With an estimated 250,000 Indonesian nursing graduates currently unemployed, a new program is seeking to help Australian aged care providers meet their personal care worker shortages by tapping into the country’s oversupply of trained nurses.
In May 2023, the Federal Government announced new Aged Care Industry Labour Agreements aimed at streamlining the process for aged care providers to sponsor direct care workers on skilled visas.
But with its Skills in Demand (subclass 482) visa requiring applicants to hold a minimum of an Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) Certificate III, which requires 120 hours of relevant work experience, and an English language proficiency level of at least IELTS 5.0 or equivalent, few visas have been granted.
Now a new initiative established by Living Well Senior Communities, which operates seniors’ living and aged care services in Indonesia, is looking to overcome these challenges.
Supported by $153,500 from the IA-CEPA ECP Katalis, a joint program of the Australian and Indonesian Governments, Talent Connect will see the first intake of 20 nurses recruited from Binawan University begin a six-month Certificate III (Individual Support) online through a partnership with the University of New England in Australia this month.
The recruits will then complete 120 hours of work experience with Living Well’s Australian-managed facilities in Indonesia before being connected with aged care providers in Australia ready to begin work in mid-2025.
There are already plans to expand the program, which was launched last year in Jakarta by Australia’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Her Excellency Penny Williams PSM (pictured centre in blue and black jacket), in 2026.
“For employers, Australian aged care operators can have confidence in the program going forward to meet their recruitment needs and being able to depend on the same partners and standards of education providing long term consistency,” Benjamin Cass, Director of Living Well Seniors Communities, told The Weekly SOURCE.
“They will also be employing people who have skills far and above what would normally be required of a personal care worker. These are people who have already dedicated their life towards the healthcare sector – this is just a new opportunity for them.”
