Narooma Jobs Drive seeks to fill positions in care sector

A jobs drive for the health and community sector will be held at the Narooma Golf Club tomorrow (May 28) with job seekers from Moruya to Bermagui able to speak to potential employers and apply for vacant positions on the spot.

This is the first time Eurobodalla Shire Council’s Jobs and Training Project has run the drive and it will feature six local employers, including representatives from Estia Health, IRT and Australian Unity, who are all seeking new staff.

Council’s Jobs and Training Project Coordinator Rhonnie South says that vacant positions range from personal care and individual support to domestic assistance, social support and general service roles.

She says one of the goals of the jobs drive is to bust some myths about working in the industry.

“The industry has a reputation for being casualised,” Ms South admits “but many employers now have a guaranteed minimum number of hours.”

“The other thing we hear a lot is that all the jobs are in personal care – we have employers looking for administrative workers, horticulturalists, cleaners and hospitality workers. There is a raft of opportunities.

“There are more than six jobs currently available, some require a Certificate 3 in individual support, however other jobs don’t require any qualifications at all,” Ms South adds.

Another myth is that jobs in the sector are only for women. While the industry is made up of around 70% women, it is slowly changing and more and more men are finding rewarding careers in the industry.

The need for care workers in the Eurobodalla echoes a nationwide trend. A 2016 Federal Government report says that the Australian Productivity Commission has estimated that by 2050 the aged care workforce will need
to roughly double to 998,000 workers, and no-one is sure that we will be able to meet that demand.

This growing demand means that training in the industry makes you an attractive job seeker both nationally and globally.

“We hear people say there’s not a lot of jobs in Eurobodalla, and yet in the aged care industry there are 1.02 jobs per person in our population – meaning there are more jobs than there are residents,” Ms South says.

While care providers are struggling to attract staff, Ms South says the industry has clear career pathways.

“For example, you might start in individual support and use that as a stepping stone to move into things like lifestyle programming, allied health or nursing.”

Ms South and her colleagues strongly encourage everyone to come to this event, even if you are currently employed but looking for a change.

“More and more, this industry is looking at the re-architecture of roles – meaning that if a person can’t perform all the duties of the job, but can provide some, employers are splitting the role,” she says.

“So come down and bring your resume and a willingness to pitch yourself to potential employers.”

The Narooma Jobs Drive is a chance for job seekers to apply directly to local employers rather than having to apply through a regional head office and gives job seekers the chance to advocate for themselves and follow up in person if they have already applied for jobs in the sector but not heard back.

“These companies are busy,” Ms South says “they need employees but their most pressing need is to have people on the floor so if you haven’t heard back about a position, follow up, over the phone and in person.”

According to Ms South, you don’t know until you try and “the reward is being someone’s reason to get up in the morning.”

The Narooma Jobs Drive will be held at Narooma Golf Club’s First Hole Room on Tuesday, May 28, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. No RSVP is required but job seekers should bring printed copies of their resume.

For more information visit Council’s website or phone Eurobodalla Jobs and Training Project’s Amy Kovacs on 4474 7380, email [email protected] or follow Eurobodalla Jobs and Training on Facebook.