Keeping the community services and health industry in shape

Countering the current skills shortages in the community services and health industry isn’t simply a matter of increasing the credentials of all workers within the industry. Rather, the focus should be on the occupations which require higher-level skills and which are specific to the industry.

This is argued by Tom Karmel and Davinia Blomberg, who sought to profile the occupations important to the industry and to examine its linkages with VET.

The community services and health industry covers a range of occupations. Some are highly skilled and specific to the industry (such as medical technicians and surgeons), while others are not (such as cleaners and laundry workers). The authors argue that it is the more specific, highly skilled occupations that the industry should focus on when thinking about workforce planning.

The industry profile reveals a substantial increase over the past decade in the qualifications obtained by its workers. Degrees have become mandatory for several occupations and there has been a significant shift away from certificate-level training toward tertiary training for associate professional and ‘alternative’ health workers. Large increases in credentials are also noted among the lower-skilled occupations, such as personal carers and childcare workers.

“A better qualified workforce can be a good thing but the challenge is to ensure that higher-qualified workers lead to higher-skill levels, rather than just better credentialed workers”, says Karmel.

Community services and health VET courses were found to be well targeted, with most graduates finding employment within the industry six months after training. However, the challenge for the VET sector is to promote the value of its training for associate professional-level occupations, rather than just being left with certificate training for lower-skilled occupations. In a number of occupations, degree holders are swamping those with diplomas.

Workforce planning for the community services and health industry is available at
www.ncver.edu.au/publications/2143.html