The new Bendigo TAFE Health and Community Centre of Excellence is ensuring graduates are job ready, by bringing together industry and education.
The state-of-the-art facility delivers high-quality training in nursing, integrated health, community and aged care, youth work, disability care, child services and justice.
Students learn from experienced professionals, work with interactive technology, and practice in state-of-the-art simulation labs, including an aged care home and pathology collection lab.
The development of the centre has led to stronger industry collaboration, with new partnerships being formed with Bendigo Health, Healthcote Health and Bendigo Community Health Services.
Bendigo TAFE’s CEO Trevor Schwenke says this industry connection is why the Bendigo TAFE Health and Community Centre of Excellence is much more than just a health and community services training facility.
‘Our strong connections with industry will enhance regional education and employment opportunities. Our graduates will be work-ready because their training is aligned with industry needs,’ Mr Schwenke says.
Similarly, Bendigo Health CEO Peter Faulkner says the new partnership will help to grow a workforce locally and from surrounding areas.
‘Bendigo Health is committed to building a high performing workforce and this allows us to ensure high standards of clinical placements, to get to know our future applicants and to learn what they are looking for in an employer, all before they conclude their studies in their chosen field,’ Mr Faulkner says.
Offering programs developed with input from Anglicare, Bendigo Health and Monash Rural Health, the Centre is training and upskilling staff for the booming healthcare sector, including the new $630 million Bendigo Hospital and to support the roll out of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
Bendigo Community Health Services CEO Kim Sykes says the region must quickly develop a strategy to make the most of the opportunity presented by the healthcare and social assistance sectors generating an anticipated 200,000 extra jobs in Victoria by 2031.
‘The partnership with Bendigo TAFE will enable us to work with the industry and consumers to find the best approaches to deliver the best outcomes for our community,’ she says.