The Case for Community Services Traineeships
The community services sector is an integral part of our economy, and is an industry that has experienced rapid growth, and will continue to do so.
As outlined in the Victorian Council of Social Service (VCOSS) – A growing industry report, the community services sector in Victoria employs more people than the state’s mining, real estate and arts industries combined, and has an annual income of $11.5 billion. As detailed in the report, employment in the health and social assistance industry in Victoria has grown by 56 per cent over the last decade. Compare this to retail trade, which grew just 16 per cent in the same period, and manufacturing, which declined by 13 per cent. And this growth isn’t predicted to slow down. According to VCCOS, the aged care workforce alone will almost triple from 366,000 to 980,000 by 2050 to meet the needs of increasing numbers of older Australians accessing aged care services. The Australian Industry and Skills Committee predicts nationally the industry will increase by 200,000 workers from 2019 to 2024 alone.
It may then come as a surprise that enrolments in Community Services-related qualifications have declined overall between 2015 and 2018, with an overall decline in completions across the period. The Australian parliament has declared that in order to address workforce shortages in this sector “a rethinking of the current training and workforce structures and overcoming the entrenched positions of key interest groups is required”. Increasing participation of young people in work based learning programs such as apprenticeships and traineeships, through a Group Training Model, may provide the key to addressing some of these workplace shortages.
Traineeships give entry level candidates a chance to start a career in their chosen sector, often without the need for prior experience. With the youth unemployment rate currently sitting at 15.6% nationally, channelling youth into this in-demand sector provides an opportunity to direct young people into industry with high jobs growth and stable employment in a sector that has a clear, well-articulated purpose. Additionally, increased completion rates in the group training model may help overcome the decline in completion rates for community services related qualifications. In the group training model, one on one mentorship and support is provided throughout, resulting in an increase in completion rates, compared to apprenticeships and traineeships in a non-group training model. Here at NextGen Jobs, 87% of our apprentices and trainees complete their program, compared to the industry average of just 56%
The community services sector can also meet some of the key attractors of millennial candidates. There is a steady stream of research and data strongly indicating that millennials value purpose and knowing their work makes a positive impact on society, over remuneration. Community Services professions provide a sense of purpose and allow workers to make a positive impact on their community. Demand for community services workers is only predicted to grow, and this sector can provide a stable career pathway to school leavers in a rapidly changing world of work.
Although traineeships may help solve some of the workforce challenges predicted in the community services sector, issues such as lower pay rates, gender imbalance and an increasing casualised and part-time workforce will also need to be addressed to truly meet the workforce demands of this sector. However, giving young people a start to their career in a purposeful and growing sector with workforce shortages is a great place to start.
At NextGen Jobs, we collaborate with training organisations and industry, and design bespoke traineeship programs, that best suit the workplace, but most importantly, the trainees themselves.
What are your thoughts? Do you believe traineeships could help bridge the skills gap in the community services sector? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below.
Written by Louise Bastow.
