It’s hoped a new National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Training Centre at North Regional TAFE’s Karratha campus will help bolster WA’s skilled disability and aged care and workforce.
The centre was opened by Education and Training Minister, Sue Ellery and Disability Services Minister, Stephen Dawson.
“This important NDIS facility is providing an amazing opportunity for students to train for real-life scenarios using the most current practices and equipment,” said Minister Ellery.
“Local training facilities of this calibre will mean the students will be better able to provide high-quality care to local clients.”
The $270,000 facility includes a simulated in-home care training environment to support NDIS-related training.
In consultation with local industry, construction was completed by Karratha-based company Trasan Contracting and was completed in time for the start of Semester 1, 2020.
Since the start of the year, 97 students have been trained in the centre which was built to meet the region’s increased demand for skilled aged care and disability workers.
The facility is being used to deliver three streams of the Certificate III in Individual Support – Ageing, Disability and Home and Community Care qualification.
It is also being used to train students enrolled in the Certificate II – Diploma of Community Services and the Certificate IV in Ageing Support.
“Over the next five years, the health care and social assistance industry is forecast to have the largest employment growth of all industries in Western Australia, with the number of disability and aged care workers needing to double to meet demand,” said Minister Dawson.
“The opening of this training facility will help the Pilbara meet this demand and also brings us one step closer to fostering an inclusive society.”
The centre has also been used to deliver 26 short courses since opening, including manual handling, first aid and associated community services skill sets.
