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Recruitment Strategies in the Aged and Disability sector
January 9, 2018
Increased competition for care workers in the aged and disability sector has led employers to look for creative strategies to hire the right person for the job. Traditional methods of recruitment are no longer returning the results needed. Here are some approaches for broadening your recruitment strategies to access a more comprehensive talent pool.
University students – Both the aged and disability services are experiencing an aging workforce and are looking for a diverse workforce to match their client’s needs. Part time and casual employment suits many university student timetables. Students studying nursing, social work and psychology may have an interest in working in the industry prior to graduation but don’t limit yourself to those areas as many other students may have the skills and attributes you are looking for. Click here to access the UOW 2018 Employer Guide. For more comprehensive information, please click here.
High School Students – High school students often don’t consider a career in the aged and disability sector because they either don’t know what is involved or they have negative views. Two ways to engage high school students are through career expos and Schools Based Traineeships. The largest Schools Career Expo is Illawarra Schools Career Expo providing exposure to approximately 5000 Year 10 to 12 students. Click here for more information. School Based Traineeships combine paid work, training and school. Students gain an industry recognised national qualification and credit towards the HSC. Click here for more information.
RTO’s – TAFE and other training providers have a pool of engaged potential employees with their study already underway. A great way to engage students is to have regular student placements and work in partnership with your local training provider to explore ways to be involved in the student experience. A more proactive approach in now needed in courses such as Individual Support Certificate 3 as competition for these graduates is high.
People currently studying other fields – Given the competition for students studying community services, have a look at other qualifications that may have transferable skills such as Hospitality, Retail, Allied Health Assistant and Sport and Recreation.
People employed in declining industries – In the Illawarra these include mining and manufacturing. Be ahead of the game and keep an eye on what companies are offering redundancy packages and be pro-active to not only raise awareness of the aged and disability sector as an employer of choice but also have employment and training packages to offer that would make an easy transition into the aged and disability industry.
Family and friends of current staff – Incentive schemes can provide an opportunity for staff to actively encourage friends and family to apply for employment. This can encourage people into the sector that may not have considered a position in aged and disability. Click here to see a case study of a successful employee referrals program.
People from a culturally and linguistically diverse background – Workforce diversity is key to providing clients with the perfect match. Recruiting people from diverse cultural backgrounds has many benefits for organisations including being a more attractive provider to people from a CALD background and broadening your talent pool. Click here for more information on building a diverse workforce.
