SSI launches home care worker recruitment campaign across NSW and ACT

Settlement Services International (SSI) has today launched a recruitment campaign to attract, train and provide ongoing support and long-term career opportunities to talent across NSW and the ACT as part of the Home Care Workforce Support Program (HCWSP).

Aged care is one of the top 10 industries most affected by skills shortages in Australia, with reports estimating that an additional 35,000 workers will be required every year to fill the growing demand.

“SSI’s recruitment campaign aims to raise awareness of the range of career opportunities available to home care workers. We will identify, screen, upskill mentor and place 4,400 new talent across NSW and the ACT,” said Iggy Pintado, Head of Home Care Workforce Support Program at SSI.

“The Royal Commission shone a light on the importance that staying at home has for older people, revealing that over 90 per cent prefer this to moving into residential aged care.

“Through this program, we want to provide qualified aged care support at home to more seniors in Australia to help them enjoy an independent life while having the peace of mind of knowing that they will receive safe and quality care.”

The HCWSP is open to candidates with different levels of education with a particular focus on soft skills, including empathy and patience. Applicants should also enjoy the company of seniors and be interested in ongoing learning.

Successful participants will be provided the opportunity to embark on a meaningful and long-term career in at-home aged care that offers flexible work hours and location, as well as continuing training and support.

Sonia Vignjevic, SSI’s General Manager for Clients, Partnerships and Business Growth, said: “More than a quarter of care workers in Australia come from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds, so SSI with an extensive footprint across NSW’s multicultural community is uniquely placed to reach new talent within these groups. Our team will provide them with the preparation they need while being mindful of their background and leverage the strengths they can bring to their work in home aged care.”

A key objective for SSI is to design talent retention plans to showcase how a home care worker can secure a steady job into the future.

SSI’s program partners, Eremea Home Care Services, supports the importance of the sector coming together to build a workforce that can care for Australia’s seniors today and into the future.

Eremea CEO, Vicki Zalalas, said: “I started as a support worker with a service provider and loved helping my clients. In the past 20 years, we have changed and grown enormously which has had an enormous impact on me and my role at Eremea, as the founder. Eremea is like family, some of our support workers have been here since the beginning and have continued in their roles as support workers. Others have moved into other roles, either in administration, management or in our head office team; there are many options available in the sector to build a career. I think that with the Home Care Workforce Support Program SSI is highlighting a side of the home care worker role that is unknown to many, that this job is life-changing, flexible, long-term and full of opportunities.”

SSI also seeks to drive the sector’s development by partnering with home care providers to help better equip them to attract, train and retain qualified workers.

“We are working with partners across government, home care providers and registered training organisations to bring about sector development. We are doing this by putting training at the centre of this program,” said Mr Pintado.

SSI’s recruitment efforts will be supported by a multichannel marketing campaign titled ‘Make a difference with every door you open’ celebrating the life-changing work and long-term career opportunities that at-home aged care offers. In the coming months, this campaign will be featured across social media, online and digital platforms.

The HCWSP is an Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care funded initiative that looks to address the skills shortage in the sector and grow the country’s home care workforce by 13,000 over the next two years, until mid-2024. SSI is one of the six organisations appointed by the government to deliver this initiative.

To join or for more information about the SSI Home Care Workforce Support Program for NSW and the ACT, visit https://www.ssi.org.au/homecare

Media enquiries: 

SSI Senior Communications Officer Rebeka Selmeczki;

0468 998 300 | rselmeczki@ssi.org.au