Campaign aims to attract thousands of new recruits

The sector’s workforce council has launched a campaign to promote the rewards of working in the aged care sector.

The Aged Care Workforce Industry Council has launched a series of short videos promoting aged care roles and careers as part of a sector-wide recruitment drive.

The federally funded “Bring Your Thing” campaign, which launched on Tuesday, highlights the diverse range of skills and professions in aged care, such as support workers, chefs, care managers, maintenance staff, volunteers, team leaders and social coordinators.

The campaign includes videos depicting aged care workers’ experiences of human connection and is based on the idea that people can draw on their existing skills and personality for a rewarding role in aged care.

It is part of the drive to triple the aged care workforce from around 366,000 to 980,000 by 2050 and reframe the aged care sector as set out in aged care workforce strategy A Matter of Care. 

ACWIC CEO Louise O’Neill said the Bring Your Thing campaign is aimed at people who are looking to start a career or transition from their current role or who impacted by the pandemic.

“It is specifically looking at skills and passions and saying bring them to our sector,” Ms O’Neill told Australian Ageing Agenda.

“We really believe there are many people out there who would be highly suited to working in aged care and would love a career in aged care.”

Louise O’Neill

Ms O’Neill said the campaign has been an incredible display of collaboration from the provider peak bodies, consumer organisations and government to start the ball rolling in developing a world class workforce.

She said she hoped the campaign’s “realistic take on people working across the sector” resonated  with a broad range of people including skilled leaders and those from COVID-hit industries such as retail, transport, tourism and hospitality.

“We would hope that people outside of the sector who already have those care instincts… see a connection to this industry and to this campaign that will drive them to seek out opportunities,” Ms O’Neill said.

Aged care providers should also start preparing for an increase in interest, she said.

“I’d call to providers to make sure they equip themselves and be ready to bring in people in response to this campaign and to think about what they might do to support this rapid onboarding so we can grab this opportunity and utilise it properly,” she said.

A still from the Bring Your Thing campaign.

ACWIC acting chair Kevin McCoy said the campaign was an important step in the multi-year social change program to recruit new talent and change community perceptions of aged care.

Kevin McCoy

“I am extremely proud to see this campaign come to life as it signifies a coordinated, industry-led response to the workforce challenges we experience daily,” Mr McCoy said.

Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care Services Richard Colbeck said he hoped more Australians would consider a career in aged care.

“One of the great messages in the campaign is that working in aged care, where human connections are at the core of the roles, is meaningful and rewarding,” Mr Colbeck said.

“If you’re looking for work while you study, or want flexibility in a job that’s interesting and meaningful, the support and care sector might be just what you’re looking for,” he said.

The launch of the campaign follows the launch of the ACWIC’s Voluntary Industry Code of Practice last month (read more here).

The campaign was developed by Coffee Cocoa Gunpowder and filmed by Scoundrel director Selina Miles.

View the campaign and find out more here.

Main image: A still from the Bring Your Thing campaign.

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Tags: acwic, aged care workforce, aged care workforce industry council, featured, kevin mccoy, louise-o'neill, Richard Colbeck, workforce, workforce shortages,

5 thoughts on “Campaign aims to attract thousands of new recruits

  1. It’s good they are trying to recruits to the aged care sector BUT it still needs to be fixed up as per the royal commission recommendations and unions recommendations. I’ve seen new workers start then leave because the work load is too much . Many aged care places often work short shifts making it worse due to poor staff ratios . Many experienced workers have left this profession due to burning out . So at this stage it’s a waste in trying to find more for this already damaged profession.

  2. I wish such campaigns looked much more broadly beyond current roles. What about counsellors and art/music/dance professionals for example?

    I don’t know if anyone has ever addressed this particular problem in the aged care sector. I’ve worked 20 years in community with no access to long service leave nor even the benefit of sick leave when I really need it? There’s a fundamental problem about the lack of portability of benefits when most of that work is connected with a Government funded service. It’s good that workers can be attracted but really we have a flawed system that disadvantages workers when one changes employers who ironically are funded by Government to deliver a service!!

  3. Steve has hit the nail on the head. It is about numbers. Ratio’s are quite poor, the training of these individuals are also poor – 6-8 week courses do not produce the quality required. Not the carers fault at all. We in the industry are seeing more people moving into Aged Care with complex health needs, not just physical needs but also mental/cognitive needs. Putting money into increasing staff ratio’s is what is required. It isn’t rocket science, it seems all are skirting around this issue!

  4. If the aim is to increase the workforce and have skilled non-clinical people in key positions, there has to be a change in organisations to look outside the cultural attitudes that have a long standing in the care industry.
    It has been my experience that nurses are simply promoted up the line without any real qualification nor experience in management roles. Which, in the main, unfortunately they fail miserably at. There are of course exceptions.
    I have a great deal of management experience in another industry but unless I have registration with AHPRA, I’m not given the opportunity to use my experience.
    There needs to be a shift out of the nursing culture if the industry is serious about change.

  5. Hi, many of us have been saying about the need for extra staff to provide quality care, Steve is just one of many. I have been promoting this for the past 8 years, ever since the “Living Longer Living Better” initiative from the then Gillard Government! The RC just came basically to the same decision and we wasted all those years when we could now be in a so much better place. The answer is recruit from overseas, the Philippines have thousands of Unemployed Nurses, Bachelor of Nursing qualified who are very happy to work with the elderly.

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