With aged care providers already facing significant workforce challenges as a result of COVID-19 and funding constraints, local aged care provider Alino Living is taking a new approach to recruitment following a partnership with ET Australia.
Newly merged not-for-profit organisation Alino Living offers residential aged care living and services across the Central Coast and is putting workforce front of mind by developing a program to assist with recruitment and training.
Executive Care Manager of Alino Living, Melinda De Luca, said that the program developed with
ET Australia aims to combat the growing challenge of aged care employee recruitment, while also training up young people to consider a career in the industry.
“Given the impact of the pandemic on the workforce nationwide, the aged care industry continues to take a blow and suffer an issue of staff shortages with providers competing for staff from a small pool of candidates,” explained Ms De Luca.
“In partnership with local training organisation, ET Australia, we have co-designed a program of aged care employment that is suitable for our organisation that identifies needs of our services and its participants.
“This program supports our recruitment process and will continue to feed our staffing pool year-round by offering a combination of theoretical training, work placement and traineeships for entry level job vacancies,” she added.
ET Australia is a Central Coast-based registered training organisation that focuses on providing students with further study or traineeships so they are optimal candidates for employment. This unique program created with Alino Living includes three components including pre-traineeships, traineeships and an aged care readiness employment program.
“These types of programs have been running via training organisations for some time but what makes this program unique is how it is tailored to the students and the needs of Alino Living, with the program completely customised,” said Cath Roden, ET Australia’s Training College Manager.
“The program provides six weeks of onboarding to the service and aged care meaning students are supported as they are integrated into their roles. They undertake one full day of training per week with ET Australia, one day with Alino Living’s Clinical Nurse Educator to provide organisation orientation and practical skill sets, and one day a week with a buddy on the floor of the specific residential aged care facility.
“Beyond the six-week orientation program students then complete another three weeks of intensive buddying with a supportive work partner. This will ensure the students are confident and capable to provide the level of care, customer focus and clinical excellence Alino Living and its residents expect as part of their service delivery,” added Ms Roden.
The collaboration between ET Australia and Alino living ensures new entrants to the industry are well supported between the two organisations and this new partnership is already proving valuable.
“To date using this model we have experienced a very high retention rate of students. Alino Living has committed to above trainee award wages as we understand the cost of living increases our community is currently experiencing.