The first 12 coordinators of a national program to increase workforces in the disability and aged care sectors have been appointed.
Minister for Families and Social Services, Paul Fletcher and Minister for Senior Australians and Aged Care, Ken Wyatt, welcomed the appointments — the first of 35 proposed locally-based coordinators.
Mr Fletcher said the initiative demonstrated a commitment to a strong and sustainable workforce ahead of the full roll-out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) in 2020.
“The disability care workforce is expected to need to grow by 90,000 full-time equivalent workers within the next five years,” Mr Fletcher said.
“The new coordinators, working across key geographical regions, will help meet growing workforce pressures by building sector capability and linking job seekers to sector employers.”
He said the coordinators understood the challenges and experiences of providers and participants on the ground, both in the NDIS and in the disability and aged care sectors more broadly.
“The coordinators will work with providers to improve their workforce planning, modelling and development capability, including recruitment models,” Mr Fletcher said.
Mr Wyatt said the initiative was a crucial one for the aged care sector with up to 980,000 workers needed by 2050.
“The coordinators will support providers to expand and integrate their workforce to meet the needs of the aged care sector, reinforcing our comprehensive aged care reforms,” Mr Wyatt said.
The first group of coordinators are to be based in Hobart, Launceston, Perth, Darwin, Adelaide, Mt Gambier, Bunbury, Sydney and the Blue Mountains/Central-West NSW regions.
