A MatchWorks and ARC Training Collaboration! Education can take a lot of different forms, and our qualifications and programs here at ARC Training have many variations. We’ve seen a lot of success with shorter, more intense programs that can fast track students into their chosen industry.

This “Accelerator Program”, an initiative of MatchWorks, was a good example of this, and has been a labour of love between a lot of amazing people. Thank you MatchWorks ( check them out here: https://www.matchworks.com.au/), Eremea, RSL LifeCare, and genUĀ for coming together to provide study and industry opportunities for these 13 students.

Cameron Ryan at Accelerator Program

Cameron Ryna and Sheree Brown at Matchworks Accelerator Program

Weā€™d also like to acknowledge the hard working people who have made this happen: our very own Sheree Brown and Cameron Ryan, as well as Megan O’Sullivan, Anshika Sharma, Tom Dennis Richard Johnson, Thomas Chifney and Vicky Samaras.

Vicky from MatchWorks has said “Matchworks acknowledges the workforce challenges that the healthcare sector is facing at the moment and in years to come so we have designed and tailored our very own industry specific ā€œAccelerator Programā€ . The program is designed to attract people into the sector by giving an insight & experience into the industry . Our partnership with key employers who are chosen carefully that support our vision and open to work in collaboration with MatchWorks to create pathways into employment with a more flexible approach . ”

The whole team at the Accelerator Program

These students all had the opportunity to meet with potential employers who pitched the benefits and opportunities available to them should they be successful in being hired in the healthcare sector. Many of the students secured job interviews through the Accelerator Program. Additionally, these students are also now able to continue their career development with nationally recognised training programs in the areas of Aged Care, Disability, or Leisure and Health.

We look forward to hearing some inspiring success stories as these students go on to start their careers in the health sector – Congratulations to all the graduates! 🎓🎉

We have just announced that ARC Training (#91007) will be offering training courses in the ACT region as of February this year! We are extremely excited by this new pathway to making career development easy for individuals who reside in Canberra and surrounding areas. ARC Training will be running a few community services courses, specifically our CHC33015 Certificate III in Ageing Support (Superseded) and CHC43015 Certificate IV in Ageing Support.

Did you know? Over the next 35 years, the aged care workforce will be required to nearly triple from 352,145 people to 827,100 people in 2050?* If you are keen to kickstart your career in a new pathway, get back into the workforce after time off or increase your skill set, the community service sector is booming and will continue to grow and expand as the Australian population ages and requires extra care and support.

Become a support worker, social educator, assistant in nursing, client services facilitator, care attendant, respite worker or recreational coordinator today!

Have we got your attention yet? For more information on how you can apply, register your interest in Belconnen courses here and Tuggeranong courses here or give us a call on 1300 793 146 now!

*Source: Department Of Social Services Stocktake and Analysis of Commonwealth Funded Aged Care Workforce Activities Final Report – August 2015

 

Nadime Roumieh is a contract trainer with ARC and through her business Nursing Educator Services provides trainers for our CHC33015 Certificate III in Individual Support courses in NSW.

 

Where are you from?

When we decided to leave Lebanon 40 years ago, we had two options: Canada, or Australia, we choose the latter so we can try and see if we can make it home.
Well 40 years later we are still here and I call Australia home and could not be happier living in this beautiful country of ours.

What have you done in the past?
I have always wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl, I used to play the nurse with my sister and brothers, so when we migrated to Australia, I persued this career and started my nursing profession in the early 80ā€™s at Bankstown hospital where training was hospital based.

What motivated you to get in the Aged Care sector?
I wanted to make a difference, change the way people think about aged care, let us face it, when you tell someone you are working in aged care, they look at you as this is where you end your career not start it, well, it is not. Working in aged care you need motivated people, special people that care and do not work for the money but because they want to make a difference in the elderlyā€™s life.
You have to think quickly and make important and accurate decisions.
Working in aged care is about: HOLISTIC CARE, you are not looking after the Residentā€™s fractured arm in an orthopedic unit, you have them return to your unit with that fracture, however there are many issues going on with them as well as the fracture. You need to have the correct knowledge in everything, otherwise you cannot look after them. Thatā€™s what I tell my students.
There is such a shortage in aged care nurses, in fact it is very rare that you find a new grad go into this field. What I wanted to do is train good people and provide them with the necessary knowledge so they can be at their best when looking after those helpless residents and to be their advocate.

What are your qualifications:
I am a Committee member of the Health Care Complaints Commission expert adviserā€™s panel.
A highly experienced, dedicated and committed senior nursing and health care management professional with a background ranging from hands-on nursing to Director of Nursing level.Ā I teach Certificate IV in Ageing Support and Medications training for support workers.
Hold the following qualifications:

How long have you been a trainer?
I have been training for the last 10 years, and have enjoyed every moment. I trained all over Sydney, and regional NSW, I also trained in Melbourne for a while.

What drives you to excel?
Seeing my students excel and blossom, and come back with stories that we discussed in the classroom, where they have applied the principal and it worked.
Just seeing the look on their faces when they make a difference makes my day.

Any story you would like to share?
I have trained thousands of students, however there are always those that you will never forget and those that never leave your memory and keep emailing you with their progress.
I trained a student that in her former life was a PA of a governor, she wanted a career change, a job where she can make a difference, she commenced with me training her Certificate III in Individual Support, then she came back for Certificate IV in Ageing Support, she loved this field so much that she is now studying her Diploma in Nursing. Quite aĀ few other students have gone into uni and are studying their Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

The common denominator with all of them are the following sentences that they have shared with me:

It is the twinkle in the residentā€™s eyes that keeps me going back.
It is the satisfaction afterwards that means everything to me.
It is the hello when they see me walk into their room.

Of all the parts that can make or break a business plan, getting the right people into jobs is the most difficult to manage. Yet so many issues need to be managed to make good human resource management work. Here is a list of some key considerations:

  • Are the right people available in the area of operation?
  • What is the skills deficit and what is the best way to address this?
  • If I want to avoid the risks associated with the hire, can labour hire or a Group Training model help?

And for the long term:

  • How do I attract ambitious people to the organisation that will give it the entrepreneurial spirit for the future?
  • How do I make people thrive?
  • How does my organisation do the right thing and become valued by our community?

At ARC we have designed programs that meet the Human Resource needs of organisations and people who want a career. Hereā€™s how:

  • We deliver training on the job the way employers want, and that makes sense for workers
  • We focus on giving young people a start by employing them with our own Group Training Organisation, matching the right young person with the career paths provided by organisations
  • We do bulk recruitments, for when organisations grow rapidly or open a new centre, involving essential training before people start work (and this is funded by jobactive providers)
  • We spend a lot of time up front knowing what changes are happening in the sector so that new workers get a head start in their new sector.

Contact us if you would like to hear more.

Although it seems our ever-evolving use of technology further diminishes the need for direct human interaction- it is clear that our distinct social conditioning means that training in isolation is fundamentally flawed.

With the advent of downloadable content we have seen a push toward flexible learning options- but are they effective? The dehumanisation of learning via downloadable resources with no filtering process other than the ability to pay has seen damaging effects on the skills sector.

With completion rates fluctuating between 20-30{4af88043e6f3e5caae8600b9e5a9b29a1c6dbdf4483f818ccc78179cbb808d2c} it is concerning that some providers are openly boasting success with completion rates of 60{4af88043e6f3e5caae8600b9e5a9b29a1c6dbdf4483f818ccc78179cbb808d2c}.

What does this suggest?

Humans are intrinsically social creatures and our uptake in the use of personal technology further enhances this. The expansion in the gaming communities and social media (proportionately our largest use of personalised technology use) demonstrates that we use technology to enhance our social interactions- not replace it.

In the skills sector, the misuse of technology has had adverse effects on completions rates. The sector (including TAFEā€™s) were quick to ā€˜useā€™ technology to replace trainers. This gross perversion of human interactivity was negligent. Technology should enhance not replace a fully engaged, skilled and passionate educator.

Playing the role of the chieftain- a trainer indeed is a valuable asset, not a liability. Technology cannot account for the need to modify delivery, be sensitive to learnersā€™ individual needs and adapt to the audience as needed. This is the tip of the iceberg when trying to understand the importance of the human element in the learning process.

Perhaps we have gone a little astray. Although completion rates vary from institution to institution, one thing is clear. At all of the training organisations, I have worked at nothing beats effective pedagogy coupled with passion and determination that will ensure learners are safe and supported.

The proof is not in the wordsmith’s poignant write-ups, rather they lie simply in the stats. They do not lie, and the conclusion is simpleā€¦ we are social creatures, so let our learning reflect this.

David Kopycinski – Training Delivery Manager

 

Working at ARC Group for the past week has been a fulfilled 5 days with learning new skills, how an office runs, how to manage your time and many more activities that go on in a day-to-day office.

Waking up on the morning of my first day at work placement I was nervous but very excited, I had very little idea of what to expect from a training group and to be honest didnā€™t know what a training group was. Walking in to the reception at the ARC office for the first time I was very surprised as to how the office was compared to how I imagined it in my mind. I was imagining a dark office with chairs and desks and complete science, I was imagining no freedom and had the image if being glued to one chair for the week. What I saw was a light filled reception area, colourful office space and I did different tasks each day.

Being introduced to the office and everyone in the office was a great start to the day and made myself feel very welcome into the office.

Majority of my jobs here at ARC have included Data entry, Filling, Printing, Scanning, Labelling and sorting out papers for clients. Although these tasks took multiple hours, time and effort I enjoyed everything I was asked to do as it taught me new skills and new ways of being able to work efficiently in the office. All the staff in the office are very kind and approachable people, they were able to answer any questions I had and were very helpful when I was unsure of what to do.

This past week has been a great experience for me as I have learnt that working in an office is not as boring as expected by a lot of people, working in an office brings work and fun together as it is not just sitting at a desk writing up pages of documents it is being able to communicate with the people you work with and have a fun time when being there as well as doing the work you need to do, to any student that has the chance to come work at ARC should do so because it is a fun filled office with great and friendly staff always willing to help, and you will develop skills that will be useful to you in the future when looking for a job.

ARC is thrilled that for the NINTH year running we have been recognised at the Regional NSW Training Awards. We have had finalists in the awards every year and are overjoyed to see our ARCies being honoured again this year.

Two of our ARCies (Alyce Keating and Moana Wilkinson) are finalists for the Central & Northern Sydney Region and Daniel Tangney-Melides is in the running for the Central Coast region. These finalists are very bright and ambitious young adults who have worked hard to get where they are today.

Alyce, Moana and Daniel are all extremely excited about being finalists for these awards and recognise that just being nominated for these awards is a sign that their host employers and trainers truly believe they are doing a great job and thriving in the working environment!

We are extremely proud of our ARCies and wish them the best of luck at the awards presentations on 23rd June and 1st July. Fingers crossed!

Each year the NSW Training Awards are conducted by the NSW Department of Education and Communities to recognise outstanding achievements in the vocational and training sector. These awards recognise and reward the accomplishment and performance of students, trainers, training organisations and large and small employers. With a combined attendance of over 4,000 guests at the regional Training Awards presentation dinners, the NSW Training Awards are the biggest celebration of VET in Australia.

We are pleased to announce that we recently moved to a new office location on April 18 2016. Our new office is Level 9, 79 George St Parramatta NSW 2150, where we will continue to hold various training courses (business, community services, retail, manufacturing, logistics and warehousing), interview potential ARCies and meet our clients. This relocation is a result of continued business growth and an increase in staff. Our new premises are a short walk from the train station and local landmarks, retaining our commitment to the city of Parramatta and maintaining a central location on which to support our growing list of clients.

Our office numbers have remained the same ā€“ 1300 799 793.

Our new, larger office was professionally designed and constructed by Jeff Grimshaw and his team from CODA Commercial Interiors.

Should you have any questions about our relocation, please feel free to contact us. We look forward to seeing and serving you in our new spacious, light-filled surroundings.

Timothy Ragg has Cerebral Palsy and for years he has considered his disability a disadvantage. Now working full time as a Disability Support worker, Tim isn’t letting his disability hold him back any longer and is using it as an advantage to help others.

Tim completed his Certificate III in Disability with ARC in 2015 and initially struggled to find work, finding that lack of experience is a big road block to gaining employment. He didnā€™t want to go back to working part time as a chef, heā€™d felt discrimination in the hospitality industry and knew he had to persevere. Eventually he was given a second chance by WALCA (Work and Leisure Centre for Adults) after his life experience with his own disability was recognised.

“I never thought I would actually use my disability as a job.”

On a daily basis, Tim assists other people with a broad range of disabilities. He helps them with their needs and facilitates their skill development so they can enjoy a better quality of life.

ā€œARC Group was always there for me, I could call or text all the time and they were there for me no matter what. Rachael and the rest of the ARC Team gave me an amazing opportunity and I canā€™t thank them enough,ā€ Tim said.

ā€œThe best moment of the course was throwing paper darts around the classroom. Nadime, my trainer was brilliant and went above and beyond in the delivery of the course. She shared stories from her own life experience working in the industry and explained things in depth for us which made a real differenceā€™, Tim said.

Where to now? Tim plans to study his Certificate IV in Disability with ARC and would like to progress to a higher role as a Disability Needs Assessor. He loves his job and the training he received has given him a deeper grasp of the work he is doing.

ā€œKnowing you can come to work and make someoneā€™s life better makes it all worth it.ā€

Tim has stayed in touch with his fellow students and is quite a spiritual man. He would like to thank God, his wife, Lynette and Lorna from WALCA and ARC for helping him get to where he is today.

WALCA works with clients who have severe autism and physical and mental disabilities, the work is demanding and Tim loves it, stating, ā€œKnowing you can come to work and make someoneā€™s life better makes it all worth it.ā€

ā€œI never thought I would actually use my disability as a job. Iā€™d grown up with food and thought that was my passion. The training I did with ARC wasn’t the start of a new career; it was just part of the process.

ARC employees took a step towards social inclusion this week by walking through Parramatta with over 1,000 members of the community to participate in Northcottā€™s annual ā€˜Walk With Meā€ event.

Northcott is one of Australiaā€™s leading organisations providing programs and services for disabled children and adults, and their families. Walk with Me is a short walk for some, and a real challenge for others and is an opportunity to support and celebrate the diversity within our community in an inclusive and festive environment.

ARC employees took part to show our support for Northcott and the wonderful work they do for people with disabilities.

ARC Business Development Manager, Rachael Northcott stated, ā€œIt was so amazing to see everyone, abled and disabled taking part in such a fantastic event, having bucket loads of fun and participating as one.ā€

This event recognises the inspirational attitudes and achievements of the 20{4af88043e6f3e5caae8600b9e5a9b29a1c6dbdf4483f818ccc78179cbb808d2c} of our population who have a disability. ARC are incredibly proud to support Northcott and the wonderful work they do.We were lucky enough to hear Ellie Cole, Walk With Me ambassador and Paralympian, talk about her experience in professional sports with a disability, as well as her work with Northcott. At the end of the walk, Australian Idol Winners, Wes Carr and Damien Leith performed for the crowd.

ARC recognises the extent of the challenges that disabled people face. We offer Certificate III in Disability (CHC30408) and Certificate IV in Disability (CHC40312). These qualifications have a multitude of potential career outcomes, including disability support worker, care assistant, social educator and many more.