish on with you because I know you've had some background in this area, which is tech in aged care and disability.

So I know your, your expertise has been in aged care.

But I think again, the thinking of the care sector is a bit of a traditional kind of clinical world where actually it's the sector who's probably the most poignant in terms of innovation with tech and the integration of tech within services.

So I wonder if you could share just some of your experience.

Dr John Kinsley:
Yeah, we, we, we're going through huge change in, in the way we care for people and some exciting things that are happening is, is use of engineers to design rooms that, that are censored.

So, you know, we, we have sensor beams in rooms to detect people movement in a room.

If someone's at risk of falling or at risk of getting out of bed or wandering, you know, we've actually got room sensors that, that the whole room can pick up where they're moving and how they're moving.

So, you know, working with engineers to design that through to with residents living with dementia.

We know often what happens with cognitive dysfunction is it's dependent on mood and could be lighting and you know, day, night light, dark.

So again, working with some amazing engineers around the use of lighting that will reflect circadian biorhythms that will help people determine whether it's day or night or, or, you know, if it's dark, then it's time to sleep and, and work on, on that sort of stuff right through to.

We know people with dementia often revert back to childhood and use of augmented reality and, and virtual goggles.

And so we, I've worked in a community where we've actually worked with Samsung on using the, the virtual imaging goggles to take people back on a journey to the street they lived in.

And, you know, we actually took a photo of a street where we actually stripped it back to what it was like in the 1920s when they're a child.

And they actually relive, relive their whole childhood journey of walking to school, going to the shops, just by looking through these goggles.

So it was really, you know, there's some really exciting stuff and innovations happening in in the aged care sector around tech innovations.

Learning on people's stories, but also taking them on a journey back in time that that is really, you know, really great stuff.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Absolutely.

And I think we're starting to also see that in our teaching and learning.

So we're looking at VR experiences to make the learning experience for our students more, more real.

And so that's also something we're we're doing.

But I think, you know, now it's one of those maybe special projects that are happening, but it is going to be by the time all of you listening here are out and working in the sector, these things are going to be mainstream.

And it's going to be the opportunity for you to really work.

If you're interested in the tech space or just love playing computer games and, and love the OR love it or apps app development, you know, I have a friend who's doing that sort of thing.

The opportunity to really lean into that aspect of the care sector is going to be enormous.

So look, thank you very much all of you for that discussion.

I'll have you stay online to answer some questions at the end.

If I'd encourage everybody to put questions in the in the Q&A as well, if you would like to, so our, our panel can answer those for you.

But next, I'd like to introduce Sandy Edgar, who is a career learning coordinator for the Department of Education.

She's going to give you a short presentation of the range of tools that you have access to to start this journey about exploring potential careers in care.

So over to you Sandy.

Sandy Edgar, Career Learning Coordinator, NSW Department of Education:
Thank you Merida and welcome to everyone.

My name is Sandy Edgar and I work as the Career Learning Coordinator for the NSW Department of Education.

If you're considering a career in the healthcare sector, then you've chosen an exciting career pathway to explore.

This is an industry that has so many varied roles.

A career in care is not limited to being a physician, aged care nurse or working in rehabilitation.

There is such a huge variety of jobs in healthcare supporting our community, from nutritionist to exercise physiologist and recreation coordinator.

There are supporting roles in areas such as Health Administration, maintenance and research.

And don't forget that technology is making such a difference in the lives of our ageing population and those with disability.

You could be the one that creates an app or device to make life easier for those in our community.

This is an industry that has an incredibly valuable role in society and offers plenty of opportunity for employment.

One of the biggest benefits of being a healthcare professional is that you will make a difference in people's lives.

You'll be making our world a little healthier, a little safer, and a little better.

So how do you know what might be the right career pathway for you?

It can be hard to make an informed choice if you are not aware of all the options.

This is exactly the time to be exploring and experience careers in care.

Use your time at school to explore the many areas of health, disability care, aged care, rehabilitation and research.

There are some great resources that can provide you with an overview of the different careers.

My Future is just one resource that has information on careers in health and community service sectors.

You could start with the Careers Bull's Eyes and choose occupations that you want to explore further.

They can provide you with an overview of the occupation, the main duties, employment opportunities, salary and level of training that is going to be required.

There are also many occupation videos that you can view and this is a website that you can access for free.

There are other website tools that you can access to explore and find out more information on health careers that may be of interest.

They might be websites that ask you questions about your interests and strengths.

Talk to your school careers advisor who can support you to use online resources to explore health careers.

Some health occupations are really visible and familiar to you in the community and you see them as you go about your everyday life.

But there are many patients that you may not see.

So I encourage you to attend the career expose that may be organised by your school and learn about the range of jobs that provide health support, disability care and care for our ageing population.

These events can provide the guidance you need about an occupation you really want to pursue.

And equally important, it might also highlight something that weighs you way away from one area of health but towards another.

If you are in year 9 or 10 then this is the time to check things out and see what is of most interest and if there are subjects that can support your study down the track.

Those of you in year 11 and 12 might attend events to narrow down your areas of interest.

Another thing you can do is use your network.

This might be family and friends or someone connected with your sporting club who works in health.

Ask them questions about what they do day to day and this could also open the door for a work experience opportunity where you can see first hand what an occupation is all about, the skills that might be required and if it is one that you really want to pursue.

Your careers advisor can help you access a wide range of workplace learning and work experience options.

Work experience allows you to gain an insight into the world of work and gain exposure to what working life is like.

Remember that over the last two years, COVID restrictions may pose some challenges to gaining work experience in aged care and health facilities.

However, do not be deterred.

Think creatively and consider interviewing someone working in the sector or ask your school about volunteering in your community.

You might even be able to organise work experience through your learning support team in your own or a neighbouring school.

Remember, all work experience needs to be negotiated and approved by the school and through this you can demonstrate the many skills that you need in future employment such as communication, organisation and reliability.

School based traineeships or expats as they're more commonly known could be an option through an aspect you attend school, study a bit course to gain a nationally recognised qualification by combining employment and training in either a certificate 3IN individual support, dental services and health services.

You get paid while you learn and put skills learnt during training into practise in a real work environment.

After you finish school, you can continue with employment or even use this qualification to support further study.

Finally, speak with your careers advisor.

Let them know that you are interested in a career in health.

They are there to support you and can provide you with the information and opportunities from education and training options after school.

Or they could link you to industry based events.

They may even have a past student who can speak to you about their pathway to health.

Your school careers advisor can work with you to reflect on your strengths and interests and to develop a plan while you were still at school towards your future pathway.

So what are you waiting for?

Show your initiative and start your journey in exploring your future career in health.

Over to you, Narada.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Well, thanks very much for that, Sandy.

That was a great overview and I think I would reiterate to the importance of just starting to have a look.

It's never too late to do that research and there's so many resources available.

And don't just assume you know what these sectors are about.

Because I think sometimes if we've not had contact with people in the sector in our own lives or if just rely on what we see in the media or what we think of sectors about really getting in and and understanding those things is really important.

I've got a few slides now just to look at what the the next steps for you.

So what would be the next next steps in terms of potentially pursuing a training pathway, particularly through TAFE NSW And obviously this sector as we've talked about has really important intersections with higher education training opportunities as well.

But I think it is unique in that there are very good employable and and and sustainable careers that can be trained for in the vocational sector.

And if you choose then to go into a higher Ed pathway, they provide that stepping stone articulation into those higher Ed pathways.

So just to look at some of the opportunities in terms of the specific qualifications.

So we have a whole range of qualifications at that entry level.

The certificate 3IN dual support, certificate 3IN allied health assisting, as you've heard, I think Nicole mentioned the certificate two or three in Community services or there's a certificate 3 in health Services Assistance.

So they're just an example of the kind of different qualifications, all related, but have just a different flavour in terms of the parts of the sector that you might want to work in.

But so all of that information apply to get a career guide.

You can download one of those from our website.

Have a look at our website.

The other thing to talk about is that the TVET is something that we do deliver in lots of different ways too.

So we offer opportunities for you to do it in face to face, in blocks, virtually through our launch watch pad programme.

So really you can choose your own adventure.

The most important thing is to get in early, understand what the options are and then look at those pursuing those options.

You don't want to be in a position where you get progressed through school and you don't really you've missed the boat applying for AT vet position for example.

So the REAP offices are definitely the people who can help with facilitating work experience.

Also those school based traineeships which are available in those quality qualifications related to care, they can help you to navigate as that as well.

So there are lots of people there to help you and to support you and make this journey really easy for you to navigate.

But it's you've got to reach out and and do that and try, as I said, as early as possible.

There's year nines out there thinking about subjects for next year.

Get on board early, start thinking about your options for year 11 and 12 year 10s particularly.

It's getting time to to choose your directions there.

But if you're in year 12, obviously opportunities to to join TAFE in these courses is there as well.

The next two slides are just to give you a little bit of an understanding of the career pathways.

I won't label them too long.

You've got access to these full pathways by your teachers and it just gives you an understanding of the careers that can be built upon from those cert three entry level qualifications.

Saying that, a lot of people work in the industry just with that cert free qualification and don't require going on any further.

But both in aged care and disability support, you can see there's lots of opportunities to develop, undertake further qualifications through to a higher Ed qualification if that's something that you wish to do.

So we're coming now to the end here and I think we might see if we can get all our panel back on on board and show their beautiful faces.

I think we've had a few questions come through the chat pod.

I think 1 was for Nicole first, just around her boot camp.

Nicole, did you want to respond to that one?

Nicole Host:
So if you would, are you interested in care Boot camp?

Please approach your careers advisor and have a chat to them or you can register through the Care Boot Camp website.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Fantastic.

I had a question, I guess for John, is that we have heard a bit of a negative thing around aged care.

It's a bit like the elephant in the room really, isn't it?

I'd like you to speak to that in terms of, I guess, some of the negative images that we see of the sector.

How would you respond, respond to that?

Dr John Kinsley:
Yeah, Thanks, Narrator.

Look, there's lots of stuff that came out of the royal Commission into aged care quality and safety and, and the media loves a good negative story.

I think it's really important to acknowledge that, that that's really only a small part of the industry.

And certainly, you know, I've been in the residential aged care industry for the last 15 years and I've never seen any of that stuff that was portrayed in the in the media during the royal Commission.

It's really only a small part.

And don't be too put off by, you know, what the media portray it is, you know, that the aged care home and community care sector is a great sector to work in.

Older Australians have so much to give to us and we can learn from them and it's a hell of a lot of fun.

So, you know, really encourage people, if it's something you're interested in to, to really, you know, reach out and and look at a path of a career in in this sector.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
Thanks, John.

I think that you got that vibe from the video as well.

But it was actually, while a job with purpose and impact, there was lots of stuff that was fun and joyful in those sorts of things as well.

The other area that I was quite interested in, and again, it's one of those intersects with industries.

We've talked a bit about the tech industry.

We've talked about the business industry, about looking at new business models and so having people who've got that business minded approach coming and working in the sector and finding new ways to deliver services.

The other thing I was interested reading Julian's bio was that you actually also manage an art studio, Julian, and that is an interesting area.

I think we saw a few examples too in the video montage around activities, creative activities and leisure and health activities.

And there's a qualification, leisure and health qualification.

I know leisure coordinators are a big part of the sector, but I was interested in the the creative aspects.

So if we've got students here who really enjoy art or music or textiles, those kind of areas, visual arts, is there role, are there roles in this sector for people with that mix of skills?

Julian Baez:
Yeah, absolutely.

So if we look at the specific case of the art studio, everyone that works from Catholic care at the studio is employed to facilitate the creative process of the person.

Not so much.

Yeah, there's an element of care and understanding of the disability, but it's about getting, you know, coming across that barrier of this ability and, and really get that expression happening.

So as a result of that, we got art therapists that work in there, but we also have people that are mainstream artists that come and work in the industry.

We've got graphic designers, we have people that have qualifications in visual arts and, and work in the corporate section sector.

So there's a bit of everything in there and, and this is what really adds value to the to the proposition position of the the ad studio, because through that we are able to provide a different kind of service that is not just, you know, care, so to speak, but you know, there's really about shaping that identity, helping someone who's an artist to come out as an artist.

And we also do annual exhibitions and, and the work that the the people that we support do also gets exhibited in in other mainstream places on a regular basis.

Now recently we've, you know, develop our website, which is to have an ongoing exhibition as people always wanted to Commission work from the artist and you know, for birthday presents, Mother's Day, whatever it is.

And so people like to make this request, but also now they can see everything that the artists have been working on.

And although art is, you know, it's, it's valued very differently by everyone.

I think it's really good quality of, you know, of art.

The, the artworks are quite nice.

And I, I believe the sale, you know, at a reasonable price given the quality.

So there is a lot of potential there, right?

And the same thing is happening in other areas of art that is about sculpture, that it's about crafts and, and making things you, you know, at a local level.

Dr Nerrida Volka:
So absolutely great, lots of opportunities for social enterprises there too, I'm sure.

I know internally in TAFE, I've had a lot of discussions with our creative industry colleagues about how we can bring the two elements together.

So having our people who are training to be creative creatives across a range of different areas, doing skill sets about working in disability or aged care and the other way around, having our people who are coming at it from a from a care sector qualification, doing units that actually develop some of those skills as well.

So that's a good example of what also because the industry is expanding and adding additional kinds of skills outside the traditional care role, we're actually responding to that at TAFE NSW as well, looking at how we can build those interconnections.

Telehealth is a great example as well.

Looking at technology, we integrate those things as well.

So I think we're almost at the time that we need to wrap up.

So I'll say thank you very much to all of my fabulous panellists.

On the screen here you'll see a AQR code, which is a a feedback form for this session.

Please scan that and please fill in the form and give us some feedback.

Tell us how you like the session, what you didn't like about the session and also any other topics you'd love to hear about in future events.

There's lots to talk about in terms of this sector.

So yeah, thank you all for joining us.

Thank you to my colleagues at DOA and TAFE NSW also.

Get on to that learning.

Have a look there, get lots of materials and we'll be providing your teachers also with additional follow up materials where you can help to explore the care sector further.

So thank you very much for joining us today.

I hope you have a wonderful rest of your Thursday and I look forward to joining you, joining me as a future colleague in the years to come.