Bunbury training centre to meet aged care and disability workforce needs

  • NDIS Training Centre opens at South Regional TAFE’s Bunbury campus
  • $1.3 million state-of-the-art facility equipped with simulated training areas
  • Centre will support the region’s demand for skilled workers in aged and disability care
  • Half price courses and free skill sets available in aged care and disability  
  • Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery today opened the brand new National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) Training Centre at South Regional TAFE’s Bunbury campus.

    To ensure students graduate job-ready, the $1.3 million project includes teaching spaces, a simulated in-home care area and residential care facility, fully equipped to industry standard.

    The Bunbury NDIS training centre will provide the best learning environment possible, so graduates can deliver quality care to clients, while meeting local demand for skilled workers in aged and disability sectors.

    The facility will cater to increased demand as a result of State Government’s Lower Fees, Local Skills initiative which halved the cost of training for 34 high priority qualifications when it launched in January.

    The scheme was recently expanded to include an additional 39 courses, reduced by up to 72 per cent, to support the State’s economic needs following COVID-19.

    The NDIS Training Centre in Bunbury will deliver the following half price courses:

    • Certificate III in Individual Support – Ageing
    • Certificate III in Individual Support – Disability
    • Certificate IV Ageing Support 

    It will also be used for the delivery of the new COVID-19 Direct Care skill set, which provides participants with critical infection control skills for jobs in aged care and disability support.

    The facility construction project was delivered using local Bunbury contractors, Kent Lyon Architect and Challis Builders.

    As stated by Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery:

    “The opening of this facility ensures quality training in the aged care and disability sectors to meet the growing workforce needs in the region.

    “The McGowan Government allocated $4 million to construct specialist training facilities at regional TAFE colleges to increase our State’s capacity to train workers to provide quality care to some of the most vulnerable members of our society.”

    As stated by Disability Services Minister Stephen Dawson:

    “The McGowan Government is committed to making the NDIS work for Western Australians and to ensuring people with disability can enjoy high-quality services now and into the future.

    “Over the next five years, the health care and social assistance industry is forecast to have the largest employment growth of all industries in Western Australia, with the number of disability and aged care workers needing to double to meet demand.

    “The opening of this training facility will help the South-West meet this demand and also brings us one step closer to fostering an inclusive society.”

    As stated by Bunbury MLA Don Punch:

    “This will not only give people in Bunbury access to the best training facilities but it will also make sure our community is well serviced in aged and disability care.

    “Jobs are the number one priority of the McGowan Government and this initiative makes sure Bunbury gets its fair share of opportunities.”

    /Public Release. View in full here.