Provider eyes ex-manufacturing workers to build aged care workforce

Salisbury Downs resident Lan Tran has made the type of career change that may become increasingly more common in Australia as the manufacturing workforce continues to contract and the demand for aged care workers rises.

Having worked at Clipsal for 22 years, Tran lost her job when the company closed its Nuriootpa factory in 2009, and after retraining in aged care, she started her new career in 2010 as a carer at ACH Group’s Highercombe facility in Hope Valley.

Tran said she was anxious about the future when she found out the Nuriootpa factory was closing. “I was lucky because ACH Group came to me and offered me a job and training before I left Clipsal, but I was scared about trying a new job because it was very different and I didn’t know if I could do it.”

Still, Tran said she was thankful for training and the opportunity for work. “I said ‘I will try it and see how it goes’. After a year I was still happy and it was better than my old job.”

Owen McClymont has a similar story. After a 25-year career as a welder making farm machinery and armoured vehicles for BAE, he retrained as a care worker and joined ACH Group’s ViTA, Daw Park in 2014.

McClymont said while a caring role was a huge change after working in manufacturing for 25 years, he’s not looking back. “I enjoy getting to know people and I find it really rewarding,” he said. “It’s worked out really well for me.”

A CSIRO report, titled Tomorrow’s Digitally Enabled Workforce, said there have been steady declines in agriculture and manufacturing jobs over the last 20 years, while service industries such as healthcare and professional services have shown strong growth.

Released last year, the report said a change in mindset, accompanied with training, may see more people working in manufacturing industries move into caring professions experiencing workforce growth, such as aged care and nursing.

In an interview with Aged Care Insite following the report’s release, CSIRO economist Dr Andrew Reeson said across Australia, there has been a steady decline in manufacturing and that’s likely to continue. “It still remains a very large employer, it’s still very important to the economy, and it’s likely to continue to be so, but we’re certainly seeing a steady trickle of people essentially being displaced from this industry as factories, whether large or small, close down,” Reeson said. “Aged care is probably the single fastest-growing occupation in Australia in recent years and again that’s likely to continue, so there are big opportunities there, particularly because aged care is so distributed around the country.”

ACH Group is hoping more manufacturing workers consider a career in the aged care sector.

The South Australian not-for-profit care provider currently holds particular interest in helping retrenched Holden workers find jobs in the state in the wake of the closure of Holden’s Elizabeth factory in Adelaide’s northern suburbs last week.

ACH Group recruits approximately 350 new staff each year and indicated its willingness to support those out of work due to the closure to fill care and support worker positions, as well as those for garden and maintenance officers. The organisation will soon also be focusing on the recruitment of IT professionals and customer service staff.

Nichole Tierney, ACH Group general manager people, culture and business quality, said the provider recognises that skills can be taught. Just as important, she said, are inherent personal qualities like emotional intelligence and the ability to work with diverse customers and as part of a team, as well as the ability to provide quality customer service.

“When ACH Group visited Holden’s career transition centre we were really impressed by the diversity of the workforce,” Tierney said. “We are focused on ensuring quality of care and excellent customer service. We felt that if someone was passionate about working with older people and could genuinely support our vision, we would welcome them.”

Tierney also noted skills transferable between the two industries. “In manufacturing, just about everyone works as part of a team; everyone has a role to play in producing the end product. Similarly, at ACH Group teamwork is really important, so we feel these attributes could transfer quite easily.”

In ensuring that those who are out of jobs in manufacturing or other industries experiencing workforce contraction consider aged care as a viable career opportunity, Tierney said collaboration is key.

“It’s really important that the industry work together to promote aged care as a viable alternative and a career that can be both rewarding and offer long term security.

“We’d like to see more funding for development programs that include experiences in the aged care sector and more done to promote the sector in a genuine way to show the diversity of careers, the rewarding and meaningful jobs on offer and of course the opportunity to connect and learn from older people.”

ACH Group will exhibit at JOBEX, an SA Government initiative, at the Adelaide Convention Centre on 10 and 11 November to showcase job opportunities and meet people interested in a role in aged care.

Do you have an idea for a story?
Email [email protected]