Diversify your career in aged care: leadership, leisure and health

Working in aged care doesn’t have to mean being a personal care assistant forever. If you’re wondering about a new direction, we have study opportunities that will take your career to new heights.

What does it mean to ‘diversify’?

In other words, diversifying means gaining multiple skills. Being capable in many areas is always an advantage. Your skillset is your toolkit – adding to it means enhancing your knowledge, broadening your expertise and reaching for new job opportunities in aged care.

A thriving sector with growing demands

With Australia’s ageing population on the rise, the aged care sector is set to keep growing.  This growth presents a range of challenges and opportunities for aged care workers.

Recent statistics reveal that since 2019, over one million people have accessed aged care programs each year. Interestingly, most of these people used home support services. In fact, since 2011 the number of people using home care has tripled, in part due to a government push to enable people to continue living at home for as long as possible.

This is all part of the recent emphasis on people-focused care. For workers, upskilling or reskilling is a way to renew your passion and contribute to this wave of positive change.

Increasing opportunity for aged care workers

Putting people at the heart of aged care means offering a variety of services besides standard residential care. As demand increases, aged care workers will benefit from being multiskilled.

Diversifying your skillset is the way to discover a thriving career in aged care and enjoy some truly exciting outcomes. For those looking to take advantage of all the sector has to give, we offer study pathways to working in leisure and health, leadership and disability support.

Qualifications in leisure and health

Getting qualified to work in leisure and health is perfect for those who wish to promote enrichment in the lives of elderly people. Our Certificate IV in Leisure and Health empowers you to make a positive impact by designing and implementing lifestyle programs and activities for people in residential care.

In this course you’ll learn how to work with individuals or groups, utilising engaging resources like consultation and questionnaires to determine their lifestyle needs. Using what you’ve learned, you’ll be able to design leisure and lifestyle programs to alleviate negative symptoms and boost your clients’ wellbeing.

If health and happiness is something you’d like to promote, getting qualified in leisure and health will enable you to achieve your goals.

Qualifications in leadership

For most people, working in aged care starts with being a personal care assistant. After working as a personal carer for a while you might be interested in exploring further pathways.

If you’re already working in the sector and keen to take your career to new heights, the Certificate IV in Ageing Support is the next step toward leadership in your workplace. This qualification broadens your aged care skillset. You’ll gain knowledge and experience required to undertake a range of higher duties including team leadership, administering medications, delivering palliative care and managing legal compliance.

Continuing your training is not just a way to enhance your career prospects – it’s an opportunity to refresh and renew your passion for aged care.

Qualifications in sector management

A good leader brings people together, creating a shared vision for the workplace. In other words, the best leaders empower themselves and others. Rapid growth in the aged care sector is not without its challenges, which is why we need good leaders now more than ever.

Moving further into leadership could be your next step. If you’ve got your sights set on a management role, we’ve expanded our Advanced Diploma of Community Sector Management to enable more people to become future leaders and directors. In this course you’ll develop the skills required to be a strong, fair leader in the sector and to promote a healthy workplace culture.

Launching our disability support stream

Disability support is an essential part of quality care, and with this in mind we’ll soon be launching a new disability stream as part of our Certificate III in Individual Support. Those interested in developing their inherent capabilities for work in a supportive role can watch this space.

Empower yourself and others

Working in aged care is an opportunity to empower yourself and others. In this thriving sector, having a diverse skillset is a sure way to maximise your rewards.

We can support you to upskill, reskill and diversify your learning with our specialised range of courses in aged care.

For more information on where learning can take you, contact the team at Selmar today.