By Tyler Wright
Care and support industry professionals and job seekers visited Box Hill Institute’s Lilydale campus on Tuesday 4 October to share their experiences and advice on a career in the field.
Held by Workforce Australia’s Local Jobs Program, the care and support jobs expo hosted 19 exhibitors from the industry, and had over 50 job seekers register their attendance.
Employment Facilitator for the North East Melbourne Local Jobs Program, Ida Lloyd, said employers in the care and support sector are currently looking for an average of 30 staff to fill roles.
“[The expo] was initiated through the federal government as a result of Covid, and all those displaced job seekers, and trying to match them into those sectors that are crying out for staff – and aged care is crying out for staff,” Ms Lloyd said.
“All types; across all home care, personal care, disability support, in their catering and laundry services…there’s quite a supply chain to aged care, and every part of it is feeling the strain of not enough staff.”
For care services located in the Yarra Ranges, Ms Lloyd said barriers for prospective employees are transport into the area and needing to fuel up a car to get to work.
Despite this, there are a growing number of facilities being built throughout the Yarra Ranges, Ms Lloyd said.
“I know that there’s a facility up in Montrose that needs that ‘magic number of 30,’ but about 30 people in their facility…[worker shortages have] had a huge impact, and you’ve got the issue of distance as well,” Ms Lloyd said.
“For a lot of the unemployed, that’s a barrier to employment.”
Heritage Aged Care staff head of group operations Kathy Warren and head of people and culture Claire Neeson, said nurses are in demand in their centres – one if which is located in Bayswater North.
“[Nurses] are going to take the allowances to go back into the private sector, that’s not in aged care – so why would they come to us when they can have that in the private sector or go work in NDIS?,” Ms Warren said.
Shortages have led to staff exhaustion working double shifts, and staff across the organisation working in another home needing assistance, Ms Warren said.
But through the care and support jobs expo, the Heritage Care team was able able to build contacts with recruitment companies, Box Hill Institute and universities.
Ms Warren said the expo may help care services collaborate with other organisations – and she expects the industry to pick up again within the next six to 12 months.
“Hopefully the government gives us more incentives for people to work in aged care…[for] personal carers to come back into the workforce,” she said.
